Iconatomy by George Chamoun

Audrey Hepburn/ Natalie Portman 


Marilyn Monroe/ Scarlett Johansson 


James Dean/ Robert Pattinson 


Cary Grant/ George Clooney 


Elizabeth Taylor/ Angelina Jolie 

By George Chamoun 

I wandered lonely as a cloud (William Wordsworth)

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth 

Things to do in moments of depression

Disclaimer: These things don't get one out of a depression, which is an extremely difficult, even impossible, task. But I've figured out that there are things that may help me somehow in moments of depression, and I would like to share them here. 

1/ Clean the house. Because, a, you perspire, b, while cleaning the house you focus on cleaning the house instead of thinking negative thoughts, and c, afterwards the house's clean and while I can't say if it will help you, it does make me feel better. 

2/ Take a walk. This works best when the sun's shining and there's fresh air. Spend some time in nature, if possible. Back then in Kristiansand I often walked to Ravnedalen. A park or a garden is OK. 

3/ Read a book whose author or protagonist is like your kindred spirit or best friend. In my case, it's Anne's diary. However, avoid authors like Franz Kafka or Sylvia Plath, who only make your depression go from bad to worse.

4/ Take a bath or a shower. You may feel dirty or disgusting inside, but it still helps to wash away all the dirt outside. A hot bath is relaxing, too. 

5/ Write. Put your thoughts on paper. You may burn or tear off everything afterwards, but try to write, try to articulate your feelings. 

6/ Watch videos of something cute and adorable like babies and animals (cats, pandas, fennec foxes, puppies, chipmunks, etc.). Or play with a pet, if you have one (or more). 

7/ Have some sort of interaction with human beings. Go somewhere with a friend/ some friends. If you're not in mood for talking or seeing anybody, which is often the case, sit in a place full of people and watch them. Just watch them. 

8/ Do things you enjoy doing. Keep yourself occupied. 

9/ Do something spontaneous. Eg: get on a bus and stop at a place you've never been to in your city. 

(If I forgot anything, I'll update this entry later). 

If you need more detailed and professional lists of things to do to battle depression, you can look at http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_tips.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Cope-with-Depression or search for more on google. Unlike most sites I don't like to tell you to think of your past successes, to make a list of good things about yourself, to always find the positive side of everything, to think of unlucky people, to be grateful, etc, since I once in a while sink into depression myself and know exactly how it feels to be depressed and understand such advice never helps. You would only think, "yeah, if it's that easy then nobody in this world would have to struggle with depression any more- so theoretical". Maybe my list sounds theoretical too, especially considering that I am not feeling depressed at the moment. But, as written above, these things don't get one out of a depression. They only make me feel better while I'm dealing with depression. That's all. 
Hope they're of any help to you. 

Rita Hayworth photos (2)