[HD7970GHZ]

Hi Psych Central community,

I am currently sucked back into a vortex of regression after I was recently retraumatized. Everything has gone downhill. I am doing a medical withdrawal from university for this semester and need to get back on my feet.

- My sleeping schedule is a mess.
- I am not leaving my apartment.
- I am playing video games all day, browsing the internet.
- I am not eating well and when I eat I have junk food.
- I have isolated from reaching out to others.
- No exercise.
- Definitely depressed.

What can I do to get out of this mess? Any suggestions? What works for others?

Thanks,
HD7970ghz

[piggy momma]

Ok. You sound exactly like me, except I dropped one course and am plowing through the rest because its so close to the end of the semester.

Most obvious question - are you seeing a therapist? If not, get one. At least that will get you out of the house once a week.

Sleep hygiene - only be in your bed for eight hours. Force yourself to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Do not do anything in bed except sleep (and have sex). Make sure your room is dark and eliminate all noise.

Find something to do to leave your apartment - do you need to go get groceries? Medical appointment? Shopping? Find something.

Limit your internet - decide what is reasonable and stick with it.

Get groceries - get healthy food. When you eat good, you feel good. When you feel good, you do better overall. If you don't know how to shop or cook, work with a dietician and learn.

Go for a ten minute walk once a day. Get your blood moving and those endorphins up.

It's hard to do anything when you're depressed, but doing nothing just feeds the cycle. You have to start somewhere, so pick the thing that is most manageable and you are most likely to succeed at and start there.

[Calypso2632]

Great suggestions @piggymomma journaling helps to if that's a thing you find yourself into. Aromatherapy helps mood and lifts spirits. Candles and incents are what I do. Self care is a must! Shower every other day at least, do the teeth, etc.. clean clothes always make me feel better after a shower. And climbing into a clean bed. Cleaning your living space is a way to make yourself feel good to if that's an issue. When I was depressed I didn't get much done. As I pulled myself out of it I find I value a clean and organized home. I feel so much better. Pick small tasks and work your way up. It does start to improve after a time. It gets to be routine and depending on that to feel better helps.

[CepheidVariable]

I don't know what your trauma or other possible issues are, but since you talked about the depression, I'll stick with that.

You say you are regressing. What worked for you before?

piggy momma has an excellent post.

This sort of question comes up repeatedly in the depression sub-forum, you could read old posts in there.

Please fight the isolation. Even if you have no friends or support network, some casual human contact is better than nothing. (And this is coming from someone with social anxiety.)



Maybe this will help....

When I was at rock bottom, I could not in any way straighten my mood out. Eventually, I decided to control what I could. For example, I went for a walk because it felt a tiny bit better for a few minutes and that was better than staring at the ceiling in abject misery. Pick some small, manageable things and gently get yourself to simply do them that day. I could not control my feelings, but unlike my resistant brain, my feet did what they were told.

I'm sorry you are going through this and hope things get better soon.

Good responses here. I'm sorry you're struggling.

[WishfulThinker66]

It is a rut I am sure we have all fallen into at some point. I have done so too and it was very difficult to shake myself from it. But I was able to. I have to make an everyday effort however not to fall back into it. It does take work.

A few comments on the other suggestions and some of my own:

Regarding sleep hygiene, yes try to limit your sleep to 8hrs only. But also make sure that your bedroom is for sleep only. It is critical to remove all electronics and devices from your bedroom - and this includes your phone. If you rely on your phone as an alarm clock invest in a real one instead. This is vital. This is the single most important thing you can do to provide quality sleep.

Still not sleeping well? Consider then a physical reason. A lot of us with mood disorders also have sleep apnea - especially if we are a little thick around the middle. It is amazing how a CPAP machine will allow us to sleep properly through the night.

Medications - it is worth talking to your prescribing doctor about how medications may affect your sleep. They may have suggestions for you regarding changing up the time of day to take them.

Find ways to de-isolate yourself. For me, it all started with a weekly Support Group. For months it was the only time I got out of the house other than to grocery shop. I got up some courage doing so and eventually found it easier to get out of my home. At first it was treating myself to coffee, but then it became visiting the library. Eventually, I was able to volunteer.

There are other ways to get out of the home that may even provide some joy. Would an art class or some sort of hobby be of interest to you?

Set aside some time each day to be kind to yourself. Read a book. Do some stretching. Or, if you can, practise some meditation (I use a "Muse" to accomplish this).

And my final thought is to stress the importance of self-care. Make sure you practise good hygiene each day. Ensure your home is tidy. Try to eat at least one square meal a day.

[MickeyCheeky]

I'm so sorry you're hurting so much, HD7970GHZ I agree with what all the others have already wisely said better than I ever could. You've been given some great advice in this thread. I'd suggest to follow it if you can. I'll try not to repeat it too much. I'd suggest to just take it one step at the time. Take all the time you need. Take baby steps. Start with something easy. Try to get up every day at a certain hour if you can, take a shower, go for a short walk. Start by going easy on you and you'll be able to add more things gradually. Hopefully that way you'll be able to manage it. Do you see a therapist? Maybe that could help. You could learn new ways to cope with you feelings. Please don't give up. It's not easy and it will take time, but things can and will get better. Try to remember that if you can. I'm sure you'll be able to go through this if you do things slowly. No need to hurry. Take your time. Do you have anyone that may help you at the moment? Any friends or family members that you could reach out to? Please try to reach out to them if you can. Anything that may help you fight the isolation. Try to find some stimulating hobbies for you. Anything that may help you get out of the house, for example. Perhaps some sports. I'd suggest to try yoga as well. It can be really helpful for many people. I'm so sorry. I know it must be very hard for you. Please don't give up. Try to hang on. Remember that we're here for you if you need it. Feel free to PM me anytime. Let me know if I can do something to help you. Wish you good luck! Let us know how it goes. I'm so sorry you have to deal with all of this, you don't deserve to suffer at all, HD7970GHZ

[Velvet Lounger]

I'm sorry you are struggling, HD7970GHZ

First of all, I recommend you talk to your doctor and request a referral to the appropriate therapist. Discuss with your doctor what has been happening to you, and any fears. It would be helpful to you if you told your doctor of having a games addiction. Maybe you have an addition to gaming, or maybe not. I do, however, understand how addictive some games become. I adore Bubbleshooter, playing competitively with my daughter. She may be 13, but it's uncanny how she beats me every time!

In the past what I found useful was switching off my computer at least 2 hours before bedtime, and reading a book or watching an interesting television programme and then being in bed by 10pm. I've never been a gamer, but love flash games and playing Solitaire, the latter helping me think alongside the game's strategy. FreeCell is another game that is most loved. I love spending quality time with my daughter. We also have a good caring friend toi talk to when times become too emotional. A trusted caring friend is more value than gold.

Having some background classical music playing is helpful. I love Chopin, Mozart or one of the more romantic composers such as Tchaikovsky. Or play some soothing acoustic guitar music. That is lovely, putting our minds at rest. Habitually because I suffer PTSD, I will avoid watching televisione news, or any programmes I would find upsetting. During the evenings we need to calm our minds. Avoid stimulating drinks such as coffee or caffeinated soda drinks.

What can keep us awake is the blueish-white light our computer devices give out, including phones. This is what happens when we spend too long on our devices in the evening. I should imagine that gaming can be visually and emotionally stimulating. I apologise if I am in any way incorrect.

What has been very useful is downloading f.lux It is freely available as a download, designed to prevent eyestrain and insomnia. The people who designed it only need your sunset/sunrise time and email addresss. They promise never to spam you. They have never spammed me. What f.lux does is at sunset, puts an adjustible pink cast across one's screen. It can be turned off, and its Degrees Kelvin, a light intensity gradation adjusted to suit your eyesight, thus enabling your body to feel sleepy at the right time of the evening. I've had f.lux many years, and my daughter uses it, too.

I am sure that a therapist or even a counsellor can help you find ways of coping, and advising on other ways of finding sleep more easily. At night time when finding sleep difficult, I use a noise generator. It simulates sounds of the ocean, the crashing of waves on the seashore. I find this very lovely, especially since I am unwell again this week. There is no cost involved. Many people find it wonderfully helpful.

Unreal Ocean • The Ultimate Ocean & Waves Ambience

Wishing you all the best

Velvet Lounger

[HD7970GHZ]

I LOVE the responses on here! Thank you all so much for taking time to share your insights and methods for breaking free from cycles! I am going to try by hardest to get back on my feet.

I want so badly to lay in bed with my teddy bears forever! But that is not helpful at all.

My lifestyle isn't healthy at all. I buy decently healthy food but I rarely eat. My sleep is all over the place, 99% of the time I do not exercise. I stay in isolation. I browse the internet almost all day. I play video games when I am not on the internet and I rarely if ever read.

I need to get moving again. So hard.

I will start eating well. FORCING myself to eat - I don't want to eat most times. I leave my dishes dirty in my sink until I am forced to clean them when everything is dirty. I want to exercise today even though it is a little cold outside. (go for a run).

I will try and try so hard.

Thanks,
HD7970ghz