“One day I was feeling really down, and I said: Okay, if I focus on myself today, I can't get out of bed. So what are three things you can do? Three people that you can prioritize. I can't control my day. What are three people that I can control theirs? I can do something actively to make them have a better day. I made a list on my way into work. I stopped and I got flowers for a coworker who I'd noticed had been staying late at work. And I just put it in her office with a little card that said, ‘I see you.’ I had a conversation with a student. I can't remember what the third thing was, but at the end of the day as I was driving home, I felt better. I knew that even in my circumstances, even in my brokenness, even in my depression at that moment, I was still capable of making somebody else's day a little bit more livable, and that's how I was able to keep going.”

Heather Thompson Day is an Associate Professor of Communication at Andrews University, the host of the podcast Viral Jesus, and the author of It’s Not Your Turn, and I’ll See You Tomorrow. IVP is invested in advocating for mental health through the publications of books like On Getting Out of Bed by Alan Noble, and It’s Not Your Turn by Heather Thompson Day. IVP provides Christian resources for both individuals and professionals. Find all of IVP’s mental health resources at ivpress.com/mentalhealth.

Learn more about the On Getting Out of Bed podcast here.

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