Cut Out A Vice For 100 Days
The idea of never drinking, smoking or eating junk food again is an intimidating enough mission for any of us to give up on before weve even gotten started. So instead of resolving to cut out one of your vices eternally, try cutting one out for 100 days. It is enough time for you to see the positive effects of what youve done, but a short enough time for the end to always be in sight. And who knows maybe once you realize how great you feel without one of your vices, it will turn into a permanent lifestyle change.
I Was Drowning In A Dark Pond That Kept Getting Darker With Every Feet Crossed Back In The Day Like Any Other Young Passionate Girl I Was Quite Bold With The Decisions Of My Life And Never Thought Of Getting Into Anything Intense But Then Thats What We Call Life A Mystery Full Of Ups
I was drowning in a dark pond that kept getting darker with every feet crossedBack in the day, like any other young passionate girl I was quite bold with the decisions of my life and never thought of getting into anything intense but then, thats what we call life, a mystery full of ups and downs.
Background
So, let me take you to alittle background of what happened before I got into depression. I was in thethird year of my Software Engineering Bachelors program when I got a marriageproposal by an uncle for his only son. My parents agreed to the proposal . Like any other Middle Eastern girl, I washappy about starting my new life soon even though I was just 20 years old atthat time but that is considered to be the right age for a girl to get marriedin our society.
What went wrong?
6 months later we werehappily married and there came the time when it all started! As I mentionedabove he was the only child of the family. His parents started expecting a babyfrom us while either of us never thought about it to date because I was alreadystudying. Things started getting worse, his father wanted him to remarry as allhe was concerned about was his future descendants a typical mentality of mostof the conservative families living in the subcontinent.
Fighting back was never easy!
I Started Loving Myself
Reading
Fixed Sleep Pattern
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Healthy Diet
EndNote
Schedule Your Habits Into Your Life
Give your habits a specific space in your life. There are two main options for making this happen
Option 1: Put it on your calendar.
Want to get back on track with your writing schedule? 9am on Monday morning. Butt in chair. Hands on keyboard. That’s when this is happening.
Want to bounce back with your exercise habit? Give yourself a time and place that it needs to happen. 6pm every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I’ll see you in the gym.
Option 2: Tie it to your current behavior.
Not all of your habits will fit a specific time frame, but they all should have a trigger that acts as a reminder to do them.
Want to floss? Everyday after brushing your teeth. Same order, same way, every time.
Want to be happier? Every time you stop at a red light, tell yourself one thing you’re grateful for. The red light is the reminder. Same trigger, same sequence, every time.
The bottom line is this: it might be nice to tell yourself that you’re going to change, but getting specific makes it real and gives you a reason and a reminder to get back on track whenever you slip up.
Soon is not a time and some is not a number. When and where, exactly, are you going to do this? You might forget once, but what system do you have in place to automatically remind you the next time?
For more on how to develop a sequence for your habits, read this.
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Warrior Of The Light Paulo Coelho
Warriors of light often ask themselves what they are doing here. Often they find their lives meaningful.
You cant go wrong if you consider this as the manual of your life. No matter which point of your life you may be stuck on, this book will clear all your doubts. Highly recommended for all the warriors of life.
Find Your Comfort Zone
Everyone has a comfort zone, whether its food, music, art, a favorite book, movie, TV show, a specific geographic location or group of people. Whatever it is that makes you feel comfortable, get into that zone. Youre not there to hide from your problems or dwell on them. Youre there to recharge just like your muscles and mind need time to recharge, so does your mood. Take a staycation in your comfort zone to regain your composure.
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Where Work Comes Into Piecing Life Back Together
Our job can take some tweaking, flexing, and trial and error until it feels okay. We spend lots of time there, so we need to try and arrange it in a way that works for us.
If thats not possible, we might choose to leave our job, apply for something else, or to retire altogether. For those of us who do choose to return to work, we do have certain rights. Having an idea of them can be handy.
Adaptations we could ask for at work include things like having a graded return, doing some hours from home, flexitime, temporarily reducing our hours, steering clear of night shifts for a while, using headphones, and having more breaks.
For some of us, work is helpful, for others its less so. But even if its helpful, it can still be draining. We still need to try and balance it alongside everything else.
The Human Resources department , might help us to put any adaptations we might need in place. They might recommend a referral to an Occupational Therapist. We might be able to directly refer ourselves to the Occupational Therapy department.
Making Lifestyle Changes After A Nervous Breakdown
Knowing how to recover from a nervous breakdown is not something that will come naturally, and this is why treatment is so important. Therapists and other mental health professionals can teach you the strategies you need to recover and to take steps to prevent having a mental health crisis again in the future. One of the most important things you will learn is how to change your lifestyle to reduce stress and minimize the chances of having another nervous breakdown, including:
- Changing what causes you stress, such as your job or a bad relationship
- Cutting back on responsibilities that may have become overwhelming
- Asking people close to you for help with responsibilities you cannot totally eliminate, like child care
- Spending more time doing things you enjoy and relaxing
- Quitting smoking and reducing or quitting drinking or other substance use
- Eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise
- Getting enough sleep every night
- Practicing relaxation techniques regularly and implementing coping strategies as needed
Recommended Reading: Medicine For Adhd And Depression
Emerging Trends In Substance Misuse:
- MethamphetamineIn 2019, NSDUH data show that approximately 2 million people used methamphetamine in the past year. Approximately 1 million people had a methamphetamine use disorder, which was higher than the percentage in 2016, but similar to the percentages in 2015 and 2018. The National Institute on Drug Abuse Data shows that overdose death rates involving methamphetamine have quadrupled from 2011 to 2017. Frequent meth use is associated with mood disturbances, hallucinations, and paranoia.
- CocaineIn 2019, NSDUH data show an estimated 5.5 million people aged 12 or older were past users of cocaine, including about 778,000 users of crack. The CDC reports that overdose deaths involving have increased by one-third from 2016 to 2017. In the short term, cocaine use can result in increased blood pressure, restlessness, and irritability. In the long term, severe medical complications of cocaine use include heart attacks, seizures, and abdominal pain.
- KratomIn 2019, NSDUH data show that about 825,000 people had used Kratom in the past month. Kratom is a tropical plant that grows naturally in Southeast Asia with leaves that can have psychotropic effects by affecting opioid brain receptors. It is currently unregulated and has risk of abuse and dependence. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that health effects of Kratom can include nausea, itching, seizures, and hallucinations.
Resources:
Depression Is A Biopsychosocial Condition
“Did I think myself sick? Or is it genetic?” I asked the psychiatrist.
“Depression is genetic, psychological, and social, and that’s why when we treat it we treat all these,” she said.
This idea was new to me, that depression had these biological, psychological, and social components. Previously I’d only been prescribed medication and done some cognitive behavioural therapy and talking therapy.
But I hadn’t understood how major changes to routine as well as medication and therapy would be necessary for real change. And I definitely didn’t know how important the social component was when it came to treatment.
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Adhere To Therapy Recommendations
If you were already in therapy for depression, it’s likely that you received some homework and/or recommendations on how to move forward after the last session. Reflect back on your time in therapy and what you learned.
Are there strategies you could start using again? Are there workbooks or tracking logs that your therapist gave to you? Anything that was helpful to you in the past will likely be helpful to you again as you face a depression relapse.
Adhere To Medication Plan
If you were prescribed antidepressant medication as part of your treatment plan, it is very important that you adhere to the medication schedule that you were prescribed. Do not abruptly stop taking medication if you do not like how it is making you feel.
Instead, schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss your medication and possible changes that you could make. Abruptly stopping your medication could lead to withdrawal effects instead, follow the advice of your doctor before stopping or changing any medication.
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Recognize The Deeper Issue
I wish I had $500 dollars for every time things went wrong after following steps one and two from above. The issue stood out like a signpost flashing neon messages of:
You need to fix this! Something needs your attention!
Still, I wasnt always ready to do what needed to be done.
Making changes for the better often means taking a good, hard look in the mirror. And that takes a lot of honesty and courage to face those underlying issues.
We tend to think that working harder, being more productive, or throwing money at a problem will get us through a slump.
Some problems simply dont have an easy fix. Unfortunately, sometimes the solution requires deeper work.
It could mean a painful solution, like therapy. It could mean a big scary change, like leaving a toxic relationship or workplace. It could mean facing something you have tried to avoid looking at, like a health issue building up, whether its physical or psychological.
No amount of productivity and focus can help when you try to avoid dealing with the deeper issue. If you want to change, you need to find a better way. Its time to address what youve been ignoring.
Yes, things may have gone off track so do something about that. Talking with someone is a good place to start.
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Set Your Messages Aside
A common symptom of depression is difficulty concentrating. If a constant flow of e-mails and phone calls is interrupting your train of thought, you may be diverted from the more important tasks you need to accomplish. If this is a challenge for you, resist the urge to constantly check your e-mail, and allow your phone calls to be handled by voicemail. Set aside several times throughout the day to respond to these messages.
Read Also: How To Know How Depressed You Are
Monitor Changes In Medication
How long you need to take antidepressants depends on how well they work and whether you’re at risk of a relapse. As you begin to feel better, your doctor may decide to reduce your medication dosage or take you off it completely. This is a positive sign that you’re making progress.
Another medication-related sign to look for is if you’re having fewer side effects with your antidepressant or if they are less severe. Or maybe you’ve found a way to work them into your life so the effects aren’t so bothersome, such as taking them at morning versus night or vice versa. All of these changes are steps in the right direction.
If your antidepressant is making you feel worse or causing side effects that are impacting your quality of life, speak to your doctor. Sometimes a change in medication is all you need to start feeling better.
It may take time, but with the right combination of treatment, support, and lifestyle habits, you can feel like your old self again.
Depression Discussion Guide
Avoid Feeding Your Depression
Feeding depression creates a snowball effect: For example, if you throw a few crumbs out on your balcony or sidewalk, a few pigeons will show up. If you keep throwing out crumbs, by the end of the week a multitude of pigeons will have flocked to the area. Similarly, depression thrives on doubts, fears, and negative thoughts which feeds more depression. Learn to identify the negative thoughts and worries that are fueling your depression so you can replace them with positive, more realistic thoughts.
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Tips To Boost Your Mental Health
1. Track gratitude and achievement with a journal. Include 3 things you were grateful for and 3 things you were able to accomplish each day.
2. Start your day with a cup of coffee. Coffee consumption is linked to lower rates of depression. If you cant drink coffee because of the caffeine, try another good-for-you drink like green tea.
3. Set up a getaway. It could be camping with friends or a trip to the tropics. The act of planning a vacation and having something to look forward to can boost your overall happiness for up to 8 weeks!
4, Work your strengths. Do something you’re good at to build self-confidence, then tackle a tougher task.
5. Keep it cool for a good night’s sleep. The optimal temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Think of something in your life you want to improve, and figure out what you can do to take a step in the right direction.
7. Experiment with a new recipe, write a poem, paint or try a Pinterest project. Creative expression and overall well-being are linked.
8. Show some love to someone in your life. Close, quality, relationships are key for a happy, healthy life.
9. Boost brainpower by treating yourself to a couple pieces of dark chocolate every few days. The flavanoids, caffeine, and theobromine in chocolate are thought to work together to improve alertness and mental skills.
Know When It’s The Depressed Mind And When It’s You
On the 17th day in hospital I wrote in my notebook: “I think the sad thing is you lose a sense of dignity for yourself.”
The depressed mind a) can’t do the things it knows are good for itself, b) will beat itself up over this failure, c) appreciates the irony of these two things on a good day.
Sometimes now I pause and ask myself, “Is this the depression?” because it helps to know who’s talking and who’s in charge.
Talking to a psychologist, reading about helpful strategies, exploring digital mental health treatment such as Mindspot this all helps too.
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The Speed Of Trust Stephen R Covey
Once you create trust genuine character and competence based trust almost everything else falls into place.
Covey places emphasis here on one quality that makes all the difference: trust. He writes that when you go to work, your first responsibility should be to build trust. In everything you do, from relationships to the professional sphere, trust has its effect. And if you have ever stepped back, this might be one of the reasons. Working on building trust can really open many doors for you.
Medication Can Take A While To Figure Out
In hospital, side effects from trying many different medication combinations was sometimes more uncomfortable than the depression itself.
But getting the mix right has made a big difference to my sleep and my ability to start the day.
It took me a while to manage my medication. Here’s what I do now:
- I always carry my medication with me so it doesn’t matter if I forget to take it before leaving home
- I note in my diary when I need to go to the chemist, and when the prescription will run out
- At every GP or psychiatrist appointment, I check to see if I need a new prescription. This way I can avoid making frantic appointments just for medication
- At every GP appointment, I also ask about my Mental Health Care Plan to see if any new paperwork is required.
Also Check: Helping Your Child With Depression
Try Something That Genuinely Scares You
There is nothing that boosts confidence quite like overcoming your fears. Make a deliberate point to take on a challenge that has always scared you when youre feeling down though it may seem like ridiculous timing to do so, the strength and sense of self-efficacy that will come from conquering your worries will take you further than you could possibly imagine.