Stress Center Peer Support

So i'm going all out this attempt on overcoming my anxiety and depression. I've decided to try many diffrent types of cognitive techniques. Hopefully this gives other people some ideas of things they can do on top of the things in the program. I'm also planning to switch things up every 2 weeks.

I got myself to lesson 3 in the program and my friend lent me a few other cognitive behavioral type books and so I've been researching these and getting more ideas.



My week started last Wednesday April 8th. When I started to utilize some of the things i read in those books i read.


#1 I started things off with something called a Thought Record. (I'm going to make a thread for all the techniques and post a link to it from this thread).

#2 I bought a tally counter and i click it everytime i have a negative thought. Here are my results so far;
April 8th: 400 , April 9th: 219 , April 10th: 117 , April 11th: 169 , April 12th: 76 , April 13th: 218 , April 14th: 86

#3 I started writing my accomplishments down, what they showed about me in a positive light and the benefits. I write this in a spiral notebook that is only used for accomplishments.

#4 Relaxation cd from the program.

#5 Wayne Dyer daily morning chanting

#6 I'm also working on making a pocket sized cognitive behavioral therapy refrence guide.

#7 I go to the gym 3 times a week.

#8 I go to the sauna and steamroom everytime i workout.

#9 I took time off to work on my health, I get financial support from the government aka welfare.

#10 I go to group therapy.

#11 I take Wellbutrin.

#12 I go to councelling and soon I will be seeing a psychiatrist.

#13 I make my own meals and avoid Dairy.

#14 I'm Journaling again.

#15 Thought replacement with a few add-ons (i put the negative thought or chain of thoughts, I write out the feelings i'm experience and to what intensity (from a scale of 0-100%) then i write out the cognitive distortion (s) involved, I replace the thoughts and rerate the feelings).

#16 Lastly this time around, I have been working with the Daily Activity Schedual which is basically a chart where i schedual my day hour by hour.

I'm feeling pretty good compared to before i started this. I am more positive, more relaxed, less anxious & depressed, more hopeful and I enjoy things alot more.

Insights;
A)If i'm putting something off that i really need to do, something that will cause me cost me if i don't do it with something that I enjoy doing, I cannot enjoy the activity. I only focus on that thing i need to do and how i am not doing it. I then worry more, have more anxiety and beat myself up more.

B)It doesn't matter how many things I do or don't do to help myself out. I can be doing 100 things but if i'm focusing on what i'm not doing, then i don't feel satisfied and I stay stuck. If I focus on what i do have (by writing it down each night) then I feel good.



Hope this helps.


Mike

Thought record can be found on this thread;
http://bbs.stresscenter.com/ev...=110108621#110108621

Hi NinjaFrodo again ....So I find what your doing here very interesting. I think it's great that your negative thoughts became less each day, and again I love the idea of a positive accomplishment notebook. I do have a few questions though...what is morning chanting? It sounds interesting. Why do you avoid dairy? Does it have something to do with anxiety etc...? Again I think it is great that you decided to take care of YOU in all ways. I know you will succeed. Thanks for the information, I always enjoy the things you write. Best wishes...Deanna

Thank you.

The morning chanting is actually an audio file i found online by Wayne Dyer...it is kinda like the "Om" type chanting where the person takes a deep breath and exhails saying "Om" until they can't exhaile and then they inhale and do it again...the only diffrence is that it is "uh" and the 2nd half you keep doing this and he says some affirmations.

It is what i use if I feel that i need to express myself or if i'm too energized to do the relaxation cd.

I avoid dairy because i am lactose intolerant but also dairy contributes to that heavy feeling that you get from depression. Lesson 5 talks about nutrition and suggests to eat more light foods, this is why.

In chinese medicine eatting dairy causes mucous/phlegm/dampness which can make you more lethargic, less clear minded, slower, depressed, and make it harder to let go physically and psychologically.

When it comes to Western medicine they say not to use dairy when you have a cold because it creates more mucous, well this doesn't stop just because you don't have a cold...it can exasterbate conditions like sinusitis, asthma & other breathing problems, constipation, skin problems, sleep problems and ear related issues like ear infection.

There isn't any other option for me, I will succeed no if, ands or buts.

I always enjoy your feedback and your posts as well.

Mike

Thanks NinjaFrodo..I am interested in these type of things, meditation, chanting, etc..I sometimes feel like I can't be still to do the relaxation tape so this is a great option for me. It would also be helpful when dealing with anger, you get a tiny release from vocalizing. The dairy info was great. I had always heard the cold and milk thing, but never gave it any extra thought other than that. Talk to you later! Deanna

Oh ya I agree, vocalizing things helps out alot...there was this one time i was sooooo frustrated and angry that i decided to kareoke it out. So i played singstar on my playstation and I did some angry singing to the 80s music. I made fun of what the people were singing, made up my own words to songs, Sang really loud and over-expressed myself and I was laughing, my roomate was laughing and I just felt better and this is 80s music like cindy Lauper's Time after Time, Up town girl, The final count down, REM's song Stand, and Who can It be Now by Men at Work.

You are very welcome...i'm actually just in the process of putting up another cognitive technique...i'll post it in a thread and link it to this one.


Mike

Here ya go...http://bbs.stresscenter.com/eve/forums? ... #813104531

It's called the But-Rebuttal Technique.


Mike

Sooo many papers, sooo easy to lose them and harder to find and evaluate my progress.

Reason:I am working with many diffrent cognitive methods, I have my written stuff in many diffrent areas.

Purpose:To collect all the pages and put them in one location and organize it so it doesn't look overwhelming and becomes easier to evalute.

Map:
1--> Hole punch all the pages
2--> Get binder from dollar store
3--> Get a bunch of blank paper for the binder
4--> Get dividers and divide the binder by months
5--> Place a, "What I learned about myself" page at the front of each month's section
6--> Create Journal at the back of each section
7--> Organize pages by each Cognitive Technique and by Date


Final Product: NinjaFrodo's Master book of Personal Recovery!

It is now time to play the "scientist" role. Experiments to test predictions, calculations, evaluations, level of growth and what each outcome means & how it is beneficial.


I will overcome this Anxiety & Depression thing no matter what. There is no room for any other option and you self-defeating what-if's can buzz off!


Mike