When I am such a state I put post-it notes everywhere. Next to the alarm clock a note telling me to brush my teeth, next to toothpaste a note telling me to take a shower, next to the towel a note to make coffee. That way I created a routine that at least I get out of bed and leave the bedroom. At least I have completed something. It won't be easy to start with such a routine and it will be hard work, but for me it worked.
Besides the fact that certain medication can cause anxiety, there are also medications (both prescription and non-prescription) that contravene the working of anxiety medication. Besides the GP, the Pharmacist would be a good source for information.
I created my morning routine to combat depression. At least I had something to complement myself for. Only if I feel I have more energy I would add activities...
So I think it largely depends on the function of the routine. If the routine is the day starter, I would not make any changes as it is the thing to get us out of bed, take a shower, eat breakfast and brush our teeth. If the routine is a complete day/week program then certain variations can be an opportunities.
~m, I've been in a complete roller coaster the last year. I went through a very deep depression, 2 weeks of extreme living and then back into a deep depression. This was the clearest example I ever had of the cycles of my illness. The weirdest thing was that the people closest to me didn't really recognize my 2 weeks of extreme living, as I have been very good in hiding the symptoms. They knew I was not depressed anymore, but they didn't realized it was a (hypo-)manic period. It was another person who had bipolar, who immediately recognized the signs.
Now with the cocktail of meds I'm taken, I feel like I don't need to hide anything anymore. Maybe that's what make it easier for me to deal with new emotions; I can be a little sad, a little agitated and a little happy. It also allows me to become more confident of myself; I don't need to focus on controlling my emotions anymore. It is indeed very liberating. I am planning to hang around here.... just to show others that recovery is possible.
I have nothing against Facebook itself, however I would be against linking Facebook to the depression center. The current setup allows for confidentiality. People can use pseudonyms and many do. This limits the hesitation for 1st time users.
As soon as Facebook linking is implemented new users might be even more hesitant to join as they feel a pressure to use Facebook login. Secondly a group users may join who are using Facebook logins and pressure other users to start using Facebook logins. This could result in people who really need the support to feel even more isolated.
On Sunday I was cut off by a driver which normally would trigger feelings of extreme anger... This time I was just a little agitated and could laugh it off right away.
I kind of know the feeling regarding self-medicating. I self-medicated myself for decades with alcohol, caffeine and weed. These drugs are in no way comparable to meth (although alcohol comes close it), but the principle of self-medication to battle depression is the same.
I found a PDoc who helped me battling the depression. Recently we found a cocktail of medication that seems to be working for me. The depression disappeared, the mood swings subsided and the urge to drink alcohol, smoke weed or even to drink coffee was gone. I still have a glass once in while and a cup coffee, but it does not feel as a necessity anymore.
Since the cocktail I also encountered a large range of emotions I never had before. I can now be a little sad or a little happy. It is challenging and exhilarating at the same time. I feel like I'm starting to live again instead of solely existing. Just like you I was hesitant to leave to comfort of my known existence of depression (especially since I could flip to manic side), but now I can honestly say it was the best decision in my life.
I personally found that I cannot work through the thought records until I am more stabilized. Finding the right medication can be hard, especially since it can sometimes take a while before the medications starts to work. Some people explained it to me as a leaking hot water tank. We want to stop the leak, but not too much as we don't to have the tank overflowing either. For me it took 9 months before I got a workable combination of medication. I felt too that I could ditch the meds as I felt good, but I knew it might throw me back into depression.
Getting myself to do things during the depression can be very hard. I solved it by putting post-it notes all over my house with a next step to take, e.g. next to my alarm clock would be a note "brush your teeth" and next to the toothbrush "take a shower" and next to the towel "make coffee" etc.. These are all little steps that could help me through the day during major depression, so I do have a feeling of accomplishment.
I am currently on a rather healthy sleep pattern, however I did not follow the rules for sleep hygiene. I use my bed for all kind of relaxing activities like reading, watching movies and of course sleeping. However I never do anything that can increase my adrenalin levels (except for....) The result is that my bed has become my "safe place".
If I can't get to sleep due to high energy levels, I'll stay in bed and read a book or something similar... if I can't sleep due to worries, I will leave the bed and do something else. I don't want to worry while in bed as it would diminish the "safe place" effect of the bed.
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