Streaking Your Way Out of a Dark Place

There are many reasons why we feel like we are in a dark place or depressed. Some of these include actual chemical imbalances in our brains, suffering from a great disappointment, or having an experience that disrupts our norms. It is important to get the help we need for the depression we feel. One thing that can help is setting a streak.

Streaks are simple actions that we complete on a consistent basis. The action needs to be so simple that it can be done on the busiest, hardest day. Keep a record of the streak and include others to really be successful. We can streak an action directly related to what is causing our depression or we can use the consistency that comes from streaking to help lift us out of a funk. Consider the following examples of these:

After consulting with a doctor or therapist, we might be prescribed medication as part of our treatment process. Most of us can relate to the struggle of remembering to take things that have been prescribed to us. One streaker, Abbey, was overwhelmed by the number of medications she needed to take for a certain medical issue. She often forgot any number of the pills she needed. After she was introduced to Streaking, Abbey set a laughably simple streak to take at least four of the medications she needed daily. At an appointment after setting and keeping this streak, Abbey’s doctor expressed surprise. “What have you been doing?” Abbey explained her streak and was then told they could lessen the doses she had been prescribed. This same technique can work for you.

When we are trying to come out of a funk, we can identify the smallest action that would help us and turn it into a streak. Rather than trying to create huge, complicated programs to change our lives, we need to find the smallest thing that would help and do it consistently. Marty, a self-proclaimed lover of people, is a streaker who did just this. After a life-altering betrayal, Marty found himself in a very dark place. His natural tendency to trust and be open with others was lost. So, Marty created a streak to meet at least one new person every day. Now, a few months in, he is healing and finding his way back to the ability to let others in that used to be such a big part of his life.

There are also wonderful side benefits that come from any streak we set. Growing the capacity to make and keep promises with ourselves strengthens our confidence and can help us bounce back from a downward slump. This was the case with a streaker named Rachel. Rachel had just been let go from her dream job and was feeling very down. After she was introduced to Streaking by a friend, she read the Streaking book, saw the changes that it was making in other’s lives and thought “Why not?” She started a simple streak based on a hobby she loves, crocheting. That uncomplicated, daily action gave Rachel the motivation she needed to keep moving forward with her day and ultimately her life. She is now using Streaking to press forward in her new job and with new ambitions.

Whether our streaks are directly related to the struggles we are dealing with or they are creating side benefits of confidence and momentum, streaking can be a powerful tool to help with our discouragement. Where depression is chaotic and drags us down, consistency is stabilizing and lifts us up. So pick that small action and streak your way out of a dark place today.

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Learn more about how to create streaks and connect with others by downloading the Streaking app.