When we’re enduring depression it can be easy to lose sight of our original selves – the feelings associated with depression can be all consuming. In so, we tend to forget the many aspects of our personalities that our friends and family find attractive about us. Perhaps we are known for our humour, our listening skills or simply because we are genuine souls.

The great David Bowie sang: “forget your mind and you’ll be free…” Of course, this is much easier said than done. However, if we take Bowie’s statement and look at it in manageable steps, we can help to navigate ourselves back to our true identities – the version of us when we are happier and functioning well.

For inspiration and to help achieve this, try writing down five things that others like about you, or jot down some of the aspects of your personality that you are proud of. It could be your kindness, your warm heart or your gift of making people laugh. Make this a low effort task to achieve – simply write down the things which easily come to mind. This is about finding a route back to your original self and having a written reminder as a reference point.

A good place to start is by searching your memory from as early as you can remember. For example, as a child you might have created the most fabulous pasta and poster paint card for an elderly relative. Do you remember how happy that gift made them? Was it cherished so much that they kept it on their mantelpiece for an entire season?

If you find your first attempt at doing this too stressful, store the idea in mind for when you are feeling more up to it. You could also ask close family or friends to write down a couple of attributes they love most about you.

Once you have a few of your attributes written down, try writing them on Post-it notes and sticking them somewhere you’ll see them every day. Thinking positively about yourself and reminding yourself of your qualities can really help to lift your spirits and navigate you back to your true self.