- Thread starter David Baxter PhD
- Start date
The Ten of Swords
Member
Great post, and a HOORAY for you, Mr. Baxter.
Your post reminded me of something that I wanted to post for other members who are looking for other ways to fight their disorders.
I have been going to icanhascheezburger.com (the home of Lolcats) for some time now and have been recommending the website to a few of my friends who suffer from depression. Why? I shall explain.
Not only am I cat lover, I also use humor as a sword in my arsenal by which I battle my refractory/recalcitrant depression (med-resistant) with. It helps me greatly to laugh and I would suggest anyone out there attempting to find non-drug ways to address their depression to investigate humor and see if it helps you as well.
It is my experience that meds only give you a boost and that the rest of your work in making your life better is through taking care of your physical body by getting good nutrition, sleep, and anything that you can do to keep as much stress out of your life as possible. All those items fall under the heading of self-care, a very valuable weapon for a lot of people who suffer various disorders.
Self care, as taught to me by my MH counselor, is not just taking your meds, getting good nutrition, practicing good sleep hygiene, self care can also be define as taking care of you. Self-care can also encompass increasing your daily personal rewarding activities etc. It involves doing things just for yourself, things you once enjoyed, or things that you might enjoy, all in an attempt to elevate your mood, even just a tiny bit.
You can start small, by doing just one small thing for yourself each day.
If you can not do it now, when you are in a better place, make time for a few pleasurable activities. Even though you may not feel as motivated, or get the same amount of pleasure as you used to, commit to scheduling some fun activity each day - for example, doing a hobby, listening to music, watching a video, reading, or doing whatever is your own unique activity by which you draw/or used to draw pleasure.
Since antidepressants have never addressed my severe depression, I do a multitude of self-care activities daily. Lolcats is one example, here is another way that I use self-care's philosophy to help me in my struggle. I love fine coffee and so I splurge and buy fine coffee beans, grind them, and brew my coffee in a boka pot (a small italian coffee pot used on the stove top). Having an excellent cup of coffee, though a small thing, makes my day better.
It sounds like a inconsequential event when you compare a cup of coffee to the gargantuan horrific monster known as Depression, however, when I add that fancy cup of coffee to all of the other self-care activities that I do each day, I am left with a very powerful weapon that I can use to address my depression. You see, Self-care techniques are cumulative. I also feel a sense of self-worth by giving myself something special, which is also invaluable.
Doing things strictly for your own enjoyment is not selfish, but is healthy and shows that you care for yourself, that you value yourself, that you acknowledge that you deserve goodness, and you do!
So, for me self-care has proven to be one of my major weapons in my battle against the darkness.
One thing that I have noticed is that the people that I have met who suffer mental disorders seem to have a low sense of self worth as well. So do I, and since self-care has effected the worth that I feel for myself, I would be remiss if I did not tell you all about it in the event that it might work for some of you as it has worked so dramatically for me.
Putting yourself at the top of your list and caring for yourself as you would a good friend may also give you a better sense of self-worth. So, my self-care regime involves infusing as much humor into my life as I can, hence this post in regard to Mr. Baxter's posting of the Lol Cats video.
So what does my huge post have to do with Mr. Baxter's post?
Humor. It is another one of my self-care activities. Thus, I go to Lol Cats quite often and have found it so funny that I have suggested that my friends who suffer depression visit the site as well.
So, go to Lol Cats (icanhascheezburger.com) see if a good laugh might make you feel a tiny bit better. If you are not partial to cats, there are other humorous photos etc on the website.
I would suggest that others out there who struggle with their various disorders investigate self-care techniques. Perhaps you too could benefit by adding a bit of humor into your day, or this or that that makes you feel special, because, for me, practicing self-care has been as been as vital to my survival as any miracle drug could be.
As always, my thoughts to you all of you as you continue to battle your individual disorders and life challenges. You know, we are brave and courageous people, all of us. Remember that because it is true, a fact, you battle something that most would turn and run from. All of that makes you all incredible people. Take pride in those facts as they are true and true of you.
Thank you, Mr. Baxter, for posting that hilarious video and for reminding me of some valuable information that I could post that might help another fellow warrior out there.
Your post reminded me of something that I wanted to post for other members who are looking for other ways to fight their disorders.
I have been going to icanhascheezburger.com (the home of Lolcats) for some time now and have been recommending the website to a few of my friends who suffer from depression. Why? I shall explain.
Not only am I cat lover, I also use humor as a sword in my arsenal by which I battle my refractory/recalcitrant depression (med-resistant) with. It helps me greatly to laugh and I would suggest anyone out there attempting to find non-drug ways to address their depression to investigate humor and see if it helps you as well.
It is my experience that meds only give you a boost and that the rest of your work in making your life better is through taking care of your physical body by getting good nutrition, sleep, and anything that you can do to keep as much stress out of your life as possible. All those items fall under the heading of self-care, a very valuable weapon for a lot of people who suffer various disorders.
Self care, as taught to me by my MH counselor, is not just taking your meds, getting good nutrition, practicing good sleep hygiene, self care can also be define as taking care of you. Self-care can also encompass increasing your daily personal rewarding activities etc. It involves doing things just for yourself, things you once enjoyed, or things that you might enjoy, all in an attempt to elevate your mood, even just a tiny bit.
You can start small, by doing just one small thing for yourself each day.
If you can not do it now, when you are in a better place, make time for a few pleasurable activities. Even though you may not feel as motivated, or get the same amount of pleasure as you used to, commit to scheduling some fun activity each day - for example, doing a hobby, listening to music, watching a video, reading, or doing whatever is your own unique activity by which you draw/or used to draw pleasure.
Since antidepressants have never addressed my severe depression, I do a multitude of self-care activities daily. Lolcats is one example, here is another way that I use self-care's philosophy to help me in my struggle. I love fine coffee and so I splurge and buy fine coffee beans, grind them, and brew my coffee in a boka pot (a small italian coffee pot used on the stove top). Having an excellent cup of coffee, though a small thing, makes my day better.
It sounds like a inconsequential event when you compare a cup of coffee to the gargantuan horrific monster known as Depression, however, when I add that fancy cup of coffee to all of the other self-care activities that I do each day, I am left with a very powerful weapon that I can use to address my depression. You see, Self-care techniques are cumulative. I also feel a sense of self-worth by giving myself something special, which is also invaluable.
Doing things strictly for your own enjoyment is not selfish, but is healthy and shows that you care for yourself, that you value yourself, that you acknowledge that you deserve goodness, and you do!
So, for me self-care has proven to be one of my major weapons in my battle against the darkness.
One thing that I have noticed is that the people that I have met who suffer mental disorders seem to have a low sense of self worth as well. So do I, and since self-care has effected the worth that I feel for myself, I would be remiss if I did not tell you all about it in the event that it might work for some of you as it has worked so dramatically for me.
Putting yourself at the top of your list and caring for yourself as you would a good friend may also give you a better sense of self-worth. So, my self-care regime involves infusing as much humor into my life as I can, hence this post in regard to Mr. Baxter's posting of the Lol Cats video.
So what does my huge post have to do with Mr. Baxter's post?
Humor. It is another one of my self-care activities. Thus, I go to Lol Cats quite often and have found it so funny that I have suggested that my friends who suffer depression visit the site as well.
So, go to Lol Cats (icanhascheezburger.com) see if a good laugh might make you feel a tiny bit better. If you are not partial to cats, there are other humorous photos etc on the website.
I would suggest that others out there who struggle with their various disorders investigate self-care techniques. Perhaps you too could benefit by adding a bit of humor into your day, or this or that that makes you feel special, because, for me, practicing self-care has been as been as vital to my survival as any miracle drug could be.
As always, my thoughts to you all of you as you continue to battle your individual disorders and life challenges. You know, we are brave and courageous people, all of us. Remember that because it is true, a fact, you battle something that most would turn and run from. All of that makes you all incredible people. Take pride in those facts as they are true and true of you.
Thank you, Mr. Baxter, for posting that hilarious video and for reminding me of some valuable information that I could post that might help another fellow warrior out there.
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