5 ways to avoid post proposal depression (PPD)

Last month I wrote a (somewhat) tongue in cheek piece about The seven stages of proposals. In talking with a couple of proposal writers about it, they said that they often suffer from post proposal depression (or PPD).

PPD comes after all of the adrenaline and late nights of the past two weeks come to and end, the proposal has been submitted and now you are left to either ramp up on another that is due soon or await the next one.

We have come up with 5 ways to avoid PPD:

1. Don't drink coffee - I know, this is blasphemous. Unfortunately, it might be the number one cause of PPD. The late nights require more and more coffee which ultimately brings you crashing down after just a few days.
   
2. Don't Drink alcohol - I know, this is sacrilegious. First coffee now your nightly glass of wine or cocktail! What's next, your oxygen? Unfortunately, yes, Skippy, yes. No more drinks. The alcohol seems to counteract the coffee and eventually leaving you feeling blue.
   
3. Exercise - You are thinking: when? Well, you will have to take back a half-hour or an hour from the proposals for you. That half-hour, even when you are spent from being up too late eating pizza at the office (and without coffee), will keep you energized throughout the day.
   
4. Read/listen to positive books - Reading books like Jeffrery Gitomer's Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Power of Positive Thinking or listening to Earl Nightingale's The Strangest Secret or Lead the Field will keep away the negative vibes that swirl around proposal writing and put you in a better mood generally.
   
5. Think and talk positively - No matter what! Regardless of how bad the situation goes off the rails, say to yourself that things are going great. No matter how utterly dire life may seem, if anybody asks say, "Life is great."

These five tips should help you avoid PPD and live a happier life as proposal writer. If these don't do the trick, we identified one more way to stave off depression but none of us is reading to publish it yet.