How to Function with Depression: Why Doing the Bare Minimum Is Still Enough

When you’re living with depression, basic tasks can feel like climbing mountains. This episode is about removing the shame from that reality—and giving you permission to survive in the smallest, kindest ways possible.

Mental health educator and Cereal for Dinner founder Emily Derecktor returns to walk us through shame-free survival tips for hard days. From hygiene hacks to meal shortcuts to breaking the dishes into “just take out the trash today,” you’ll hear evidence-based tools that are easy to miss in traditional self-care advice. Plus, learn how behavioral activation works—and why getting out of bed isn’t a character test.

This is the episode to return to when you’re in the thick of it and need a voice that says, “You’re not lazy. You’re surviving. And that counts.”

Cereal for Dinner's Website: www.cerealfordinner.org/

Primary Topics Covered:

• How shame keeps people from talking about functioning challenges
• The internal voice that says “you should be doing more” and how to quiet it
• Why even the smallest acts—like moving under a blanket—are valid wins
• Tools and mental workarounds for hygiene, cleaning, and nutrition
• Breaking big tasks into tiny phases without guilt
• Giving yourself permission to “do it badly” instead of not at all
• Using behavioral activation to create momentum (not motivation)
• Finding dignity in low-energy meals, disposable dishes, and routines
• Creating a prep plan for your future self when symptoms return
• Building trust with yourself through compassionate daily choices

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome back and episode reintroduction  
01:02 The hidden shame around “not functioning” with depression  
02:15 Why “trying harder” isn't the answer  
03:21 Emily on reframing low-functioning days with self-compassion  
04:12 How survival looks different for everyone—and that’s okay  
05:18 “Do it badly” vs. doing nothing at all  
06:43 Bedside baskets, dry hygiene tools, and intentional laziness  
08:07 Tiny wins: even lifting your head can be a success  
09:12 Eating when you can’t cook: judgment-free food solutions  
10:34 Cleaning in shame-free phases: permission to go slow  
11:49 Helping future-you: stocking supplies for hard days  
13:06 How behavioral activation works when motivation is gone  
14:38 Letting apps, alarms, or friends help guide your day  
15:29 The emotional weight of mess—and what to do about it  
16:33 Accepting support: cleaning help, prepared food, and connection  
17:52 Building a mental health toolkit rooted in kindness  
18:30 Encouragement to stop comparing yourself to others  
19:46 Where to find more tools and resources from *Cereal for Dinner*  

Explore mental health and addiction treatment options at recovery.com
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/GivingVoiceToDepression/
Terry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/givingvoicetodepression/