Belated blog about self-care is belated. (WSPD7)

I don't know what my official diagnosis is, or if I have one. I suppose I must for insurance purposes, but no one's ever actually pointed to a DSM-IV term and said "this is what you have"; just floated the words "depression" and "anxiety". I don't think my anxiety is really at clinical levels, though. Anyway, I'm on the maximum dose of an SNRI antidepressant and I see a therapist twice a week, so make of that what you will.

Self care is a really important survival tactic for getting through each day. However, I don't do a lot of the things that are recommended. I don't like to talk about what's going on with me with anyone but my counselor (and myself, if that counts. I talk to myself a lot), so talking to a friend is not an option for me. Exercising is also something that's highly recommended, my reaction to which is basically L-O-L NO. I just don't have the energy for that at this point. Like at all. I'd like to start exercising regularly, and I feel quite guilty that I don't, but I just can't see how to work that into my life at this point. So for now I try not to worry about that.

These are the things I do to take care of my mental health:
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  • Sleep. Sleep is the greatest thing that there is. If anyone tells you sleeping is a waste of time, they are a lying lie-filled liar who probably has an uncomfortable mattress. If you have somewhere comfortable to sleep, and even often if you don't, sleeping is amazing. It's like a vacation for your brain. It just makes you feel better. (Usually. As long as you don't have a bad dream.) It's the best. I ♥ sleep and so should you.
  • Getting clean. Some days I don't have the energy to shower, but I find it helps a lot to force myself to wash my face and put on deodorant and a clean shirt. Feeling at least slightly clean makes me feel much more human.
  • Writing stuff down. Writing out your negative thoughts is supposed to be really helpful. Personally, I find that after writing things out, I still dwell on those thoughts; sometimes even more than before. But eventually I do get the sense that I've put the thoughts away for a little while, and it's nice to be able to express things without having to deal with the embarrassment of someone hearing/reading what I say. (A few days ago I actually had a dream that I accidentally lent someone the notebook where I write out my thoughts; I was sooooo relieved when I woke up and realized that hadn't happened.)
  • Routines. I am a person who really likes routines in general, and I find them especially helpful for keeping me on track and functioning. Breaking tasks up into small, simple steps makes them a lot more manageable. I also find it helpful to assign routines to a certain time of day / day of the week. Even sparing myself little decisions, like when I'm going to do something, makes it easier to do.
  • Television. I love TV. Love TV. Some people have the idea that all television is crap produced for the drooling masses, but that's just silly. There's lots of great TV out there. Television is just another way of telling a story, and I love stories. I love getting wrapped up in another world. I love reading too, but a few months ago I realized that everything I like to read makes me really sad. A good kind of sad, but still sad. I don't know why that is. It's also harder to concentrate on reading when I'm really down. So TV is definitely a go-to for me in terms of self care. Usually I'll pick an episode of a comedy I love. I've also recently fallen into the black hole that is K-Dramas, which are pretty excellent for taking your mind off real life, although they do tend to hit you right in the feels. Right. in. the feels. Anyway, TV is one of the only things I can really count on to take me out of my head for a while. A+ for television. Thanks again, Philo T Farnsworth.
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So, that's it. I really just made this list for myself, but if you'd like to share some of the things you do to take care of yourself, please do! ᵔᴥᵔ
September 16th, 2013 at 05:21am