| Sharing this 10 min meditation by Barry Boyce on mindful.org 10-Minute Meditation to Focus the Mind BY BARRY BOYCE The moment of noticing a thought is a very powerful moment. It’s really where the real meditation occurs. That’s because there’s a spark of insight at that point, what in technical terms is called meta-awareness: you’re aware of your thought process, not just caught up in it. Now at that moment, there’s lots of possibility. This simple guided meditation explores how we can gently guide the mind back to the breath when it wanders toward thoughts and sensations. 1. Posture. Having heard the gong, now settle into your seat, whether it’s on a cushion on the floor, or in a chair, or whatever kind of seat you have: bench, park bench, whatever it is. 2. Breath. Now we’re going to use the breath as an anchor for our attention. A good place to start is to take three conscious breaths. For three breaths, let’s be completely aware of the breath as it goes out and comes in. 3. Thoughts. One of the first things we notice naturally as we try to pay attention to breath coming in and out is our mind is filled with thoughts. It’s like a waterfall of thoughts. Whatever they are, they’re all thoughts, and in mindfulness practice, just notice the thought. Touch it, and go back to the breath. Just a light touch on the thought. It is that noticing of the thought that is a moment of direct mindfulness. You notice the thought and lightly come back to the breath. 4. Finish. As you hear the concluding bell, no matter what’s been going on in the session, you don’t need to evaluate it, just let it go. As you’re hearing the reverberation, open your eyes, and enjoy what’s coming next. You can listen to the meditation practice here or by clicking the button below. |
GUIDED MEDITATION
| Guided Meditation: Breathing Compassion In and Out |
| In this practice, Kristin Neff guides us through a compassion meditation, first directing kind phrases to ourselves and then to others. 1) Find a comfortable and kind posture. Close your eyes. Come home to your body and notice the feeling of your feet on the floor, or your seat on the cushion. Notice any internal sensations that may be arising right now. You may notice the beating of your heart, the feelings of pulsing energy. Remind yourself that you’re not just bringing awareness to your experience, but loving and kind awareness. Adopt a physical gesture that represents this caring attitude, perhaps by putting both hands on your heart. Notice how your body responds to the physical touch, the warmth of your hands. Feel free to leave your hands here for the entire meditation if you like, or put them back down at your side. 2) Bring your awareness to the breath. Take a few deep breaths: big inhalations and a big exhalations. Allow yourself to release as you exhale, then let your breathing return to a normal, natural rhythm. Your mind will probably wander and when it does, when you notice it has wandered, simply call back your attention with the same quality you might use with a puppy that’s wandered off: Gently usher it back to where it needs to be in the moment. Just let your awareness rest in your breath, breathing in and breathing out. 3) Recognize that you’re nurturing yourself with each in-breath. Pay particular attention to the inhalation and notice that as you breathe in, you’re giving yourself what you need in the moment. You’re nurturing yourself with each in-breath. If you are struggling in any way in your life, breathe in some other quality that you need: kindness, love, compassion. Breathe in this quality with each inhalation. Perhaps there’s a word that rests easily on each in-breath, a word that represents what you need. Or perhaps it’s more general—a golden light, a quality of warmth. Allow yourself to really receive something good for yourself with each inhalation. 4) Send compassion to someone in need with your out-breath. As you breathe out, bring to mind someone you know or are aware of who is struggling and needs compassion. Allow their image to arise in your mind’s eye. Direct your out-breath to them, sending them what they need in the moment. Kindness. Love. Compassion. Again, this may take the form of a word that gently rides on your exhalation, a feeling of warmth, an image of golden light. With each out-breath, send something good to this other person who is also struggling. 5) Acknowledge that you, as a human being, struggle, as does this other person. Breathe in something good for yourself, like compassion and kindness. Breathe out something good for this other person. In and out—one for me and one for you. In for me and out for you. If your mind starts to wander you can refresh the image of yourself or of the other person in your mind’s eye. Maybe put your hands on your heart once again to physically connect you with the sensation of care. Breathe in the ease of compassion for yourself, and out the ease of compassion for the other. 6) Send compassion where it is needed most. If at any point your attention is drawn more to your own struggle or suffering, feel free to breathe in and focus more for yourself. Perhaps: three for me, and one for you. Or conversely, if the other person is drawing your attention more strongly, you can focus more on the out-breath, sending out the compassion they need. Or just let your breath be an equal, easy flow. In and out, in and out, like the waves of an ocean. A limitless, boundless ocean—enough for me, and enough for you. An ocean of compassion. 7) Let yourself be fully absorbed by the breath of compassion. Breathe in, and breathe out. Compassion in, compassion out. No limits or boundaries. You can hold your own suffering fully, and also hold the suffering of this other person. Ride it like the waves on the ocean—in and out. If other beings come to mind who are suffering, or even groups of people, from this place of limitless, boundless compassion you can breathe out for them as well. Always include yourself with each in-breath. There’s no need for separation. Let this ocean hold all suffering in love and compassion. 8) Release your focus on the breath and on the practice. Simply come back to your body. Allow yourself to feel whatever it is you’re feeling in this moment, and to be exactly as you are. Listen to the guided audio practice on mindful.org. |
The power of letting go what you can’t control
The power of letting go what you can’t control
This was discussed at a meeting of a local depression support group, the topic being raised by someone with epilepsy who had found information on the Internet aimed at helping people to accept the things they can’t change.
Many people diagnosed with life changing conditions have problems accepting that life is different. They feel they have lost control of their health and it makes them feel worthless, depressed and anxious about how things will change and they can’t do anything about it.
A few suggestions here may help stop your mind dwelling on it and take actions to concentrate on something else.
One is using guided imagery – you may need some guidance with this. Basically you imagine and make a picture in your head of actually letting go, turning from the problem into something more pleasant. This could be bringing to mind a picture of a very happy event and switching to this when a negative feeling arises.
Another strategy is to open up to others, trust them. It helps. You have to accept that there are people out there who can give support. Group members could support each other. It could detract from your feelings if you are listening to others. For example, listening to someone who has more serious health conditions or social circumstances could take your mind away from your own imagined or real problems.
Another way is a physical way. It could be something like a thorough house clean or organising something like wardrobes or kitchen cupboards. It will stop you dwelling on the things you want to move away from and could well leave you with a feeling of achievement. You maybe even thinking of something else physical so you’re not pulling yourself down even more.
The power of letting go is something we should not dismiss. It is essential for those in distress to be able to rest their mind periodically by ‘letting go’.
Followers of mindfulness will recognise many of these strategies. It is important to still the mind especially when sleep will not come.
HOW TO IMPROVE MOOD
HOW TO IMPROVE MOOD
A few simple ways to boost your mood when you become aware that it is dipping
- A three-minute meditation – these are available on CD or cassette or in written text in many self-help books. To prevent the mind from wandering it can be useful to focus on one word to repeat silently to yourself and/or bring to mind a pleasant happy picture from a positive memorable event.
- Join a choir – singing always lifts the mood.
- Play music – if you play an instrument play it – or put on a music CD. Sing along with this for better effect.
- Take a hot bath or a shower with your favourite scented shower gel.
- Read a book – reading for 5 to 10 min before you go to sleep will clear the mind. If you are feeling low, try to read during the day. If reading does not come easily to you because of your lack of mental well-being, use your finger to force your eyes along the lines on page and eventually the brain will ‘get the message’
- Dance – put on a lively music CD and dance to it
- Have a deep sleep. If sleep is a problem a short spell of a homoeopathic sleeping pill or Kalms should get you back into a good sleep routine. This is the most important habit you should foster and is usually the first thing to go at the beginning of a spell of depression.
- Phone family and friends on a one-to-one basis. Avoid group chats and group face times when you are low.
- Text friends – short messages can stimulate interaction at times when perhaps people are not available for phone calls or to meet up.
- Try writing. Keep a diary and note everything you do and how you feel at particular times during the day. This should help you to identify maladaptive behaviours which do not help your mood. One technique used by writers is known as the ‘morning pages’ where you write anything which does not have to make sense for at least three pages of a notebook. Writers have found that their creativity is stimulated by this activity and it can help a period of writers’ block. While some people insist there is no such thing as writers’ block for those people who tend to suffer from depression and anxiety writers’ block is a real problem as even the most prolific writer will suddenly find the words ‘don’t come’. If you are a person who does not believe in writer’s block, please do not dismiss another person’s mindset. It could be you one day.
How to reduce anxiety
Looking through some of my notebooks I have found notes and information from previous studies around anxiety and stress reduction.
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook by Martha Davis has helpful advice about anxiety and the triggers which calls it.
If you ask yourself the following you should identify your triggers.
- What do I do?
- What do I think?
- What do I feel?
They include a ‘coping with stress inventory’ after which you should be able to identify good strategies as follows
- Seek out friends, conversation, phone a friend
- do physical exercise preferably in the fresher
- make time to relax, read, unwind
- confront the source of your stress and work to change it
- change your outlook/attitude
- take time off – getaway – this could be a simple trip to family for a day out
- remember jokes and humour will reduce your anxiety
- get involved in a hobby, something where you forget the mundane worrying things in your life. This could be reading a good book or writing a diary. Some people find painting, decorating, art or craftwork helpful
- have a healthy diet and if you think some foods upset you avoid them and then introduce them slowly one at a time. If you suffer from stress related conditions such as IBS then research on the Internet for ways to reduce the effect
- some people find praying or meditating useful
- focus on the things you can control and accept the things in your life that you cannot control
- Read this sheet every day until you find your anxiety has reduced
My Staying Well Plan
MY STAYING WELL PLAN
this may sound prescriptive but it is intended to remind me how I should behave when I may have let certain routines slip.
here goes …
• Accept the phase when you need to lie in bed most of the morning. Your brain needs to rest. This prevents further stimulation.
• Read the first few pages of Depressive Illness, the Curse of the Strong, Dr Tim Cantopher. An excellent understanding of the true meaning of depression.
• Note Dr Cantopher’s point that something has to change if you are to stay well and not relapse. People relapse as they have not made changes to their routine, action or behaviour which may have been maladaptive
• Put on Smooth radio or Classic FM
• Keep off the computer for a while and, if you cannot bear it and are frightened you will have to give it up altogether, remember you will come back to it.
• Play CDs, dance, use party CDs
• Play relaxing music in the background when writing or reading.
• Use lavender oil and massage temples and neck each night
• Keep occupied
• Do some tidying every day
• Do some clearing out every day, just one shelf or a drawer. One small step
• Drink more water
• Eat healthy food. Cut out junk.
• Use 3.75 Zopiclone and if necessary take 7.5mg and then reduce after one month. 8 hours sleep minimum is essential for Bi Polar Disorder
• Shop each day for a few things. Use the local corner shop if the larger store is overwhelming
• Don’t spend unnecessary money. WAIT
• Walk each day. Once and then later go out twice. Increase the distance each time
• Use a relaxation tape, 3 times a day on the floor if anxiety is crippling
• Do yoga. Arrange for a lift to a class if you cannot drive. Use the yoga CD if you cannot go out.
• Practise deep breathing all the time, when waiting in shop queue or watching tv.
• Do puzzles, crosswords.
• Don’t read the news in newspapers. Look for the funny comment columns or the letters page.
• Read self help books to revise relaxation, stress reduction and get positive ideas.
• Watch tv on catch up, not live, If attention is poor you can watch a short part at a time.
• Do NOT watch the news while anxious or depressed
• Go to bed 11-11.30 Read for half an hour after tablets
• Visit the library and sit with a book, just feel the warmth, feel the nearness of the company and the ambience of books around you.
• Use the internet for following mental health blogs and self help. Look at the MIND site and read what people have written. Contribute your own positive idea which will make you feel good.
• Print out anything useful and put in your Getting Better file.
• Face up to Finance. Instead of regretting overspending, look at your accounts. It may not be as bad as you think.
• Keep a notebook/diary of thoughts, feelings, actions, what you did each day and write helpful things down.
• Write down 3 things you want to do tomorrow
• Write down 3 positive things that happened today.
• Sing, dance, massage, yoga, walking
• Sort out some books you no longer want and take them to Oxfam
• Make notes from previous MH courses, reduce them and put them in the Manual
• Do something you have not done before. Something NEW
• Use Power Work Out DVD (Keep Fit) £1.50 on Ebay
• As you feel better start to speak to people when you are out.
• Go for a Reflexology. Reiki too
• If you are a writer (I am) ease the block by reading through some work on the computer and start editing small parts. The creative urge will return.
• Use the idea of the Morning Pages (from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron). Write 3 pages each morning of the first thing that comes to mind, even rubbish. Free association. Do not try to write something serious until you have emptied your mind first.
• Visit the Library 2-3 times a week, take a few books out and return those that do not appeal. Stick with those you like after the first three pages. Try to sit down to read several times a day.
• Start to listen to talking radio when you feel up to it eg Woman’s Hour and other discussion programmes. Use catch up for the periods you could not bear the inner noise of talking radio.
Remember that eventually you will get back to some semblance of normality (as it applies to you) and you might even begin to write a helpful mental health blog such as this one.
The Curse of the Strong
Depressive Illness.
“The Curse of the Strong”
by Dr. Tim Cantopher, Consultant Psychiatrist, Priory Healthcare Services
We all feel depressed at times. I certainly do, particularly on Monday mornings. But, because we all know how the emotion of depression feels, we tend to assume we know how someone feels who is suffering from a depressive illness, or clinical depression. In truth though, we haven’t the first idea of what a victim of this illness is going through. At its worst, it is a glimpse of hell which the rest of us, thank goodness, will never come near to experiencing in our lifetimes.
There are many misunderstandings about clinical depression. One of the commonest is that people who get it are in some way weak. This is ironic as in fact the opposite is true. Stress induced clinical depression does not happen to weak people, but is an affliction of people who are too strong. There are several different causes of clinical depression, but by far the commonest and the one I will deal with here is stress. Life, sadly, is getting more stressful and as it does so an epidemic of depressive illness is underway – up to I in 3 consultations in general practice involve patients with the disease.
And yet it can be prevented, is not difficult to treat and can be prevented from recurring in those who are unfortunate enough to suffer an episode.
This illness nearly always happens to one particular type of person.
He or she is strong, reliable, and diligent, with a strong conscience and sense of responsibility. But he is also sensitive, easily hurt by criticism and has a self-esteem which, while it may look robust on the outside, is in fact quite vulnerable and easily dented.
This is the person to whom you would turn in times of need, and she would never let you down. When the going gets tough, this person gets going.
Why should this type of person be the one to get ill? The reason becomes clear when one understands what clinical depression is. Here is the key: clinical depression is not a psychological condition or a state of mind. It is a physical illness.
A depressive illness happens when one part of the brain, called the limbic system, malfunctions. The limbic system is a set of nerve fibres arranged in a circuit. Essentially this circuit acts like a complex thermostat which controls a number of systems and functions in the body. Probably the most important of these is the control of mood. It usually works well with mood returning to normal reasonably quickly after most of the day to day ups and downs of life. But like any other physical system, the limbic system has a limit and if it is stressed beyond this point it will break. When this happens, the part of the system that fails is the transmitter chemicals, serotonin and noradrenaline. These are the chemicals which allow the electrical impulse to pass from the end of one nerve fibre to the beginning of the next. In depressive illness their levels fall rapidly, resulting in the circuit coming to a. grinding halt.
So what happens if you put a whole lot of stresses on to someone who is weak, or cynical, or lazy? The answer is that he will immediately give up, so he will never get stressed enough to become ill. The strong person on the other hand, reacts to stress by redoubling his efforts, pushing himself way beyond the limits for which his body is designed. When he starts to get symptoms, because he is sensitive and fears criticism and failure, he still keeps going, with the inevitable result that eventually something must give way. What gives way is the limbic system. If you put 18 amps through a 13 amp fuse, there is only one possible result.
Stress related depressive illness is essentially a blown fuse.
The symptoms of clinical depression (you don’t have to have them all to have the illness) are depressed mood, feeling worst in the morning and better as the day goes on, and a host of “Loss-of’s”.
That is, loss of:
Sleep
Appetite
Energy and enthusiasm
Concentration
Confidence and self-esteem
Drive
Sex drive
Enjoyment
Patience
Feelings
Optimism
and almost anything else you can imagine; pretty much everything goes.
So you have identified that you have a depressive illness and you recognise that it is a physical illness. What do you do now?
Answer: exactly the same as you would with any other physical illness; rest and take the prescribed treatment.
The trouble is that on the whole the people who develop this condition have overcome every problem they have encountered in the past by extra effort. The concept of giving in to the illness is anathema. Yet you wouldn’t normally try to overcome pneumonia through only the exercise of your resourcefulness. Neither can you with clinical depression.
Beware family and loving friends. However well meaning they will often give you the benefit of their homespun wisdom: “Go on, pull yourself together, get more interests, get out more, get more friends, come and have a party, we’ll cheer you up”. If you take this advice you will probably get worse.
Rest, especially in the early stages is crucial. This doesn’t mean going to bed or sitting in a chair doing nothing, that would give you far too much time to ruminate. It does mean avoiding any unnecessary challenges and only, where possible, doing what is easy. If it is possible to take time off work, do so. If you can get someone to clean up, look after the kids and do other chores, do so. Cancel social events that you are not looking forward to. Watch more TV or do anything else that comes easily to you.
Another difficult issue is antidepressant medications. While there is no doubt that they are an important part of treatment, they have had a very mixed press and people hold strong views about them. Again, misunderstandings abound.
Maybe I can dispel a few. Antidepressants are not addictive, though if you come off them too quickly you can get withdrawal symptoms; withdraw them slowly by tapering the dose over several weeks at the appropriate time. They don’t work straight away, usually taking a few weeks to kick in properly. They don’t give you a false high, Or make you a better, more creative person, or turn you into a murdering psychopath. Prozac is a good antidepressant but doesn’t deserve either the cult following or the condemnation it has attracted. Above all, if an antidepressant helps you get better, don’t stop it as soon as you get well. It takes the limbic system several months to heal properly, even though the symptoms of clinical depression have gone. If you do keep the drug going for long enough, you are unlikely to relapse when you come off it, in the same way that, when a plaster cast is taken off a broken leg which has healed, you can walk without a return of pain.
Once recovery starts, things get more complicated. You need to start doing a little more, but how much? The truth is, I don’t know. But you do, because at every stage, your body will tell you. You can divide activity into three categories: mental, physical and social.
At your body’s physical limit at any point of recovery you will start to feel heavy and lethargic.
For mental activity, you will find you don’t take anything in.
At social events, you will start to find it difficult to talk sensibly.
At this stage, or before, stop. If you do you will continue to recover, if you don’t you will feel rotten for the next 36 hours or so. The harder you push recovery, the slower it goes. So take it gently and listen to your body.
Even following these instructions you will get ups and downs, but they will be minimised. At the beginning there aren’t many good days. In the middle Of recovery some days are nearly back to normal and others almost as bad as ever. Nearing full recovery the bad spells become shorter, further apart, less bad and eventually peter out.
Beware extremes of emotions during this period. Your first good day isn’t the end of your problems and the rotten day that follows it doesn’t mean you will never be well. Don’t overdo it on the good days and don’t despair on the bad ones; this is normal recovery, and in any case, the bad days are often a message
that what you did yesterday was a bit too much.
Once you are somewhere near full recovery, it is time to ask some basic questions, such as: What is it all for? Do I have to run my life this way? Can I say ” no” occasionally? What do I want from life? Why do I always have to be everything for everybody? etc., etc.
These are difficult questions and there are many more. They involve you identifying the choices you have in your life and making them. If you don’t think you have any choices, because of your commitments and responsibilities, you are wrong. However you may have to give up your image of yourself as the perfect mother/father/employee/friend etc. to find them. If you do, you can stay well.
It isn’t always possible to achieve this on your own. This is when a psychotherapist comes in. There are a great many different forms of psychotherapy, but mainly they can be divided into exploratory (or psychodynamic), cognitive and behavioral. I won’t go into these therapies here, as that is another article, but they all work for different people, depending on their particular route into the illness. The essential point though is that effective treatment isn’t a matter of drugs or change of lifestyle or psychotherapy, but is often a combination of all three.
After that it’s down to you. If you have changed the way you operate and maybe the way you think, you have a great chance of remaining not only well, but happy too!
TWELVE ESSENTIAL FACTS ABOUT DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS
It is primarily a physical not a mental illness
It happens to strong, not weak people
It is not the same as “feeling depressed and fed up”
You don’t know how a person suffering it feels unless you have had it yourself
You cannot pull yourself out of it
It gets better eventually, sooner or later
It gets better quickest if you rest
Anti-depressants are not addictive. Anti-depressants usually take a few weeks to work
Don’t stop your anti-depressants as soon as you feet better
When recovering, increase your activity slowly, as your body dictates
in order to stay well following recovery will need to make changes to the way you operate, and possibly the way you think.
article, source unknown read at Swanage Depression Support Group in May 2017
review of he book by Cantopher is on this site
Bi Polar Disorder and Self Management
I have not blogged much over the last 9-12 months which makes it glaringly obvious that I have not had my finger on the pulse, especially where my Bi Polar mood swings are concerned.
I became ill at Christmas 2016 and descended into a mire of depression immediately. I had felt well for months. In fact I had felt supremely well for months. Sound familiar? During the hypomanic phase which can last for a considerable time I am extremely productive and experience ‘flow’ but eventually this becomes more than a healthy state of mind and can gain momentum leading to lack of insight, rash decisions and can send your life spiralling out of control. Only it doesn’t go out of control in your mind. You still think your life is normal and you are well while everyone around you is muttering behind your back that …
‘something has to be done’.
My family and my partner tried to alert the medics but without success something that the Psychiatrist found appalling. I eventually wrote a letter to my GP asking for a referral. My psych then always visits me at home for good reason – I am at the stage when I can’t leave the house. He then returns in a few weeks after which appointments are made at the nearby cottage hospital.
In the letter I said the family had been refused access to the Psychiatrist and to the GP. We now have a procedure in place which, in future, will ensure that family do get to express their concerns. Changing my GP is also on my to do list!
I had been on a Living With Bi Polar course not once but a second time as a refresher, but could only present him with a small piece of paper with four ideas of how to get well. Drink more water, go to the shops for a few things etc.
There is nothing on here about doing something you enjoy, he said.
Of course, when depressed, we no longer enjoy anything, so all our hobbies are now forgotten or our brains cannot cope with the challenge or necessary concentration.
Leaving me with a list of about 9 things to do on an action plan, he departed saying he would be back in three weeks. After all recovery has to come from me and I know that. I was to do relaxation exercises three times a day on the floor or more often when sitting in a chair. I was to get back to yoga, using my CD and go for walks, extending the distance each day. I was to review the course material from the Bi Polar management course and he stressed it is all about self management. By this I know that we should do the opposite ie if we feel high and energetic we should do yoga, go to bed early, read, calm ourselves down, cut down on activities rather than increase them. When depressed and unable to move out of the bedroom we should get up, move about and go out in the fresh air. We should exercise.
In reality I exercise and go out a lot when I am high. I socialise extensively and talk a lot. I make plans. In fact, what I should do is socialise less, listen to music so I do not talk so much, watch romantic films to keep me seated on the sofa. When low I sink beneath the duvet and do very little s
In Depressive Illness, The Curse of the Strong, Dr Tim Cantopher provides many ideas for helping us work through our depression. One idea he gives is to refrain from supermarket shopping which may be overwhelming but to go to the corner shop and buy a few items, a trip which is more manageable.
Dr Cantopher describes the build up to depression as likened to a thermostat which overheats. Those of us with Bi Polar do not make the chemicals in the brain which stop us overdoing things. We cannot regulate our brains which is why we continue to talk fast, go out to much, take on too many activities and commitments when our brain is about to fuse whereas those without this mood disorder will actually release chemicals which stop them before it is too late.
This was heartening to me as I have always blamed myself. However, it is still up to me to manage the condition.
Sleep, relaxation, keeping occupied, attention to diet, exercise and mindfulness all contribute to managing the condition.
Over the next few weeks I compiled my own manual using the course materials, the internet, blogs on mental health, library books, self help books and leaflets from Mind. I did my own research. As a writer it was good to have a writing project that centred on my mental illness. However, we are all individual and the condition is unique to us. We all respond differently and I have found that each episode is slightly different and requires some fine tuning. For example, sometimes puzzles can keep me occupied as I work my way out of the mire. In another episode the puzzles irritate me and I find another way, perhaps writing a diary or listening to music.
Next time I descend into deep depression the family and my partner know to push my manual in front of me and tell me to read it. In the book I have simplified all the advice and information that is out in the public domain.
In my next post I will explain how I achieved this, what the manual contains and provide an overview of strategies to help stay on an even keel.
Do let me know of your experiences with mental illness so we can share information for all those affected.
Di Castle
Di Castle has Bi Polar Disorder and has struggled to manage the symptoms over the years. Self-Management is the key and she hopes her posts on this blog will help others. She welcomes feedback.
Her debut, Grandma’s Poetry Book, is available by post via dcastle32@talktalk.net or on her website http://www.dicastle.co.uk .
This poetry collection spans sixteen years capturing the experience of a first-time grandmother on her sometimes wobbly journey in her new role. It includes many facets of unmissable moments and childhood milestones, some humorous and others more poignant, even sad. Such treasured times can easily be forgotten so the book acts as a nostalgic memoir. Touching and funny in turn, readers will be reminded of the joys of witnessing childhood development and the effect o n their own lives. Even those yet to reach grandparenthood including fathers, aunties and primary school children have already enjoyed reading this book. Grandma’s Poetry Book makes an ideal gift for new grandparents, birthdays, Christmas and Mothers’ Day and many readers have returned to buy more copies for friends and relations. Each poem has its own laugh-out-loud illustration by an artist who has been likened to E H Sheppard.
Some comments have included ‘Pam Ayres meets Winnie the Pooh’, ‘made me laugh, made me cry’, ‘charming book’ and ‘every grandparent should have one’.
HER SECOND BOOK IS OUT NOW
SHOULD I WEAR FLORAL and other poems on Life, Love and Leaving, By Di Castle and illustrated by Denise Horn.
You can follow her on twitter @dinahcas and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Di-Castle-Writer/266866193324409parted16formation o
My Staying Well Plan
In January this year I suffered a serious relapse. I had been managing my Bi Polar Disorder well but looking back I was seriously hypomanic for most of 2016 dipping occasionally and taking some days ‘off’ unwinding sotospeak but just before Christmas I began falling out with people, became stressed and tearful. I still did not see what was happening but hopefully, since going on an Early Warning Signs course, I shall recognise what is happening and take action earlier in future.
When my psychiatrist visited me at home he was surprised that the two Living with Bi Polar Courses that I had attended had not resulted in me managing the disorder more effectively. He told me to revise the course material. I did this and came up with the idea of making a personal manual.
The first two pages list what I have to do to stay well. Requested by Swanage Depression Support Group after I shared my list. I have edited it somewhat and added extra items.
MY STAYING WELL PLAN
- Accept the phase when you need to lie in bed most of the morning. Your brain needs to rest. This prevents further stimulation.
- Read the first few pages of Depressive Illness, the Curse of the Strong, Dr Tim Cantopher. An excellent understanding of the true meaning of depression.
- Note Dr Cantopher’s point that something has to change if you are to stay well and not relapse. People relapse as they have not made changes to their routine, action or behaviour which may have been maladaptive
- Put on Smooth radio or Classic FM
- Keep off the computer for a while and, if you cannot bear it and are frightened you will have to give it up altogether, remember you will come back to it.
- Play CDs, dance, use party CDs
- Play relaxing music in the background when writing or reading.
- Use lavender oil and massage temples and neck each night
- Keep occupied
- Do some tidying every day
- Do some clearing out every day, just one shelf or a drawer. One small step
- Drink more water
- Eat healthy food. Cut out junk.
- Use 3.75 Zopiclone and if necessary take 7.5mg and then reduce after one month. 8 hours sleep minimum is essential for Bi Polar Disorder
- Shop each day for a few things. Use the local corner shop if the larger store is overwhelming
- Don’t spend unnecessary money. WAIT
- Walk each day. Once and then later go out twice. Increase the distance each time
- Use a relaxation tape, 3 times a day on the floor if anxiety is crippling
- Do yoga. Arrange for a lift to a class if you cannot drive. Use the yoga CD if you cannot go out.
- Practise deep breathing all the time, when waiting in shop queue or watching tv.
- Do puzzles, crosswords.
- Don’t read the news in newspapers. Look for the funny comment columns or the letters page.
- Read self help books to revise relaxation, stress reduction and get positive ideas.
- Watch tv on catch up, not live, If attention is poor you can watch a short part at a time.
- Do NOT watch the news while anxious or depressed
- Go to bed 11-11.30 Read for half an hour after tablets
- Visit the library and sit with a book, just feel the warmth, feel the nearness of the company and the ambience of books around you.
- Use the internet for following mental health blogs and self help. Look at the MIND site and read what people have written. Contribute your own positive idea which will make you feel good.
- Print out anything useful and put in your Getting Better file.
- Face up to Finance. Instead of regretting overspending, look at your accounts. It may not be as bad as you think.
- Write a diary of what you have done each day.
- Keep a notebook/diary of thoughts, feelings, actions, what you did each day and write helpful things down.
- Write down 3 things you want to do tomorrow
- Write down 3 positive things that happened today.
- Sing
- Sort out some books you no longer want and take them to Oxfam
- Make notes from previous courses, reduce them and put them in the Manual
- Do something you have not done before
- Use Power Work Out DVD (Keep Fit) £1.50 on Ebay
- As you feel better start to speak to people when you are out.
- Go for Reflexology
- If you are a writer (I am) ease the block by reading through some work on the computer and start editing small parts. The creative urge will return.
- Use the idea of the Morning Pages (from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron). Write 3 pages each morning of the first thing that comes to mind, even rubbish. Free association. Do not try to write something serious until you have emptied your mind first.
- Visit the Library 2-3 times a week, take a few books out and return those that do not appeal. Stick with those you like after the first three pages. Try to sit down to read several times a day.
- Start to listen to talking radio when you feel up to it eg Woman’s Hour and other discussion programmes. Use catch up for the periods you could not bear the inner noise of talking radio.
Remember that eventually you will get back to some semblance of normality (as it applies to you) and you might even begin to write a helpful mental health blog such as this one.
Please comment and add your ideas to this staying well list.
Di Castle has Bi Polar Disorder and has struggled to manage the symptoms over the years. Self Management is the key and she hopes her posts on this blog will help others. She welcomes feedback.
My debut, Grandma’s Poetry Book, is available by post via dcastle32@talktalk.net or on my website http://www.dicastle.co.uk .
This poetry collection spans sixteen years capturing the experience of a first-time grandmother on her sometimes wobbly journey in her new role. It includes many facets of unmissable moments and childhood milestones, some humorous and others more poignant, even sad. Such treasured times can easily be forgotten so the book acts as a nostalgic memoir. Touching and funny in turn, readers will be reminded of the joys of witnessing childhood development and the effect o n their own lives. Even those yet to reach grandparenthood including fathers, aunties and primary school children have already enjoyed reading this book. Grandma’s Poetry Book makes an ideal gift for new grandparents, birthdays, Christmas and Mothers’ Day and many readers have returned to buy more copies for friends and relations. Each poem has its own laugh-out-loud illustration by an artist who has been likened to E H Sheppard.
Some comments have included ‘Pam Ayres meets Winnie the Pooh’, ‘made me laugh, made me cry’, ‘charming book’ and ‘every grandparent should have one’.
OUT SOON SHOULD I WEAR FLORAL and other poems on Life, Love and Leaving, By Di Castle and illustrated by Denise Horn.
You can follow me on twitter @dinahcas and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Di-Castle-Writer/266866193324409
Di's Mind Matters 