Step Two: My Planner

As mentioned in the previous post, recently I caught myself sinking back into depression. I took Step One to get back on track, and now...

Step Two: 

WELLNESS TOOL SUPREME - MY PLANNER

I first encountered personal planners back in 1990. When placing an office supply order at work, one of my coworkers requested DayTimer refills, and I thought, "What the hell is 'day...timer'?". Now mind you, I'd always been the type who poured over office supply catalogs like porn, but I'd never seen a planner quite like this before. This was no ordinary calendar. This was a caramel-colored leather, pocket-sized, hyper-organized success Grail!


Since then, technology may have made it infinitely easier to reconnect with your 3rd grade crush, share ideas around the world, and overthrow a small nation, but for me, and millions of others, paper-based planning beats hi-tech any day! In fact, since partial hospitalization (PHP) five years ago, paper planning has not only remained my go-to for everyday time and life management (i.e., calendar, to do list, contacts, and key info), but has evolved into a valuable tool for maintaining mental health and addiction recovery.
  

MENTAL ILLNESS/ADDICTION MANAGEMENT

To maintain mental and physical wellness, I use my planner to:

• List medications (dose, frequency, etc.);
• Track physical activity/exercise (e.g., steps walked each day, exercise log);
• Track daily water consumption;
• Meal plan;
• Maintain a food log; and,
• Log doctor visits/results, lab work, vaccines, etc.

In addition, I now carry a copy of my "KWRAP"* in my planner for easy reference. 

Created by Mary Ellen Copeland, PhD, Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is a tool to which I was first introduced in PHP. They gave us handouts to work on in group, but I did mine on the computer at home - with movie clips. (See below. Obviously the meds were kicking in at that point!)

COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY (CBT)

CBT is a tool for "modifying dysfunctional thinking and behavior"; and my planner has become a tool for CBT. My planner is a source of affirmations, visualizations, motivational quotes, gratitude lists, and other exercises designed to squash ANTs** and facilitate cognitive restructuring.

ART THERAPY

No, it is not imperative for staying on top of things, but pictures, stickers, and other colorful accents just plain pick me the hell up! The very act of doodling and adding Washi tape, scrapbook paper, and motivational quote stickers to a planner page relaxes me, much the way adult coloring books relieve stress for others.  

My raison d'être

MONEY MANAGEMENT


Needless to say, many of us coping with chronic mental illness and/or addiction struggle heavily with money management. In fact, the symptoms of our illnesses not only make managing finances difficult, but likely are the very things that dug us into our pecuniary pits in the first place. 

Fortunately, with the help of family, friends, and professionals, and a wealth of resources available in books and online now, we can begin moving forward in this area of our lives too. I've dedicated an entire section of my planner to this topic - a one-stop place for planning, tracking, and learning.  

___________


*If WRAP is pronounced, /rap/, then KWRAP is pronounced, well.../CRAP/. {Even cocooned in my bed by the Vortex, I still had a sense of humour at the time.}
**A.N.T.s - Automatic Negative Thoughts - coined by psychiatrist Dr. Daniel G. Amen, MD.

Dressin' My Way Up

I have A LOT of studying to do this weekend. Got a little {actually waaaay} behind after being under the weather this week.

And when I woke up this morning, I could feel the grey shadow of depression creeping over me, and once again, I almost caved in. Then I remembered my KWRAP {Karen's Wellness Recovery Action Plan} - a toolbox of recovery maintenance techniques.

Yes, I had to do the cliche, cheesy selfie...

One of my tools to stave off depression is to "dress up". This entails taking a shower, getting dresssed, doing my hair, and putting on a little make-up. Now, I'm not suggesting that we need to get all dolled up every time we make a public appearance. It's just that self-care is one of the things that goes out the window with depression. Sometimes forcing oneself to take a shower, getting out of pajamas or sweats, and prettying up a bit can go a long way toward a better outlook.

This is what I did this morning. Hadn't showered in about four days {sorry, I know...}, but I reluctantly got myself into the shower, put on an outside-of-the-home outfit and a little make-up, and now I'm feeling more ready to tackle the day.

OH KWRAP!

Don't know why, but I've been having an awful lot of trouble getting out of bed in the mornings. I've had sinus problems this week, but I'm not sure that's the cause. 

Then this morning I woke up with a lot of anxiety. There's nothing going on that should cause such anxiety - except maybe the Washington Nationals playoff game today (ha ha). But right now, as I sit here, my stomach is in knots, as if I am about to undergo surgery or have to give an important presentation for which I'm unprepared.

I hate it! I can see how anxiety contributes to depression, because right now all I want to do is crawl right back into bed. The fear subsides when I'm asleep. Well, sort of. I've been having crazy, vivid dreams lately. Some are about flying in an airplane that's crashing; others are about elevators that either drop or do crazy things like going sideways or diagonally; and still others are about being at work (an admin job) and realizing that I've missed several days of work but forgot to call in, so I avoid seeing the boss.

I really wish I could get a handle on this! 

You know, maybe I should consult my KWRAP (pronouced 'Crap'!) {When I was in partial hospitalization, we had to do a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), and I added 'Karen's' to the title, thus, "KWRAP"!} This is the document that contains my action plan for what to do when I'm not well. I haven't consulted it in over a year, but perhaps this is the time.