Mindfulness is very effective for dealing with emotional problems in my experience. That's why yoga and tai chi could work as mindfulness in itself. Actually CBT is all about being mindful about our own thoughts and feelings. And the work is never done, we have to break many times the autopilot mode, it is a work in progress.
Your advice to Matt about mindfulness struck me as I read your words. Thanks for the reminder that we should be mindful of how we feel. I've been having success with challenging negative thoughts/cognitive distortions and after several weeks on session 5 feel confident enough to move forward. Thank-you.
Sounds like you did a great job explaining how you feel. When you say autopilot it struck a cord with me. Many people do go through life on autopilot...actually I think most of us do. The opposite of being on autopilot would have to be mindfullness. Being mindful and present with everything that you do. Mindfullness is a hot topic in the helping field now and there is research showing that it can help people manage depression, anxiety, anger and even addictions. You might want to read into it. Here is an article I found that you might find interesting: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/01/19/how-does-mindfulness-reduce-depression-an-interview-with-john-teasdale-ph-d/. There is also lots of mindfullness exercises you can listen to on youtube. I encourage you to have a look.
I also notice you are on the 4th session of the program. How are you finding it so far? In this session you learn about cognitive distortions. One sentence you said did sound like a cognitive distortion: "...worried that I won't feel
like my normal self again as it's been nearly
3 months now since I have." What cognitive distortion are you using here? How can you challenge this thought?
Hi Ashley,
I've been 'up and down' quite a lot recently.
I can have 3-4 fairly ok days then just start
feeling very low and worried that I won't feel
like my normal self again as it's been nearly
3 months now since I have.
I've been doing my best to keep busy, going
to the gym as much as possible and also
doing things as a family and taking my girls
places to do different activities.
I do struggle with busy places and crowds
though and it can really heighten my anxiety
which is extremely uncomfortable but I just
push myself to carry on.
It's so hard to watch everyone around me
living their lives and having fun doing the things
that they enjoy and there's me just 'going through
the motions', I feel as if I'm on 'auto-pilot'.
Sorry, it's so hard to explain how I feel.
Matt
I hope that you are doing okay. As it has been over 15 years that I was on Effexor "full time" I honestly do not recall any adverse effects or problems coming off it. I would think, if I am correct, that only being on it for several weeks would not be long enough for a clinical depression and would urge you to continue your meds under your doctor's supervision. I do, on occasion, rightly or wrongly, take a short dose of Prozac to get me out of a slump. It is now indicated for PMS, so short-term use is now approved....clinically I have been doing this for years ;) I continue to work on the worksheets but I am also trying to introduce meditation & yoga and the "Happiness Advantage" techniques into my day, so there is only so much I can do at a time. I am now on the "Challenging Negative Thoughts" session & find it a bit cumbersome....but I will try again tomorrow....."baby steps"....put one step in front of the other, that is an accomplishment in itself. I wish you and your family well.
I'm glad you're going to see your doctor. Your meds will take time for you to see any major changes but I'm glad that you have noticed a difference. Your doctor may have to adjust your dosage as time goes on which is quite common and may even change it all together if you aren't getting the result you need. Please be careful about diagnosing yourself. Your depression and anxiety can lead you to do this. Work with your doctor/s and I know you will get to the place you need to get to. Do your homework, even when it seems overwhelming, which I can relate to very much as most everything these days overwhelms me. It will really help you with how you think and why you may be thinking it. It will help you realize that the negative thinking can be changed. Don't rush through the sessions if you aren't ready to move on. I've spent 2 weeks on each of the last two sessions myself. Give those beautiful babies bigs hugs and keep on this journey you've begun so you can be the best dad to them you can be a the best you that you can be.
I am sorry to hear how you have been struggling with this. Often a difficult life transition like a break up can trigger depression and even anxiety. The good news is that anxiety is one of the most treatable mental disorders out there. Also, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is one of the best and most highly researched treatments for both depression and anxiety and CBT is what this program is based on. It does take quite a bit of work but if you are willing to put the work in and you are consistent then you should see results relatively quickly. It is not a quick fix, don't get me wrong but it is a way out of this pain you are experiencing. It sounds like you are already pinpointing a lot of cognitive distortions that you are having that is likely perpetuating the anxiety and depression. Thoughts like, "I've caused permanent damage." and "I'm not going to get better." are all cognitive distortions that this program will help you to challenge them. Get started ASAP and be sure to let us know what if you have any questions.
You are not alone in this. We will help you through it every step of the way.
