Quote:
Originally Posted by newtothis31
Yikes, Double Edged. Sounds like you have a lot going on. To really ease yourself into the medication- here are some things you might be able to do that will help:
A). Limit your decisions. Academia is one of the most unstructured lifestyles there is. Build out your schedule as much as you can- designate specific time blocks for paper writing, grocery shopping, getting yourself to sleep, getting yourself up, studying for classes, when you eat. The more predictable and the more stability you can bring to your life while undergoing to the medication change will pay off in six months. Re-reading it, it sounds incredibly dull but just remember- you have a LOT going on right now.
B). Practice mood charting. Start to be able to pinpoint triggers that bring out strong feelings (either depression or mania)- and start to reflect and figure out how you can alleviate it.
C). Google "mindfulness"- you'll get some really neat articles about how to enjoy just being in the moment and slow your mind done. It doesn't require any adherence to a particular faith- they are just good meditation exercises.
Hope this helps! It will get better.
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Thank you so much for these suggestions, they're really awesome. I have a huge problem with A, for sure, and I know I need to improve. The other day I put up a whiteboard calendar right by the front door where it won't be missed, to help with around the house stuff, which I constantly am forgetting. I rely on my Google Calendar on my phone for everything else, so I think I'm going to get super detailed and schedule myself time for all those things—homework, eating, studying. I've tried many times before with that level of structure, and it's only worked for a little while. I think it has to do with my moods, which leads into suggestion B...
Actually three days after I got my BP dx, I started charting my moods with this great app called "Optimism." Tracks moods, triggers, environmental stuff, area for freeform notes, really great. It spits out a handy bar and line chart comparing your moods, sleep, sleep quality, exercise, and coping ability for either 2 weeks or one month at a time. I'm planning on taking it with me to my pdoc appointments. So far I'm starting to notice what could be the beginning of a pattern... I'll really need a couple months of data to determine any real trends, but I'm hoping after one month I'll be able to make some inferences. This, oddly, has been one of the most comforting things that I've been doing to deal with my BP. It makes me feel in control of it, and it also makes it feel more objective, like I could be looking at data from anyone. It really helps to not get overwhelmed by it.
And C, mindfulness is awesome, I'm so glad you mentionted this to remind me of that.
I try to practice it as often as I can... or used to, anyway. This is something I've gotten away from being so depressed, but you're right, I do need to build up that skill, as it will be very useful. In addition to home exercises, I used to practice yoga reguarly, which was basically 90 minutes of total mindfulness of every inch of your body. It was both relaxing and invigorating. Man, I gotta do these things again! Day by day...