Support For Depression

SURVIVAL MODE*

Betty says to herself, “Oh lord, I am so behind on things.  How do other people stay on top of everything?  Today I’ll get as many items checked off my list as I can whether they are top priority or not.  Oh God, I never got around to the taxes, and it’s April 14th!  I always put them off because I’m afraid I won’t do them perfectly.  I’ll be up most of the night again…”

A name for this way of living is …
“Survival Mode”

Mood issues affect the frontal lobes of the brain.  The frontal lobes help us envision the future, and they control planning skills.  People with mood challenges or those of us who grew up in a chaotic environment often have time management problems.  Being late to appointments, procrastinating, or feeling constantly too busy are all natural brain symptoms of depression.  They aren’t symptoms of being lazy or bad.  It’s not personal.??Survival Mode’s mantra is:  “I’m doing the best I can.  I’m doing the best I can.”  Doing the best you can is more about coping and getting by than choosing how to spend that day, or week, or year.  Choosing feels a lot better than coping. Read the rest of this entry »

Working with Bipolar Disorder and Depression: Routine, Rhythm and Reflection

Part 1 of a 3 part series

Routine: Creating a Container for Mood Changes

Frank groaned and rolled his eyes when I suggested that we work with his schedule.
Schedule almost qualified as a dirty word in Frank’s personal dictionary.

“I don’t want to write down the stuff I am not doing. It’s bad enough that I am not doing it.  I don’t want to hit myself over the head with my failures.”

“Frank,” I say, “we’ve got to start somewhere and we’ll be in this together. We are not looking for success or failure but we are looking for WHAT WORKS.  And specifically what works for you. You are being dragged around daily if not hourly by your mood changes and reactions. Let’s start building a container for all of that. Let’s start working with ways to soothe your brain and help you to stabilize.”

“It kind of scares me,” Frank says. “If we schedule every minute of every day I think I’ll just shut down.”

“Good point Frank, So would I ! So let’s start with some basic pieces and adjust and correct our headings each week.  You have already started, in fact. You’re sleeping better, getting up earlier instead of at noon. That’s the most basic and perhaps the most important routine – night and day. Sleep and wake.”

“Yeah, I don’t feel like I am falling apart all of the time now – just some of the time.
Big progress,” Frank says, almost rolling his eyes again.

“It is progress. You don’t have to believe me right now, but good sleep is the foundation for everything else in your life. Let’s look at your morning routine. How do you start your day?” Read the rest of this entry »