Before the task, I knew I was sinking. The tightness in my chest was there, then I began to have trouble breathing and started to feel really restless. My doctor told me these are the times when I must get up and do something, not to give in and lie down. So I went in and did it. Afterwards, I felt a lot better. My breathing evened out almost immediatley and I felt good accomplishing something for a change. It helped me make it through the rest of the day.
If I hadn't set down a list of pleasurable activities at the start of last week, I don't think I would have done anything. I would have went to bed and had a nap. Session 2 made me list things that I used to enjoy. Being the nerd I am, I like to organize. Organization in your living or work space also helps to keep your mind organized. I didn't get this activity done on the day I had written it down to do but I remembered it today and got it done. It didn't dispell all of what I was feeling but it took away most of it.
It is great to hear you tackled and accomplished your organization project. Keep working through the sessions of the program to continue progressing with your depression. Do the homework and keep note of your successes.
How did accomplishing this task effect you? How did session 2 help you accomplish this task?
I am a packrat. I have read that there are a lot of us people with depression who like to hoard things. I have been like this my entire life. So one of the activities that I planned to do this week was to clean out the corner in my bedroom that seems to be overflowing with papers, books, unfinished projects and kids toys. It was quite a pile. I had planned to do this on Thursday but I had a really bad day and didn't want to do it.
Today, I was doing fine until an hour and a half ago. That's when the lump in my chest began to get bigger. The sense of restlessness increased and I felt it hard to breath. Usually, at this point, I would lie down and go to sleep so I wouldn't have to feel it. Today, I decided to try something different. I got up and went to my room and cleaned out that pile. I put away the kids toys in their rooms, filed important papers in my filing cabinet and had a ball shredding papers I no longer needed to keep. The sense of acomplishment that is talked of in session 2 is there. It took me an hour and a half but my mind is clearer now. I still have the lump in my chest but I no longer feel restless or like I can't breathe.
