(no subject)

[nny]

Thought of the day (yes, I generally only manage one):

There is no point in thinking about what is or is not 'normal' when it regards dealing with my mental health.

Dealing with. My mental state isn't normal, but 'normality' is never a fixed term and that's a whole other post. My mental state is definitely abnormal right now - I was told my default state is tired, ill, depressed and I can't say that I disagree. Coping strategies have to be developed.

Here's where the ridiculousness of 'normal' comes in.

It is not particularly normal for people to have carefully regimented timetables for their off-work hours. This is a part of the reason that I have never done it for myself - it's not something that has ever been a part of my life.

However, I'm depressed a lot. I forget what I should be doing, I let things slide, I spend hours doing Absolutely Nothing. I don't manage to keep up with RL or with online commitments, I barely manage to sort out my laundry. I most certainly can't keep my room clean. My mental state is not what I would term normal, so why the hell am I so convinced that my coping strategies should be?

I'm going to try and sort out a timetable tonight. When I should be online, what I should be accomplishing online so I don't end up spending three hours staring at Paul Bettany. Time to spend Sorting Things Out; washing up, tidying, making dinner, laundry. Time for flatmates. I may even be optimistic and sort out a time for writing in; even if I don't come up with anything good, getting into a routine of at least writing something every day would probably have benefits.

I just have to make sure I don't get de-railed. By, say, lack of blue-tack with which to stick it to the wall. That sort of thing. The smallest thing can interrupt my train of thought and then I don't get anything done, and I really think that this could be helpful to me.

If you see me online tonight, pester me about it, okay?


Health update: still sick. Eating soup and hoping that'll be okay with my stomach. *crosses fingers*

Comments

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

I'm reading this and nodding to myself, uhuh, yeah, I do this too. And that. Not to mention the other thing. :D

But you know, when you've spent a hard day at work, sometimes you need a few hours to stare at Paul Bettany (or, in my case, watch re-runs of CSI that I know entirely too well already).

Making a list of things to do is a very good idea, but I'd suggest you do that moderately. If you try to make yourself a list of things to do every evening and then you can't stick to it, you'll feel bad; if you make yourself a list of, say, one (very definite) thing to do every evening, or a few things to do one evening, and then nothing the following evening, you're giving yourself reasonable objectives that you can keep up with while still having time to relax. :)

Just my two cents, but you don't have to believe me. I am unable to stop procrastinating to save my life. ;)

[gramarye1971]

I second the suggestion above -- if you give yourself one or two definite things to do, it's a lot easier than simply staring at a mile-long 'To Do' list and panicking because you don't know where to begin. Which is what usually happens to me. 'To Do' lists can be very helpful, but they can also be amazingly demoralising. -_-;;

[villainny.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Yeah, I get that. I'm tempted to make weekly To Do lists, but if I do that I'll leave it all to the last day so. A couple things a day. All will be well.

[villainny.livejournal.com]

*hugs* excellent thought. Otherwise I'll end up depressing myself further and get nothing done.

Thankee, darlin'.

[vimeslady.livejournal.com]

I do all the things you said, but on a grander scale. I'm told this is because I am depressed and have ADD. Lists to help you keep track of what you want and need to get done are a good idea. Long lists or lists with tight schedules are a bad idea, because they will overwhelm and depress and panic you. Take baby steps. As for weekly schedules, I'd suggest scheduling a few things you will get done on given days of the week. Like I clean the cat box on Tuesdays and Fridays. That sort of thing.

I'm not a very good one to give advice, as even with meds and weekly therapy I'm still barely functional. But I have heard a lot about coping mechanisms, even though I can't make myself use them.

Another thing - If all you have to do is overwhelming, try to get some help. For me, things like shopping for groceries are so much easier if I have someone to go with me. If you want to schedule time you spend with your roommates, discuss it with them so they'll be tuned in to what your thoughts are. Offer to help someone clean their room if they will help you with yours. That sort of thing.

[illmantrim.livejournal.com]

Bravo! Sounds like a very good idea. I hope it works for you.