Thread: Denial?
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Old Nov 16, 2014, 10:53 PM
hamster-bamster hamster-bamster is offline
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Member Since: Sep 2011
Location: Northern California
Posts: 14,805
So many things at once!

I would track moods on Optimism Online, adding anxiety (general) + anxiety (social) and derealization as regularly tracked parameters. I would also track whether you have left house at all to do sth or just to be outdoors, whether you interacted with people (your mom, at least), menstrual cycle, etc. Try to find patterns.

Note that one of the non-medication therapy for bipolar, which is usually used as an adjunct to medication but can be used without it is called "Social rhythms therapy". You currently have no recurrent social events, which is probably bad for you. You have no recurrent events of "me time" outside the house, which is also bad for you (for sure). If you can impose a structure onto your life and embed recurrent events into your schedule, that might help you even without medications. Moreover, it would be necessary to take this step if you are on medications - either way, it needs to be done.

Some ideas for you:

- find a coffee shop you like or go to your public library to use your laptop (or the library's desktops) and the Internet, instead of surfing the web from home. This seemingly minute step has lots of positives to offer you:

1) It would be like an appointment, if you decide to go there at a certain hour. So you would feel more disciplined, which is a plus.

2) You would be around people but not directly interacting with them. So - a baby step towards social interaction without actual social interaction. Still, a step in the right direction.

3) A change of scenery would be helpful.

4) If you walk or bike, you would have moderate cardio exercise, which is known to help anxiety and might help sleep.

5) You probably would pay more attention to your grooming and self-care if you need to be out and about, even without meeting anybody in particular.

- walk around the block

- volunteer at an impound or animal shelter - animals would not care whether you have crippling social anxiety.

I believe that you can implement those right now. As a stretch goal, see if your public library or the adult school run by your public school district offers volunteering in literacy. You will help someone learn to read and write and will feel so much better being of help and service. Plus, if you become a literacy volunteer, you would need to be someplace at a certain time, dressed comfortably but appropriately and with an upbeat facial expression.
Thanks for this!
eina