Preventative measures

[Cocopopsrule]

Hi. I'm struggling at the moment although I rationally know I am ok. I feel very sad and overwhelmed a lot of the time. I'm looking for some advice on how to take care of my mental wellbeing. I am doing the following

Eating regular meals
Trying to get enough sleep
Taking joy in the present moment
Exercise

These help momentarily but I fall back into very deep sadness quite a few times a day and will lose a hour or two. What else can I do to help myself function and feel ok?

Links and ideas welcome.

That sounds like a good start, I would add in meditation and knitting.

Have you got any medical help? Or therapy inplace?

I've found that doing all the right things doesn't always stop you sinking unfortunately, and ADs and therapy have been vital for me. This last time I realised that I was putting pressure on myself to feel better because I was taking medication and having therapy and meditating and practising mindfulness and exercising but I was getting worse and worse and I didn't start getting better until I gave myself permission to be poorly and took the pressure off.

Thanks so much. I will look up how to meditate. I think I do something similar - breathing in calm white light and breathing out bad thoughts and negativity which I remembered from preparing to have dd. Not sure if that's it though

Sounds like one type of meditation.

I don't have medical help. I have tried therapy but it wasn't a good experience. I might try it again if I don't improve. Thanks for answering nolongeranxious wishing you good health

Can I suggest you learn to roll with the punches instead of trying to take it on the chin? It may sound odd, but you put yourself under a lot of emotional pressure when you recognise you are feeling sad and try to be positive and happy. For as long as you are aware of feeling sad and are trying to do something about it, you become all the more aware of feeling sad. OTOH, if you simply accept you are feeling sad and leave it be, you give yourself space for your mood to change.

Does that make sense?