Celebrate the Small Wins: Why This Matters with Depressed Mood

Sometimes when you’re in the depths of a depression phase—whether that’s due to actual depression, anxiety, trauma (big T and little t), grief, or just life has you down for whatever reason—brushing your teeth can feel like climbing Mount Everest in flip-flops. You’re not lazy. You’re not dramatic. You’re exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, physically. Everything feels heavy.

And yet, even in the middle of that fog, you did something. You got out of bed. You opened a window. You drank some water instead of surviving solely on iced coffee. And you know what? That matters!

But Society Says…

There’s this toxic little voice floating around—sometimes internal, sometimes external—that says, “If you’re not doing something major, you’re not doing enough.”

Like unless you're running marathons, starting a business, or having some magical recovery montage with upbeat music and color-coded planners, society says you’re “failing” at healing or even existing.

Hard stop.
That is not how healing or existing works.

Recovery doesn’t usually show up with confetti and applause. It often shows up in the tiny, gritty, often invisible moments that no one claps for—except maybe your therapist (hehe hi).

Why the Tiny Wins Actually Matter

Tiny wins are like emotional protein snacks for your brain. They give you little bursts of dopamine, those sweet feel-good chemicals that depression tries to rob you of. When you start noticing and honoring them, they add up. They remind you that you're not as stuck as your brain tries to make you think you are.

Here’s what those tiny wins actually do:

• Build momentum – One win makes the next one more doable. It’s science and magic.

• Shut down your inner critic – That voice saying “you didn’t do enough today”? Yeah, it hates proof to the contrary.

• Help you feel like a human again – When you can name your progress, you start to feel more connected to your own agency.

• Rewire your brain – Like, literally. Repetitive focus on small positives shifts your mental landscape over time. Thank you, neuroplasticity.

What Counts as a “Win”?

Let me be clear: If it took effort, it counts.

• Put away one clean sock? Win.

• Put on pants? Win.

• Opened a piece of mail you’ve been avoiding for a week? Win.

• Showered and conditioned? Olympic-level win.

• Didn’t spiral when your brain tried to pick a fight? Huge win.

• Just… got through the day without totally losing it? Legendary.

Stop moving the goalpost.

Stop minimizing.

Stop saying “but it’s just…” — it’s not “just.” It’s a freaking triumph. Now celebrate it, damnit. (Said with love, of course)

How to Start Spotting Your Wins

If your brain is a sarcastic little troll that likes to pretend you did “nothing,” here are a few tricks:

• Keep a Small Wins note in your phone. Yes, even “woke up before 3pm” goes on it.

• End your day by asking, “What was hard today that I did anyway?”

• Say, “That was tough—and I still showed up” out loud. Bonus points if you say it in a mirror like a main character moment.

• Let your therapist (hi again) reflect those wins back to you when you’re having a “nothing matters” day.

It’s Not Small If It’s Progress

Remember, healing isn’t a glow-up montage. It’s messy. It’s slow. It’s showing up when you’d rather disappear. It’s giving yourself credit for things no one else sees. It’s crying in the parking lot and still going inside.

So the next time you do something—ANYTHING—that felt hard but you did it anyway?
 Celebrate.

You don’t need a gold star. You need to know that you’re doing the damn thing, one tiny miracle at a time—and in therapy with me, gold stars are included anyway.

Final Thoughts

Tiny wins are the breadcrumbs that lead you back to yourself. Don’t wait for the “big transformation” to be proud. Just because you may not currently be where you want to be doesn’t mean you’re doing terribly now. You're doing hard things quietly, and that’s powerful as hell.

And if you want someone to walk with you on the days when brushing your teeth feels like a full-body workout—I’m here. Real support, no judgment, and a whole lot of encouragement (with a healthy side of sass).

👉 In California and ready to start? Schedule a session with me here.

Comment below to share what small wins you are celebrating!