How I Get Myself Moving
"Part acts" as we say in Recovery International. We are encouraged to endorse, if we have our feet over the side of the bed! Sometimes I encourage myself to put two pieces of laundry away. Or put three books away. When I am in depression, my house is the first to go also. It's disheartening to be in such clutter, so even starting something helps. And going to a Recovery International meeting helps me because we're all sharing our victories, no matter how small. Support is awesome!
What Helps Me Keep Going Once I Get Started
The good feeling that I get once I've moved past the sitting in a lump stage. It's challenging, but a clean room helps me to feel so much better. And again, Recovery meetings, or reading a chapter of Mental Health for Will Training (the text we use by Dr. Abraham Low), and prayer. Sometimes God's grace just kicks in for me. Yoga, journaling and more journaling.
Lessons Learned
Each time I am able to push a bit against the depression, I set a new pattern for the next time I am in a depressive state again. Remembering that the depression does lift eventually helps me to go one more day and one more day. And, it always does ease up and then the suffering stops for a while. I'm so thankful for the times I am not depressed.
What are the short-term benefits?
I love feeling energetic and hopeful.
What are the long-term benefits?
Setting up patterns to help me cope for each episode of depression. And being able to help others cope because of what I have learned about dealing with my depression.
What adjustments did you have to make as time passed?
*Accepting that I need to be on meds for a long long time.
*To be gentle with myself if I have to cancel something.
*Accepting my limitations and being okay with it.
*Knowing that I need to take very good care of my mental health and that means simplifying my life.
What else have you found that would help others?
*Recovery, International support groups.
*Support groups for depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. There is nothing like being with a group of people suffering and triumphing together.
*Having a pet to love and care for.
