How do you accept your life?

[Alel]

I got diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression 2 months ago. I am taking medication and seeing a psychiatrist. But I also know that I'll go through these types of depressive and anxious epidosed for the rest of my life.

How do I accept that I'll have multiple relapses for the rest of my life? That itll always be there and I just need to live with it? How? 

[mmMekitty]

Hi Alel

I think I spoke to you on another thread of yours. I don't remember well what I said, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself too much here.

Many people living with mental health conditions learn ways of managing their symptoms. With a lot of hard work & help & support, some conditions can be allieviated quite a lot, maybe even eliminated. It more often becomes part of our lives that we incorporate our coping & management strategies into our daily lives.

For me, I have learned that I will feel uncomfortable & can accept that to some extent, & can talk to my psychiatrist when the feelings become more than uncomfortable & I feel I need help with them. Doing that is part of my way of managing things like anxiety & depression, feeling triggered, other feelings which can become overwhelming, & talking to him helps me express the feelings. Putting the feelings into words eases how strongly I feel them.

I also include better eating, some exercise, trying to get to bed before midnight, accepting that I do need help in the home to have a comfortable place to live, getting out, too, with a support worker, into the community, maybe having casual chats with people along the way, & (hopefully) meeting a nice dog or cat too, would be very enjoyable.

One cay, I hope to live in another place where I can have a cat again. Or maybe a smallish dog (still thinking about that), if I also have help caring for them. That would be excellent.

I also have things to distract myself, things I enjoy, such as audiobooks, music & a few favourite tv shows.

I am doing my best to continue to cook for myself, because (surprise, surprise), I actually enjoy doing that.

I would like more hobbies. I will have to try some new things to see if I will like them. Or, if they are with people, do them for the social aspect, maybe even make a friend or two.

Or maybe I could do some volunteer work again?

I mean, there are options out there.

The busier I am the less time there is to sit with the uncomfortable feelings.

However, sitting with the feelings & thinking about what they are & what we can do about them is also actually a useful exercise, for few minutes at a time, though. Then get up & do something, like exercise or the dishes, or take a shower, or listen to music .... 

Hugzies

mmMekitty

[Ms-B]

Got no answers for you Alel, just know that there are many around you that face this too and are with you 

[indigo22]

Hi Alel,

I am sorry you feel overwhelmed by the diagnosis you have had recently. It is difficult at first, but with time you will find your anxiety about it will settle. I would like to ask you a question. Since none of us are able to see into the future, how do you know for certain that what you are thinking is accurate? What if, you put in the work to minimise the effects and end up recovering? You are not your diagnosis, it is something that needs your attention, but you don't need to let it define you for the rest of your life. Give it a few months of working through the issues and do your best to keep your sights on a positive outcome for yourself. If you believe that you will be dealing with this for the rest of your life, then you probably will. If however, you believe you can recover with time, that is also a possibility.

Take care,

indigo22