Does anyone else neglect themselves?

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My default state is one of passiveness and self-neglect. When I don't have the routine of a workday keeping me in check my day just floats by in a passive way. I won't eat or drink anything until late in the afternoon, I will put off showering and getting dressed and I will go to bed way too late. Days off from work are always quite depressing for me due to this unless I have plans with other people. I know I need to start being better at giving myself structure and routine.

It must come from childhood as I remember weekends and half-terms were often lazy PJ days with way too much junk food rather than set meal times and set morning and evening routines.

Does anyone have any advice on how to be more structured and routined with yourself? I am sick of wasting my time off from work with blah lazy days at home.

This is a practical guide to understanding and dealing with depression with simple tasks and self-reflection exercises. It's long but have a read through and try the challenges which appeal to you.

medicine.umich.edu/sites/default/files/content/downloads/Behavioral-Activation-for-Depression.pdf

[quote Sarahlou63]This is a practical guide to understanding and dealing with depression with simple tasks and self-reflection exercises. It's long but have a read through and try the challenges which appeal to you.

medicine.umich.edu/sites/default/files/content/downloads/Behavioral-Activation-for-Depression.pdf[/quote]
Wow this looks great and just what I need! I just had a quick skim read but will spend time starting to go through the activities over the weekend.

Some very basic things which have been known to work for me:

1. I keep a jug and glass by the bedside. Fill jug with water just before I go to bed and when I need to get up the first thing I do is sit up and drink all the water - it's only a couple of glasses but it really wakes me up and even if I don't hydrate enough during the day, at least I've done that!
2. Lay out tomorrow's clothes the night before. Or maybe even do it straight after I've just got dressed. No decisions the next morning.
3. Forcing myself into the shower before going downstairs, so I have no alternative but to get dressed. Alternatively, showering straight before bed and then getting dressed straight away in the morning - I know some people don't think that's hygienic, but I find it really helps to avoid struggling to get going in the mornings.
4. Lay the breakfast table the night before, straight after clearing up from dinner - one less thing to do the next morning, and it sets the expectation that I'm going to eat first thing.
5. Keep a notebook and write down 3 things I want to do tomorrow. No more than 3, or even just 1 thing if 3 is too many. I'm talking about small things like going out for a walk, doing a 20-minute workout video, putting on a load of laundry, shredding papers, exciting stuff like that! I don't always get all the things done, but it helps me to focus instead of thinking about all the stuff I should be doing and then feeling paralysed and doing nothing.

A lot of it is about unfucking tomorrow today, as it were

I'm crap at going to bed at a decent hour myself, so hopefully a more fully-formed adult than me can advise you about that!

You've already taken the most important step, deciding to change.

There's a saying on my CBT course - "change only happens when the desire to change is stronger than the desire to stay the same."

Good luck