Friday, April 26, 2013

Wellness Part I: Physical

I have been slipping into the vortex again because I have not been faithful to the lifestyle changes necessary to control my brain disorders. I have faithfully taken medication, but that's about all. 

Whether we like it or not {and act on it or not} wellness resides in a balance between four basic areas of life: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Volumes could be {and have been} written about each. Since I'm struggling in all of these areas, I'll share with you one topic a day - covering what I have come to know through experience, recovery, and incessant reading.  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Physical Wellness

It is so easy to forget that depression, anxiety, and chemical addiction are all physical diseases; and like other chronic physical diseases, they require physical lifestyle changes. Diabetics watch sugar intake, those with heart disease watch cholesterol and monitor blood pressure, asthmatics must avoid respiratory triggers and irritants, etc. 

What are the physical lifestyle changes necessary to support mental wellness - in other words, what have I been forgetting to do these past few months? And by the way, these are recommended for "normal" people too. It's just that people with mental illness have less leeway for slips in these areas.
  1. Obviously, take medication (if any) as prescribed by your doctor; and don't deviate from it without your doctor's permission.
  2. Take any supplements your doctor has recommended. For example, my GP has me taking Calcium w/vitamin D and a multi-vitamin; and my psychiatrist has added 2 - 3 fish oil capsules per day. I also temporarily take iron supplements, as I'm slightly anemic.
  3. Get 7.5 - 8 hours sleep each night; and go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
  4. Drink about 2 liters of water per day - more if you are exercising hard, are on medication, and / or you are spending a lot of time in hot weather or dry climates.
  5. Exercise 4 - 5 times per week employing the fitness triad: aerobic (e.g., walking, running, swimming, biking), strength training (e.g., free weights), and flexibility training (e.g., yoga, stretching). (Obviously again, check with your physician before starting any exercise program.) Aerobic exercise in particular releases feel-good endorphins in your brain, strength training builds body confidence and strength, and flexibility helps prevent injury and reduces stress.
  6. Eat properly. It has been my personal experience that the following serve me best mentally {and physically}:
    • Eat (5) portioned mini-meals per day, approximately every 2 - 3 hours. 
    • Each meal should contain (1) lean protein portion, (1) complex carbohydrate portion, and at least one vegetable portionSome example of portions: protein is the size of a deck of cards; a carb, the size of a light bulb or tennis ball; and a slice of cheese is the size of a domino. 
    • Eat at least (5) vegetables and eat (4) fruits per day.
    • Limit simple sugar (white bread, white rice,white pasta, bottled juice from store, table sugar, etc.)
    • Limit butter and saturated fats. This is old news, I know; but it is true. Olive oil, olive oil, olive oil is good for the brain. Use it, damn it!
    • Do not drink diet sodas and avoid sugar substitute. {The latter is my idea - I just don't trust 'em.}
    • Limit caffeine and don't have caffeine after 2 or 3 PM. {As a chemical addict, this is the hardest of all for me!} Note that I didn't say eliminate, just limit. This is especially important for those suffering from anxiety.
    • Do not drink alcohol - obvious for an alcoholic / drug addict, but critical too for someone with depression and anxiety - especially when on medication. 
    • See http://www.choosemyplate.gov/http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coping-with-anxiety/AN01589, and http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-mood/my00716 for some more examples of proper eating.
Next up: Emotional Wellness

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




{REMINDER: I am not a doctor, therapist, or psychologist - just a recovering patient learning as I go.} 




Thursday, April 25, 2013

Do the Next Right Thing - Part II


You must do the thing you think you cannot do. 
                                                              - Eleanor Roosevelt

I don't know why I expect otherwise. I forget that less than a year ago, I wanted to end my life; how, can I possibly expect perfection in recovery.

I have been struggling to keep it together lately, but I hadn't really connected the dots until today: the difficulty with sleep; the lack self care (e.g., not showering in past five days); the rut in school accompanied by self-defeating, ruminating thoughts - I am beginning to spiral back down into the vortex.

I feel stuck again today - trapped in an invisible straight jacket. I know what I need to do to get back on track, and yet, here I sit - paralyzed by fear.

On the other hand, it's not over. This moment contains power, if I let it. All I have to do is choose the right thing...right now. What is the right thing? Log off this computer, retreat to my desk, log back on, and tackle my final assignments of the semester. 

Come on, Karen, you can do it. You can do it...let's go...come on...

Crikey, this is hard...okay, do the right thing, do the right thing, do the right


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

can't sleep...

4:09 AM EDT

i cannot sleep. I fell asleep last night before taking one of my anti-depressants - the one that also assists with REM sleep - and I had a grande Pike {Starbucks} at 6:30 PM. i had to get up to go to the bathroom - which is becoming an almost nightly ritual given the amount of water I drink before bed just to avoid the kind of cotton mouth that turns my tongue into a dessicated shellfish at low tide.

so after returning to bed, i could not fall back to sleep. my mind started swimming: "i'm behind in school - with only two and a half weeks left of the semester!", "my house is in dissarray!", "i have to eat well...i have to feed my family better...", "kim jong un and the Taliban of Afghanistan are holding the rest of the world back from progress and they must be eliminated"...you know, the usual mental musings of 4 AM.

okay, let's back up before kim jong un-stable and the Taliban leaders losers...

here i am again. behind in everything. and yet, I know I am fully capableof doing what I need to do. others who have it far worse in life are able to rise to the occasion, overcome their predicaments, and succeed - why is it so damn difficult for me?! why do i create so many obstacles for myself?

my stomach is in knots about how far behind i am in school, in housework, in physical fitness, etc. and what a steep climb it is to get myself unstuck and back on track. i just don'tknow how i'm gonna do it!!

sorry to be less than illuminating...after all it is now just 4:43 am.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Inspiration of the Week



Haven't written regularly in awhile - still in a bit of a rut, but working to dig myself out. The quote above is so right - one must do the work before the universe sides with you to achieve your goals. Lord, why is this so hard for me to learn - especially in my personal life!?

Well, this is my mantra of the week. I'm going to see what I can actually accomplish in one week if I truly focus my efforts on the one thing I can control - me, my thoughts, and my actions.