Have you recovered from mental illness? If so, how?

[littledarkage]

Hello all,

Im really hoping someone may be able to give me some tips or ideas to help recover.

The quick version of my mental illness is depression since a child (20+yrs), continuous self harm, insomnia, suicidal thoughts, anxiety and severe episodes.

I feel I really have tried everything and I'm so upset and frustrated thinking I'll never get better.

My doctors have had me on many antidepressants and sleeping pills - sertraline, citalopram, venlafaxine, mitazapine, quitiapine, duloxetine, zopiclone and premathazine.

I'm currently trying my best at one to one intense CBT.

I've tried many natural remedies too.

I don't have a great support network, my only close friend died unexpectedly last year and I left a 5 year abusive relationship last year too (whole other story).

Is there anyone that can please share thier story of successful recovery? I'm really willing to try anything.

Thank you so much in advance.

Sorry, forgot to add, I've been with the mental health crisis team the past 6 weeks and they've been really unhelpful sadly.

Stopping drinking has helped with my anxiety massively. Going to bed and getting up at a reasonable time, and changing from weekend hours to short daily shifts, in a job I actually like, that forces me to get up and get ready every morning, seems to be really helping my depression. So does going for a lot of long walks and getting some fresh air, and seeing some natural beauty. Going to the local park at night with a mate to watch the swans on the river in the moonlight, or the sea lions playing on a sunny day when the tides high, at a nearby harbour, things like that.

Stopping self harming was hard, but I haven't done it in 9 years. I do still think about it sometimes. All sorts of things have helped, from going to a friends for a chat (as I used to get quite stir crazy sometimes, stuck in my own messy, unorganised, stressful little bubble that was my house), cleaning, and reading.

I used to lie awake in bed most of the night, thinking about all the bad, embarrassing or stupid things I'd done, or reading etc as a distraction. That was really awful, every time I closed my eyes the instrusive thoughts started. That took a long time, and a lot of random mental visitation to stop, but I don't do that now either (unless I'm drunk/hungover). I'd imagine my mind was a house, and in that house would be a room that held all my thoughts, in neatly labelled cabinets. I'd let myself brood on one thing, for a few minuets "yes, I really do talk too much, I'm afraid of silence and that makes me a loquacious bastard, I really have to learn to button my lip and not bore on". Then I'd imagine putting the thought away, in the relevant drawer, shutting it, then going to another room in the house and laying down on a fancy chaise lounge and imagining what the chair and room looked like etc. I still fall asleep sometimes designing my dream cottage in my head, but it's better than the alternative. I think I got this idea from Jo's Boys, by Louisa M Alcott.

*mental visulisation

Yoga really , really help.
Find a good, well recommended teacher though.

*helps

Routine is helpful.

Chickens. I know not everyone can have them but if you have a bit of space in your garden get two or three ex-batts, you have to get up to see to them in the morning and by the time you have finished feeding and faffing them outside you are awake and not as inclined to go back to bed. I think waking up and having a purpose is helpful. I always say everyone should have chickens.

Hobby. A hobby such as knitting, crochet, cross-stitch etc helped me. It's repetitive which is comforting but still challenging and can be done alone or as part of a group.

Art therapy. Pick up a sketch pad or watercolours or whatever and just sketch and draw something. It's for you so you don't have to share it, just enjoy the colours and shading and shapes. Air clay is fun too and not messy.

When you are ready, volunteering is a good boost. It's helping others, it keeps you busy and gives you a feeling of purpose.

Counselling. I can't afford "proper" counselling but I pay a counselling student half price £20 an hour just to help me around my problems. I can basically clear my head when I'm there. He is supported by his supervisor and will qualify fully very soon so I don't feel like I'm getting an inferior service.

Gardening. Just grow something in a pot on the windowsill if you don't have a garden. Seeing something grow gives you purpose, hope and joy.

Avoid social media, it's just a life drain.

I know we are all different but these have all helped me.

Good luck.

All of the above... especially giving up or at least cutting down, on alcohol and sugar and waking in the open air every day.
I've found these podcasts and following the advice in them really, really helpful.. just started listening to the latest one:
drchatterjee.com/blog/category/podcast/

*walking in the open air, I don't sleep outdoors.

It depends what "recovery" means to you. To me it means not needing crisis services or having crises. It means not having panic attacks and being able to be a normal member of society. It means not needing inpatient treatment.

But it also means taking my medication, getting regular support and getting counselling or therapy when I need it. Recovery to me means being in long term services not short term, and not sinking into those dreadful lows. But I will always be struggling a bit more than somebody without those issues IYSWIM.

But the most important thing, I think, on the road to recovery is asking for help. Not once, but every time you need it. And if the service you ask doesn't help, or the person you ask, you need to ask a different person or service. I know it's a bloody battle, which it shouldn't be, but it's about having more good days than bad and knowing where to turn when things are tricky again.

Overhauled my life.

New job, moved house, new DH.

I think I just got angry and went for it. I had nothing left to lose so could take risks.

Sorry if that isn't helpful.

Also meant to add but got distracted:

Remember to take your meds everyday. It's so easy to forget when you start to feel better but I know from experience missing two or three days in a row will hinder your recovery by weeks.

I also second the advice to stay off alcoholic drinks, excessive sugar intake, highly caffeinated drinks etc and instead try to eat frequently, little and often and healthily if you can. It helps prevent energy dips and mood swings.

Anti depressants and months and months of CBT/counselling with an extremely experienced therapist. She saved my life. Practicing self care and learning a new hobby.

I've found coping strategies, exercise and music being the main ones for me. I've also taken the time to learn about and understand my depression and in my case anxiety. I've accepted it and come to terms with its implications, I take every opportunity to beat it into submission. Thats really it I could relapse tomorrow however I'm stronger now, better prepared for that battle and next time I may win, if not I'll find a new strategy or another way but whatever I'll keep fighting just as anyone with a mental illness should. You've come this far, gone through things that most people can't comprehend. You've fought and survived more than the average person can even imagine. You are not weak, you're stronger than almost anyone you know keep fighting and believing!

The hardest thing for me has been accepting that I have a long term mental health condition and that recovery for me will always be learning to manage my health. That means taking my meds every day even when I feel better, going to weekly therapy every week and accepting a few weeks is not going to cut it and I will need therapy for a long long time.

I have also had to accept that some things will be harder for me than other people. There are things that I simply can't do without risking becoming very unwell. This is probably the hardest thing.

Other people have mentioned giving up alcohol and, honestly, this is probably one of the best things I ever did. I hesitate to mention it to people as it can sound smug, but really, sobriety is deeply underate. Eating and sleeping well also sound really basic but make so much differance. As well as daily exercise. All easier said than done I am more than aware, but anytime you can manage them you should congratulate yourself on a positive step, while never beating yourself up because somedays you eat crap and sit on the sofa in your PJs all day.

I'm still working at it and recently had a bout of depression that left me feeling horrible, but this time I have put in place strategies and am getting through it without needing extra medication. It's hard, but I am feeling pretty proud of myself right now.

I'm still a work in progress, but I have BPD and around 2.5 years ago I decided that I would kill myself. I've been struggling with depression since I was 14 and have a trauma background.

I met my current therapist 3 months later and I've been with him since and I still have my moments and i'm not fully there yet but I have noticed that I have more up days, and I can genuinely feel happy. I've seen him twice a week for most of it but I'm still a student studying for my second degree he's okay with me not paying his full fee, and see him for £23 less per session than he normally charges as he offers a sliding scale.

"joy in the small things" as my sister says, for me it's as simple as a nice cup of coffee or scented candles.

Exercise has also been big thing for me. Running makes me feel stronger. When I first started i could barely run for 1.5 mins but now that's up to 50 mins and I've done my first 5k.

Read the book the subtle art of not giving a f*ck. I made myself the priority and started saying no to things I didn't want to do. I cut out friends who I felt didn't value me.

I rest more.

Hygge- which for me means making myself more comfortable.

I do semi regular body massages.

I stopped buying clothes. Minue £3 gloves on the 15th of January as I lost my pair I haven't bought anything other items for 19 months now.

I regularly put my phone on airplane mode because I don't want interruptions.

audiobooks- help distract my brain so I can get through lots on youtube for free.

But go slow OP. Some days can be really good and others awful but you will get through this.

Mine was a bit of a journey and the big decision to come off medication (tbf I had a bad reaction)

Also the counselling I "received" was spectacularly bad. I got angry at this, had a flounce and decided I could do a better job myself.

I think the two main things that work for me are-

1. Accepting I have depression and will always have it BUT working really hard to not let it define me. I found it all consuming and felt it made me quite self centred. So if I wake up feeling particularly low, I try and reconcile it to anything BUT depression.

Example- I think about what's going on in my life that day. I might be nervous about something at work or a looming bill etc. So I figure that most people would feel low about that, not just ME. So it's normal and I am less inclined to say "Well it's my depression" etc

1. Sometimes that's not possible so I will have a bit of a wallow, let it "have it's legs" and I will talk to saying "Ok, ok today you win. You can have today but you're not having my tomorrow m'kay?"

So that way, I recognise it, acknowledge it sometimes but mostly I'm in control.