It's something I want to bring attention to. I have learned some things within the years of being in EC and I wanted to write them down and hopefully it benefits others. Feel free to leave your own tips below too. 1. Create an healthy boundaries. It can be limiting your internet usage to take time for self care or taking a break from advising others with mental health problems. Your own well being is important too. In EC you can always report things that make you worried or uncomfortable. EC is a safe space. No worry is too small. It's all valid. 2. Talk to a trusted person or get therapy if it's available. In online you can google your therapist name too, to see if people are saying anything how good or bad the therapist is. Do your research. 3. If you struggle with eating, then just white bread can be good, what you can make into little balls and eat it this way and it's fun to eat and you can make so called muesly too by taking dry oats and adding sugar and milk. If you want it soften you can make overnight oats by leaving it in the fridge and adding frozen fruits. Easy and hassle free, especially when dealing with depression. Smoothies and foods you can drink are an good option too. 4. Write things out and don't bottle your feelings. Journaling might be a good idea for you. I use notes app in my phone or blog function in EC. Also art and music are a form of therapy. Same with getting out of your home and into the nature, also exercise can replace therapy, if that is not accessible. 5. Take your vitamins. Especially when depression hits and your eating is not as it should be, then vitamins can help, though it won't replace eating. Also, when there is not enough sun where you live, then Vitamin D is essential. Vitamin D deficiency is very common and that can cause fatigue. They sell multi vitamins, where there are all the vitamins in. Ask reccomendations from your pharmacist. 6. If you have an anxiety and panic attacks then what helps me are: opening my window and letting in fresh air; taking deep breaths in and out; putting something cold to my wrist or cheek, but not directly to bare skin. Wrap your ice pack into a towel or place it on your wrist through your clothing; listening music, watching videos or movies helps to distract me; 7. With dissassociation grounding tehniques are very good like naming things, sounds or colors around you. Feeling your beed sheets, the air or the ground beneath your feet. It all helps to bring you back to reality. 8. Meditations and things like lofi music can be calming generally. 9. Do things you are afraid of. This is how you overcome phobias. I took public speaking course in university despite my anxiety and it did help me tons. My coursemates told me at the end that I got much calmer, when doing presentations. I even calmed them down, when doing group projects despite the one being with anxiety and panic disorder. But don't put your safety in risk, like coming out mindlessly with no back up plan or other stuff. Always mind your safety. 10. Alarms on your phone help to remind you, when it's time for meds, also they sell pill boxes, what can be helpful. You put your meds in every sunday evening for the next week. You know then if you have taken them or not. You can carry the pill box easilly with you too, if there should be need for it. 11. Take time to rest or heal, when you are sick. If you don't take care of yourself, then the sickness can get worse. I think that is everything I wanted to write down. I hope it helps someone.
You can be sure it really benefits others, @Ran. I can't wait to put them all into practice. Thank you! Some of them (e.g. writing down my feelings, going to therapy) have been helpful to me. I need to practise number 9 strongly, hehe.
You're welcome. I don't think I got everything down, so I will update the list time to time. Let us know what helps you and what don't as you try these out.
I can 100% confirm journalling really helps. It helps me calm down and realize things that I never would've thought about if I didn't have my ideas written down. For the food thing, just a 1/3 cup of oats, 1 tsp of brown sugar, and 20ish rasins is a filling, easy to make, and cheap meal. You can slam it together in only like a minute and it gives you a lot of fibre while still tasting alright. I did the math and each serving is only 0.65$ (Canadian). Only issue with it is the protein, it is very dry (drink water with it), and some people really don't like rasins lol Overall this is all really good advice, thank you for posting
Very Good tips! Here are mines Magnesium glycinate is wonderful it helps with sleeping and moods. Going to the gym and exercising i find walking on the treadmill with my headphones on playing music relives stress and also jumping on the trampoline. Hanging out with friends and talking to them. I always emphasize on the importance of having friends. I can't stand this anti social generation.
Thank you for the list, Ran. I agree about opening windows. Chamomile tea as well. Journalling doesn't work for me. I hyperfocus on the journal too much and neglect everything else. So, I guess my advice is that your mileage may vary. Experiment and find what works for you. Don't feel bad if you see a self-help tip and you need to adjust it to get it to work or it just doesn't work for you at all. Something else might.
These pointers are great, Ran, and it's good to see lists so we can think about what we are doing and are not doing. I do 1 through 5. Number 1 is not easy when you're trying to create boundaries and others want to go against them. Number 2 has been tough and I have kept trying because I have been dissatisfied with the last few therapists. I totally agree with 3 through 5 - I have to make easy food if I'm depressed and it can still be healthy, my notes app has helped me stay organized, and I have taken vitamins for basic health for a long time. They're next to my meds so I always take them. I'm not currently doing 6 through 8. I haven't had an anxiety attack in a long time and I don't want to open the door to one. I have never meditated. I agree with 9 and 10. I do these. I really like 11 - I take time to rest but sometimes I nap and rest too much. I allow for down time. That's for sure. I'd like to add that we shouldn't be overthinking. My overthinking and ruminating goes nowhere. My family, friends, therapists, and other people have all told me I think too much. I'd agree with that. This probably fits somewhere in 1 through 11, or I can just point this out. I don't know how everyone who needs to can stop this since we've all got some wiring already there that makes us race, think, and ruminate too much. I'm sure some kind of therapy with a good therapist might help. The trick is finding the person and treatment that can help. Thank you for starting this thread.
Don't punish yourself for things outside of your control. That was a bad habit of mine and I never really realised I was doing it until I described my behaviour to someone else.
