To Anyone Struggling...

[lexxasaurus]

..for whatever reason. How are you dealing with the anxiety/depression/stress? I can't pull myself out of it these last 2 days. I gave up 3 hours into my job and called out of my night job. I feel both like I can't get motivated to get off the couch/bed, but this almost physical pain from hurting so much that means I can't sit still.
I showered and finally washed my hair (it'd been a week) so while I don't feel "better", at least I feel somewhat clean and refreshed. I put on makeup. I started a painting.. that is unfinished but I just began it this morning. I have a therapy check in, in an hour. I'm sure I'll cry the whole time but maybe it's what I need.
Obviously if you've read my threads, a glass of wine to unwind (or a bottle of Jameson in my case) doesn't work but if it is helping you to get through it, that's fine. Let me hear any thoughts you have.

[Deleted]

Apr 3, 2020 15:51:03 GMT -5 lexxasaurus said:

..for whatever reason. How are you dealing with the anxiety/depression/stress? I can't pull myself out of it these last 2 days. I gave up 3 hours into my job and called out of my night job. I feel both like I can't get motivated to get off the couch/bed, but this almost physical pain from hurting so much that means I can't sit still.
I showered and finally washed my hair (it'd been a week) so while I don't feel "better", at least I feel somewhat clean and refreshed. I put on makeup. I started a painting.. that is unfinished but I just began it this morning. I have a therapy check in, in an hour. I'm sure I'll cry the whole time but maybe it's what I need.
Obviously if you've read my threads, a glass of wine to unwind (or a bottle of Jameson in my case) doesn't work but if it is helping you to get through it, that's fine. Let me hear any thoughts you have.

I’m an introvert, but I have found that initiating contact/check-ins with friends far away helps me feel better. Also going for walks or just sitting in the sunshine (if you are able to do so).

Are you currently in therapy?

[Deleted]

Honestly, I had to have my meds upped. So far I haven't cried today so that's an improvement. I live alone and don't work right now, so I'm not handling the complete isolation well at all. I'm trying to message with friends or facetime if we can. That helps some.

[hocus2]

I'm on edge all the time but I am trying to manage to get must do stuff done and letting everything else slide. I try to treat everyone with grace and not yell at certain "coworkers" for making noise and generally not respecting our shared work space.

I think the first thing is that I need to start going to bed earlier. I am staying up late because it is the only time I'm free of work and home obligations but then I can barely make it out of bed the next day.

[shamrockshake]

I’m not coping well at all. I cry everyday. Helpful, I know

[lexxasaurus]

@villainv I am. She went to once a month but she has been great about giving me check ins when I need them and emailing back and forth when things get rough. So I can't always get on the phone or immediate hold of her but she has helped a lot. I've seen her for over 3 years so she has walked with me through my dad's death, my addiction and self harm and even took me to treatment when I needed it. She has saved my life. I'm really looking forward to our call in 45 min.

[lexxasaurus]

Apr 3, 2020 16:13:33 GMT -5 shamrockshake said:

I’m not coping well at all. I cry everyday. Helpful, I know

I do too. This is more of a place to get out how you're dealing, how you're feeling, anything. Don't worry about not being helpful! That's how I have been coping basically the last two days. I'm sorry that's where you're at.

[undecidedowl]

I'm not dealing well. I'm feeling so desperate, like nothing and no one can actually help, which is sort of true right now. Everything we typically outsource to reduce stress is now falling on me.

I'm overeating, not exercising, and avoiding my kids. Which then makes me feel even worse.

At a minimum I'm washing my face and getting dressed every morning. I'm also just blocking out thoughts of what we should have been enjoying this season.

[jewel]

Zoloft.

Getting out in the sunshine and getting enough sleep definitely helps, but the Zoloft does like 90% of the work.

[krystee]

Staying busy helps me. Work is insanely busy, so that eats up a lot of time I’d normally spend worrying. Then I have projects written down like “clean garage, try this recipe, organize photos, declutter 50 items,” etc.

I absolutely must shower and wear real clothes (if I do leggings and a comfy top, I add a long necklace to feel more put together. When I don’t shower or if I wear workout clothes all day, the sadness creeps in fast. I don’t know why, because I would totally wear yoga pants nonstop if I hadn’t realized how it was affecting my mood.

I also find I do much, much better if I focus on spreading cheer. I dropped flowers off on my mom’s porch, toilet paper on the neighbor’s porch who mentioned needing some, did chalk messages on my sidewalk, and now I am putting together care packages that I’ll porch drop to some friends (face masks, succulent plant, chocolate and a trashy magazine). I also joined a committee at my church (even though I rarely go) to call our senior members and see if they need anything and just be a friendly voice.

Retail therapy is also good. I have bought books, comfy clothes that look like nicer clothes, super soft pajamas (Stars Above line at Target...highly recommend!!) and a new rug. I have heard we are not supposed to buy non-essentials, but I have also heard we should try to keep businesses open, so who the heck knows.

That said, I still have a lot of very sad days and cry frequently.

[court26]

Wake up, watch Glennon Doyle’s daily family meeting, take a deep breath, try my best. Glennon is really helping me.

[circa1978]

Um. Well, today I cried, ate some cheese, drank a huge G&T and took a nap.

The crying helped most but I've really been amazed at people reaching out after H lost his job, as well. I wish I didn't have the weekend to do nothing but worry but maybe we'll work on the yard or something.

[scout8]

Getting outside and going for a walk helps me more than anything. Other exercise helps too. I've been scheduling a lot of virtual happy hours too which gives me something to look forward to.

[stephm0188]

I'm trying to limit how much news I read about it. It makes me anxious.

I'm trying to focus on long term goals. I want to run a marathon in January. I moped around about this crisis plus my job for the majority of March and lost sight of that goal. I'm trying to get back on track with my schedule but allowing myself grace for rough days.

I'm trying to re-frame my thinking. So much has been out of my control the last several months (I spent the month of January sobbing in my car each morning before walking into my school each day!) and this feels like the icing on the really crappy cake, so I'm trying to tell myself that I am not stuck in quarantine. I am safe at home. I am healthy. I have the resources and support I need.

But mostly, I'm just giving myself permission to just get by. Sometimes I straighten my hair and put on makeup and fake my way through cheery videos for my students so they can have that sense of calm and normalcy, and sometimes I drink way too much soda and eat my way through a family size pack of Oreoes while watching exercise videos in a stained t-shirt at 2am because I can't sleep. I'm just trying to balance that fine line between self care and self destruction.

Be kind to yourself <3

[calmcosmo]

I went back on Zoloft this week (it’s been 10 years).

I am trying to run each day and get sunshine when I can.

[NewOrleans]

I’m also struggling terribly. Fidgety, snappish, not sleeping. Lethargic. Just feeling generally upset all the time. Angry, entirely filled with rage. Worried about the future with everyone’s jobs, both inside my home and the general population. I can’t focus on podcasts / audiobooks which are things I enjoy. I can’t focus on reading which is my favorite thing. The only time I feel ok is in the shower or when I do Yoga by Adriene on YouTube. I make myself take walks when the weather allows but don’t enjoy that. I do it anyway though so that counts for something.

I’m sorry to see so many of you guys doing poorly, too. ☹️

[donutsmakemegonuts]

I have started writing down 5 things I'm grateful for almost everyday. I make a list of things I need to do/want to do for the day in the morning to get organized. I am still working (in healthcare) so I am really trying to enjoy my days off more. I've been exercising more regularly. I also try to shower and change in to clothes that are comfortable, but not pajamas. I try not to think about work while I'm at home.

[lust2hart]

Like a pp, I’ve had to limit my news intake. It was just getting overwhelming. I watch the first 20 minutes of Today and then maybe check in on the “news” post on CE&P in the afternoon or evening, but that’s it.

Back in January or February, I found “yoga with Kassandra” on YouTube and that has been so good for me. She has many 10-minute morning stretch videos which help me so much. She just started a 30-day morning challenge, which I’m looking forward to bc she’s posting new content every morning, which is fun.

Also, I have a very cuddly and quick-to-purr cat and it’s amazing how much better I feel when I pull him onto my lap and his motor starts running.

[beerlover]

I'm not doing well. I've been crying a lot today. I'm just so sad, and angry. My anxiety is in overdrive- anytime I sneeze, or feel the slightest tickle in my throat, I'm convinced I'm a goner.  I've been scheduling a lot of Zoom happy hours with friends (even ones I haven't seen in person in awhile, it's been fun reconnecting with people), getting out for a walk each day, making sure I shower every day, the stuff most people are doing. It's not completely doing the trick though so I'm definitely reviewing some of these suggestions.

[W.T.Faulkner]

I’m sorry you’re struggling. This is really hard.

1. Showering every day.
2. Choosing a way I can help others regularly: so far it’s been a donation to a food bank, a donation of coloring books and crossword puzzles to the nursing home where my grandmother used to live, an appointment to give blood, and a few greeting cards to friends who are struggling. I’m on the lookout for more ways.
3. Getting outside for at least an hour in the afternoon.
4. Cleaning and organizing the ever living fuck out of my house.
5. Dessert every night. lol
6. Upbeat music.
7. Regular sleep schedule.
8. Something to look forward to, either a TV show or a book, at night. So far it’s been Tiger King (lol), Unorthodox on Netflix, and a subsequent fuckton of reading about ultra-Orthodox Judaism in NYC.

Give yourself a break. This all is ridiculous. It’s so hard.

[flamingeaux]

Honestly, I watch movies. If I need a pick me up, I watch something spoof movies like Hot Shots! or anything by Mel Brooks. If I need to calm down i watch Pride and Prejudice.

The most important thing to remember is that we are not being rated on how well we get through this. All we have to do is make it through. And the best way to do that is to take it in small doses. If you have to just focus on making it through the next whatever, whether it's an hour or a morning or a panic attack, then make it through that. And tell yourself "sweet! I made it through!" And then make it through the next whatever.

[meganew]

Yesterday I locked myself in the bathroom and cried on the floor because the sound of my children playing loudly was too overwhelming for me. So. It’s great.

Honestly, showering and getting dressed does help. Going for a run or biking in the morning helps. Being ready for the day by 9 helps. Some days are better than others. I spent a good portion of yesterday crying, and holding it together in front of my kids is tough, but today was much better. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.

[laurack]

I flit in and out of despair. I do feel that showering and getting exercise are the things that help me the most. The last couple days the weather has been bleak so I’m pretty down right now. Also work has been too busy and my kids are so loud and demanding.

But if I take a shower and get outside for a walk or a bike ride I feel a lot better. Also getting an iced coffee helps my mental state.

Not drinking is better for me too, not that I follow that every day but I’m only drinking 1-2x a week even though part of me wants to drink daily right now, I feel better if I don’t.

I’m also doing a lot of cleaning / organizing in my house. It gives me something to focus on and I feel accomplishment upon completing a task. Some days I don’t have the energy at all though.

Sorry so many are struggling, these are hard times. I am dreaming of my office. I just want to go sit at my desk and work in peace, then go pay someone $10 to make me a salad for lunch. I know my woes are trivial, we are healthy and I’m clinging to that, we are healthy and we are both still employed. We are lucky. But I do feel rising panic when I see the numbers increase and wonder when I’ll hear someone I love is sick.

[sent]

So I'm weird. For months, I was having a lot of depression about being behind at work, not being a good leader or a good mother, behind on everything at my house, etc. Stress eating all the time. I knew things were bad but I felt like I didn't know how I could even begin to catch up. I was so upset once I read DS's daycare would be closing, how would I put up with him on top of everything else all day? But now that we have this situation where so many things are out of my control and one would think I would be even worse, I actually feel better. Maybe because I've experienced a similar traumatic standstill in my past and I got through that and saw that life goes on and I will adapt. So I know it's the old cliche "this too shall pass." I can only control the things happening in my house with the 3 other people who live here. I am not taking on anyone else's stress during this time and with my practice at a standstill, it's a huge burden off my mind. My employees are going to be financially ok with the $600 stimulus coming so I don't have to worry about them. I am slowly catching up on all of that other stuff that weighed on me that I never felt like I had time to do even though I have less time having to watch DS all day. I am still taking my medication (generic Zoloft). I still haven't mustered up the energy to dress my younger kid in warm clothes and take him out for a walk in the stroller so it's not all perfect because I sure need to lose a lot of weight. But I feel so much better even though everything says I should not.

[RoxMonster]

On days I do better with my anxiety, I get up and make my bed, put on a bit of makeup, do my hair, change clothes even just into clean sweats, get up and take plenty of breaks while WFH. I have been making it a goal to do a lunchtime two mile walk in my neighborhood while listening to my favorite music. If it's nice outside, I go sit in the sunshine on my patio. I try to drink lots of water. And the biggest thing for me is to limit my intake of the news or talk of the virus. I want to be informed, but I was spending hours spiraling down Internet holes and it was not good for me mentally.

Our governor does a daily briefing at 230. My work hours end at 230, so I immediately hop on after work to watch his briefing, then get out and walk the dog. I will check in here a couple times a day, but that is it. No CNN, no random internet articles about it. I just can't; I know it's bad, I know it's serious, and it was really fucking with me. At night, I wind down by watching ASMR and putting down my phone a half hour at least before bed.

I still have times I just sit and cry and have anxiety attacks, but they are getting fewer and farther between.

[namasteak]

From my psych & therapist:
-exercising in some form in the morning (both recommended this as a natural way to lower cortisol levels & help with anxiety)

-meditate daily (I like to do it after I get ready for bed but before I read)

-no coffee 😔 only tea and max 2 cups before 2 pm

-get good deep sleep (still working on this as I had a really bad allergic reaction 2 weeks ago)

-get outside daily even if it’s just sitting on the porch

[namasteak]

When we prioritize mental health over other stuff, DH and I say “I guess it’s time for the FIA”.
FIA = fuck it approach

We don’t eat healthy? FIA

The kids don’t do school and watch too much tv because I’m struggling ? FIA

The house is a disaster because I don’t have the energy to clean? FIA

It really boils down to knowing that sometimes just getting through the day is enough

[namasteak]

I’m sad and irritable and scatter brained and anxious despite doing all the “right” things. It’s very hard to stay present and not spiral. I’ve been texting my therapist twice a week which helps even if she doesn’t respond (I tell her when I just need to get something out) and having a FaceTime session with her once a week.

I bought knitting, crocheting and cross stitch stuff to distract myself but can’t bring myself to actually start them.

I’m struggling with the fact that every year for the last 3 years something life changing and has happened to us. Much of my anxiety is medical related and after having 2 kids in the hospital this winter it feels inevitable that one of us will end up there with covid19 . I’m trying really hard not to spiral into what if land but it is so so hard.

[namasteak]

My therapist shared this song with me and I love it so much.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=DfKoaTZ3G5g

I found these and love them too:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=THeLVhU53ow

m.youtube.com/watch?v=epm2Di1IRPc


Hope these can help some of y’all too ❤️

[strawberry]

I’m not doing all of these things everyday, but as many as possible, as much as I can motivate myself to do,

I’m doing these things-

*Walking on the treadmill or even better outside.
*Yoga
*Counting all of my blessings & remembering how fortunate I am.
*Writing in my journal
*Watching funny tv shows (schitt’s creek & Friends)
*Baking
*adult Coloring books
*Appreciating & Admiring the coming of Spring (daffodils sprouting, snow melting & warm weather!!! 40’s, it’s WI).
*Breathing.... deep breaths often.
*Meditation- 30 minutes, just before bed
*Putting limits on my internet use & news consumption (this is hard)
*using my therapy sun lamp
*knitting

All of these things are helping me , but damn , it’s still hard some days.

Hang in there & remember- This too shall pass!