Can you do too much?

[mezzaninedoor]

I dont think Ive already asked this. Im trying to stay at work at the same time as navigating a long period of low mood & anxiety. Its been 3/4 months now.

I was off last year for a considerable time and wanted to avoid another long relapse if I could but its frustrating as Im sure people have said and have heard me say before.

Am I doing too much, trying to get well, better, make progress. Im subbed to Happify and Headspace, I have a private Talking Therapist, I try to practice Mindfulness and CBT, Im on Meds and in irregular contact with my GP and NHS Wellbeing team. This weekend I have joined a Gym.

Can we do too much when we feel we are not acheciving at all

[skymaid]

I think you can try too hard to get better too quickly. in fact im doing similar to you.

mindfulness cbt talking therapy meds exposure therapy. trying to keep working as much as possible.

seems like a long list for people who are mentally exhausted.

my therapist even said it need to stop trying so hard to get better and let it happen by trying to relax and slow down

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think you can, Tony. It's all balance, isn't it? If you push yourself too far for too long, no matter whether it's negative or positive, you burn yourself out. When I returned to work I immersed myself in it. For a long time this was very productive but eventually it changed and lost those elements. Basically, I practising another form of avoidance because I was filling my non work time with more project work to avoid being alone with myself. I learnt a hard lesson when I relapsed and ended up learning about how anxiety works later as I started out with the first therapy I had ever been offered.

You seem to have a wide range of things you are trying. So, it's not too obsessively biased to one thing, like mine was, so it's just a matter of pacing. I remember reading a book by a bipolar doctor called Moodmapping and it had moods split into 4 categories. This might be of relevance to you because she was talking about how high energy periods can lead to depression if you overdo things too much. To get around this is advocated splitting activities based on which of the 4 mood phases you were in.

This seemed excellent and not just for bipolar because this seemed to have applications to all of us with anxiety too. We go through up & down periods, just nowhere near that of the bipolar person as you know better than any of us.

[mezzaninedoor]

Thanks folks. Yes I have a wide range of things I'm trying most of the time.

It's just because generally I find a lack of progress hard to bear, though I've beem full time at work for a year now, even if thats been at an unproductive level.

the fun at the moment is doing my end of year self appraisal when i've felt that some of the year has been unproductive, I'm honest so I'm finding it hard not to say that even though I've been here I haven't acheived that much :/

[Bike Rider]

I think that you have to try things to see if they work and stop the ones you believe dont.

I have stopped acupuncture as I felt no difference at all, but I gave it a go for 9 months.

And Terry is right about the mood swings and pacing yourself.

[mezzaninedoor]

Yes, I think one of my issues is that I don't fail fast at stuff, I keep going & going thinking one day, one day it will work when all evidence to the contrary is that it isnt working after a month or so

I do need to learn to pace myself better health wise, you are both right

[Bike Rider]

I believe that there is something out there that will work along with medication, its just finding it or them. You can get bad counselors and psychiatrists, my GP has said that if the increase to my meds doesn't work then we may try psychiatry, but its finding a good one, he knows of several who he would never send anyone too.

[brucealmighty]

its tricky because if you sit back and genuinely see how life pans out but then still have bad days you`d think you should have done more, but if you end up chasing your tail with books, CDs, meds, organic food, meditation etc you feel like you`re spinning plates with the inevitable crash.

if you`re anxious by nature you`ll always be looking for the silver bullet cure like I`ve done for many years but I hope you`ll also find like me a middle road so you take reasonable measures without feeling like you have to try 24-7. I wouldn`t say I`m 100% by any means but I`m a lot better than I was

good luck, hope something clicks for you soon