My 'Cure'
The title of this is sort of false. Obviously there is no cure for mental health conditions. But what I've learnt recently is that, for me personally, the best way to deal with my condition is positivity. I've devised a list of a few things that I have found really help me in day-to-day life and I hope that they might help you too.
1. Cooking
A lot of the time during depressive episodes, I lose my appetite completely. A side effect of my stomach condition is nausea and, when I'm lying in bed all day, I often can't face the idea of eating. Fortunately, I live with three consistently hungry flatmates who rely on my to cook dinner a good few times a week. I've found that just getting up and making something, regardless of whether I eat it helps me. Cooking to me is a kind of therapy. Trying and succeeding at new recipes gives me self-confidence and it really feeds my soul to know that I am making people happy through food. Here are a few on the things I've made recently (Recipes are available if anyone is interested).
2. Sleep
I think there's a fine line when it comes to mental health and sleep. I find that sleep cures everything for me. Chronic headaches? Sleep. Family troubles? Sleep. Depressed? SLEEP. In saying that, I do think there is such a thing as too much sleep. I saw a tweet today that said "depression naps are my favourite thing cos it feels like you're fast forwarding through the sadness" but it's wrong. When I wake up from a depression nap, I have the wave of emotion hit me. Sure, I get to shut it off for a few hours, but when it gets to the stage where you dread going to sleep because you can't face the feeling when you wake up, I think it starts to be a problem.
I guess that might be another cause for my insomnia (diagnosed, I'm not just being dramatic). I think the idea of falling asleep sounds great but as soon as I try to do it, all I can think about is what will happen when I wake up. Not to mention the dreams I've been having lately. For the last few months, my dreams have been hyper-realistic. It has gotten to the stage now where I can't always tell whether my memories are actually memories, or if they are just things that happened in my dreams. I guess that's not helping my mental state much, I find myself constantly caught between dreams and reality. I don't have a full grip on one or the other and I think that's another side effect of over-sleeping.
3. Order
In normal life, I am a generally messy person. I hate doing dishes and the back of my car is one big trash can. But in times like this, what really helps me is neatness. It seems silly but having a tidy room and no dishes and sparkling clean bathroom etc. calm me down beyond belief. I'm not sure if it's the actual process of tidying or the knowledge that I have accomplished something that helps me.
Lists are another thing that fall into this category. I find that giving myself specific tasks that I want to achieve really drives me to get up and do things. I always put a lot of pressure on my self and I feel obligated to do things if I put them in a list.
4.Music
I don't have much to say for this one. I find that sad music tends to help me. Unlike most, I can't cheer myself up with music. I see it more as an enlightening therapy. Sometimes I feel like finding the right song helps me to understand my emotions and get a better handle on them. A few recommendations that I have been listening to a lot at the moment are:
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