Good on you Honeybean. We dont often get a member that has taken the correct course towards their recovery eg GP, Therapy, meds and asking for further advice.
Yes, meds alone like any other action ALONE, likely wont work. Other ingredients in the cake mix towards recovery are- re-evaluating aspects of your daily life like relationships (esp getting rid of toxic people from your life), relaxations, calming background music, seeking financial stability leading to part time work above full time, a move to the country, etc
CBT, Cognitive behavioural therapy. I went through that process once but it didnt do much for me. It does however do a lot for many sufferers. I found that I need to seek several therapy sessions every couple of years to bring me back on the right line of thinking. Anything that you find helpful is good. Cognitive therapy for me was to try to catch up on the social abilities I didnt adopt in my teens, wisdom if you like. My emotions were sky high and erratic. Eventually I was diagnosed with bipolar 2, dysthymia, anxiety and depression. Aging also helped. I'm 59yo now.
I also tried 12 types of meds over many years and just as I wanted to give up I went on mood stabilisers and wow- it did the trick combined with a small amount of anti depressants. Everyone is different. It stabilised me the most but I still combine all sorts of those things above.
One of my greatest helpers has been a man named Maharaji or Prem Rawat. He has many Youtube videos. It is not religion. It is wisdom and other deep things. Google his name and "sunset" or "the perfect instrument". His teaching are amazing. You might benefit.
Finally. I want to mention sadness. For most of my life my sadness was soooo low. 20 years ago I started writing poetry. I found I could only write it when in a sad state. And according to others it is very good poetry. So I began to write poems to victims of crime and people that lost loved ones. Soon I realised that this sadness was a gift. A gift that I wouldnt have without my condition. Then I read up on how many famous people have depression and other forms of mental illness I realised that I could immerse myself into my sadness and feel that gift of love and feeling.
Try to accept it, use it to benefit others, embrace it and give love
Once in the fast lane I now watch a flower bloom from closed to open, sit on a hilltop to watch a sunset as Maharaji taught me, feel the beauty of my tears falling.
What gifts.
Take care Honeybean. Tony WK
