Uncertain first steps

Well, I had good intentions, I was going to update the blog every week, at least, perhaps moving to daily. It has been two weeks since I did an update. How many other people have done that? A new blog, a few posts, and then the updates get more sporadic, until it just peters out?

So, right from the off, I shall be kind to myself, and make no false promises to you. I will update the blog as often as I can, and if there hasn’t been an update in a while, please be patient. Perhaps send me an email to see if I am OK and if I was planning on an update soon.

You, see like so many others, I have anxiety and depression, which for the most part are under control, but I have suffered from it for so long, that my last counsellor said that I should treat it the same way as any permanent health condition. It gets a bit better by doing the right things, but it sometimes gets worse, in which case I have to do more of the right things, even though I want to do less.

So, I hear you ask, what are the right things?

Good question. For me in my struggles against anxiety and depression, I DEEDS.

Diet is so important, and I don’t mean kale and quinoa smoothies, fasting, or any other faddy thing. For me, it is simply reducing the amount of processed stuff, adding more fruits and vegetables, and not consuming too much.

Exercise is also really important, again, I am not a gym rat or training for my next marathon. I go for a 30-minute walk most days, I do some yoga poses, probably less frequently than I should, and I go swimming in the north sea once a week. Just stuff that makes me feel like I moved my body.

Enjoying something every day is also important to me. This can be watching a TV show with my wife, a film with the family, reading a book, listening to music, writing (sometimes), taking photos, or just enjoying the outdoors.

Drink enough fluids. Now, this is a little more controversial than it used to be, people seem to get all bent out of shape on how much you should drink, whether it be 8 cups, 2 litres, or a US gallon (3.785 litres), whether tea and coffee can be included, etc. Well, I go by what my body tells me. If I’m thirsty I’ll drink, if my pee is darker than straw I’ll drink, if it’s really hot and I’m sweating a lot, I’ll drink. Just common sense.

Sleep is the last component. It is also one of the ones I have the most trouble with. It seems to be the first one I sacrifice in the good times, staying up a bit later to read a chapter or watch the end of the film, and yet it is also the first thing that suffers when things get bad. Can’t get off to sleep, keep waking through the night, and not feeling rested in the morning. It’s another work in progress.

So, be kind to yourself and others, and I will try and update more frequently, and you have my permission to poke me if I haven’t updated in a while.