Feeling down? Feeling depressed? Here are some practical strategies you can try – both physical and emotional.

Eat plenty of salmon and other oily fish. Omega-3 fats make up a large part of our brain and are critical for it to function properly. Although not conclusive, research has found a link between omega-3’s and depression.

Do some exercise. Better than any mood enhancing drug, a regular dose of exercise makes the body produce endorphins – the ‘feel-good’ hormone.

Change your clothes – the emotional ones. ‘Put on the garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair’ (Isaiah 61:3) When we feel depressed it’s like wearing a heavy blanket. The last thing we feel like doing is praising, thanking or singing. That sodden, heavy blanket weighs us down, making us sink into depression and self pity.

It’s the hardest thing in the world to do, and the last thing I feel like doing, but if I force myself to praise God, that heavy blanket of depression soon starts to slide off. Even if you don’t feel like it, make yourself listen to some praise music or read Psalm 66 out loud. It really works!!

Here’s my recipe for Hot Cross Buns. Today we had them for morning tea with freshly brewed coffee sitting on the balcony in perfect weather – not too hot, not too cold. We always invite family or friends to share them. Delicious!

1 teaspoon dried yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

325 ml warm water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

500g (3-3.5 cups) flour  (I used a 7-grain flour from the health food shop)

1 tablespoon mixed spice

1/2 cup raisins or currants

Only a few days left before the hot cross buns disappear for another year. I know we are meant to eat them only on Good Friday but I LOVE them! The trouble is that right now I have my foot in a lumbering moon boot so the last thing my body needs is extra carbohydrate. I’m just not burning up enough energy i.e. exercising enough, to indulge in an extra 830kJ (200 calories) per hot cross bun. And that’s without any butter or margarine!

In my pantry is an opened pack of hot cross buns, mostly eaten by me, and an opened pack of marshmallow Easter eggs

In the story of Winnie-the-Pooh, Pooh Bear gets stuck in Rabbit’s hole and has to lose weight so he can become unstuck. Rabbit puts up a sign which says “Don’t Feed the Bear”. At Easter, all families with a dog need a similar sign attached to their chocolate Easter Eggs: “Don’t Feed the Dog.”

Animals can die from eating chocolate. They are sensitive to theobromine – a compound similar to caffeine. Compared to humans, animals metabolise theobromine more slowly which means it stays in their body for much longer. Even a small amount of chocolate may be enough to cause vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures and even death.