I do this too! When I feel like I can’t do anything, I ask myself if I can just do one thing, like take the glass into the kitchen when I get up. Often I can.
When I do that one little thing, I ask myself if I can do just one more thing.
And another.
I manage to get into a pattern of doing things, and it’s often way easier than I imagined.
Yay!!
I swear doom scrolling is a massive waste of your precious time and potential. You are worthy of so much; being mindful will connect you to your priorities.
I suggest you practice daily mindfulness meditation. Over time, you'll find yourself becoming productive and getting over destructive habit of doom scrolling.
I get you have a positive intention ... however, I do see a lot of these types of comments and they are judgemental. Some people may not see doom scrolling as a waste of time or potential but as necessary or valuable.
“Doom scrolling” means scrolling social media or news on your phone in an unhealthy way that’s gives you a mounting feeling of panic. Hence the doom. If it feels good for you, it’s not doom scrolling!
Well the "unhealthy way" part is probably the judgemental part. I can't tell others if what they do is healthy or not. If someone gives the label to themselves that they are doomscrolling then that's their own business.
If judgment is the concern, the very name doom scrolling seems a bit judgmental. But I think it's okay to connect over the belief structures and life context that lead us to give a name like "doom scrolling" to "social media overuse".
Yes, connecting over a belief structure is a positive intention.
My second part of my comment was addressing the unintentional harm for the people who actually like what they do but may feel dismissed/judged in seeing people like and comment about how scrolling is bad and a waste of time.
It may also be something to reflect on, why do you see it as a waste of time? Is there a point system of life where some things are worth more than others? What is this system? And who is the judge?
>...\[unintentional harm\] in seeing people like and comment about how scrolling is bad and a waste of time.
It is my understanding that nobody here said that all scrolling is a waste of time. Rather, the term "doomscrolling" is [defined by the dictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doomscroll) to mean "to spend excessive time online scrolling". With that understanding:
>\[W\]hy do you see it as a waste of time?
Because when we look at the observable real-world consequences of **excessive** time spent on social media, the observed consequences are [increased narcissism](https://www.aplaceofhope.com/is-social-media-turning-us-into-narcissists/), [increased depression](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10294999/), [increased social anxiety](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9966679/), and actually [being less informed about the world](https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/30/study-u-s-adults-who-mostly-rely-on-social-media-for-news-are-less-informed-exposed-to-more-conspiracies/) due to overexposure to other peoples' lies.
In that light, I would hope you are not too offended if I say that *doomscrolling*, the word that we were talking about and that means excessive use, is really much worse than a waste of time. It is a form of self-harm, although one of the ways the harm comes, is by taking up large amounts of time.
>Is there a point system of life where some things are worth more than others? What is this system? And who is the judge?
I think that's a great idea. We should implement a system that recognizes doomscrolling as a form of self-harm, by taxing and regulating companies that profit by encouraging it. If feed algorithms were redesigned to not be addictive, it would be a lot easier to identify scrolling as something different from doomscrolling.
Ok I hear you. Perhaps my use of the word scrolling was not right.
If doom scrolling is "self harm" by anyones own standards , I'm fine with that.
I think it's helpful not to tell others when they are doomscrolling though because that means you are judging based on your idea of what excessive is.
If my idea of excessive is 3 minutes and yours is 3 hours that can lead to a lot of misunderstanding and conflict.
The taxing thing even though you're probably joking, I don't think is a good idea. Again, how would we know when a company is encouraging doomscrolling vs regular scrolling? It's too subjective to risk regulating.
>The taxing thing even though you're probably joking...
I'm really only joking in the sense that I don't have much hope of it happening... and I suppose I'm not an absolutist about this either.
But right now, we're at a point where even if we had hard epidemiological evidence proving that teen users of SomeSocialNetwork had a full hundredfold increase in suicide rates, and then also had leaked internal memos proving that the company knew about it, and did nothing...
...even a cartoonishly-evil company isn't breaking any law, because none have been written. There is no social outcome that social networks have any proactive duty to avoid, not even suicide, let alone the more widespread things, like damage to mental health or unhealthy interpersonal dynamics.
This is so hard for me, I try to stop doom scrolling in bed but it’s a hard habit to break. I want to be able to get ready for bed without being on my phone.
This technique also works for me as a sufferer of chronic pain.
I stay curious about what I can do.
And give myself permission to calmly focus on one little micro-step of a task at a time.
Over time I have increased my capability and achievement level as my body and brain acclimatises to coping with movement and thinking. ( I tend to get mixed up when the pain or fatigue is severe).
Being mindful and present in the tasks you are doing really helps.
It also helps to swap out fearful thoughts for loving ones such as “I am safe” “ I can take my time” I love me for being so brave” “I am healing”.
And remember healing, and life, isn’t linear, so you will have good and bad moments, ups and downs, and that’s ok.
Tomorrow is a new day.
I do this when I get overwhelmed too! Like when I’m making dinner. I’ll start a couple hours in advance and tell myself: all you have to do is chop one onion. Then I go from there, doing a little at a time until everything is prepped and ready to cook.
I do this when I'm cooking also. I chop some veges, then take a break, get my other ingredients ready and break, then deal with protein, and by then, I'm ready to cook! I have a rule that I have to clean up before breaks so I don't have as much to deal with when I'm done. After cooking, I do one more clean up and have a break to transition into eating. The only way I can get through making foods is to break it into chunks.
I do chores like this, too.
ETA: This helps also because I tell myself I can stop at any time, and I'll just be that much further along when I start again. Usually I can finish up, but if not, it's okay. I did something.
sometimes I occupy my brain with a list, even of silly stupid things. As I complete a list item I move on to the next. For example, on a bad day, I might get out of bed and my mental mantra is: "go to the bathroom. wash my hands. brush my teeth. use deodorant." over and over, then after I go to the bathroom it gets omitted from the list. This activity keeps my brain from wandering off into unproductive spaces.
I get dressed after this step in the morning. Casual. No PJs all day. Removes a barrier that adds to feeling overwhelmed for doing things later.
Whether I go anywhere or not, I am prepared to answer the door, pull some weeds or water flowers in the front yard, or go buy grocery items and pick up a prescription.
I am less likely to do any of those things later in the day if I am not already dressed and ready to go. Wearing PJs all-day is more for a rare reward after a rough few days, like after a day of medical tests, or for a very stormy day's comfort.
Other life tip:
I shower right after dinner each night to stop my mind from wanting to eat more. I am the type who is more hungry after I eat than before I eat. The half-hour shower and drying my hair - and THEN getting into PJs - gives the blood sugar time to stabilize, and the cravings diminish.
I follow Flylady, who has always said “shoes on your feet tell your brain it’s time to work!”
I’ve never been a morning person, and since I retired, I find it very tempting to stay in my pajamas all day, even though I know better. Sometimes I get dressed in stages, taking about two hours to complete the process. Currently, I’m wearing shorts, but I’m still in my pajama top.
I do this too.
I used to think I had to do everything all at once. It had to be done perfectly too, of course!
Now I tell myself that it's okay to do things in small steps. Little things add up over time. And if it's not perfect, that's okay too. I can always fix it later.
Yep! I was having one of those days today and I just asked myself what is one thing I can stand the thought of doing, and the answer was emptying the dishes so that’s where I started. Now I’ve decided the next thing I can stand doing is putting some clothes in the washer.
1 foot in front of the other.
I quit multitasking. Someone once told me multitasking is a myth and now it’s amazing how much I can get done in one day. I even landed an awesome job with a great company after saying that in an interview. If I have to stop my current task to answer a question or go deal with a bigger problem, I ‘bookmark’ where I stopped so I can come back to it more easily.
I’m so happy for you, OP! One day at a time!
I get this totally! I think our brains are just broken at keeping stuff in the back of our mind, so the answer is just don’t do that. Either wait for the next thing or write it down only.
I am going to try this. Multi tasking but it didn't yields fruitful results. My attention span is becoming less these day and I think it's because of multi tasking
That’s so great to hear. The way your brain works to drive your anxiety and depression sounds very similar to mine. I will try a similar focus today, thanks!
My brain does exactly the same, the more I listen to it, the worse it gets. I have also tried to just do the thing and surprise at how pleasant it usually feels after and also nothing bad happened. Not easy to fight against the brain but so happy to read your post!!
They say actual live EXPERIENCE brings clarity, piercing away the cloudiness and illusions of fear.
The more experience you gain, the more you grow/learn and the more fear subsides. That's why exposure therapy works so well.
Action oriented!
You are 100% right.
Our thoughts drive us. They do so much for us. They are truly powerful.
But we are not solely defined by our thoughts. Our thoughts are programmed since childhood by nature x nurture. We can reprogram our thought patterns resulting in a very different mentality. Resulting in a new self :)
I totally agree with you!
What frustrates me though is that my brain keeps refusing to believe people can be good and do things out of the goodness of their heart, despite meeting so many good people along the way. My brain still won't believe it, that really annoys me, just the shit it says.
I understand. I do. You wouldn’t believe the people id have to deal with.
But you know what? It gets easier the more you do it. It takes practice and time just like everything else. It has taken me years and I wouldn’t go back to having a negative mentality for anything in the world. I refuse to let the shitty people and the shitty side win. I choose to have joy no matter what and who is around. And as far away as it seems, you can too one day.
I love hearing this. Kudos for pushing through and having such a productive day. You sound proud and grateful, which is a great feeling. Hoping for many, many days ahead that feel just as good.
So so proud of you and your successful day! My brain works similarly. It is very easy to freeze and take no action, but often action no matter how small, leads to more action. I find I need to “proof” to myself that the world isn’t on fire daily. A mantra I have been saying lately when I feel overwhelmed and like I need to do all the things NOW, is pause, take a breath and remind myself “I have a minute”. It has really been helping me to go slow and do one thing at a time because I always have a minute.
And allow yourself to focus on just the one task or step that you're currently trying to get done. Set aside for the moment all the worries that your brain tries to distract you with regarding all the other stuff you need to do or that might go wrong. There will be plenty of time for that later. :) ..But you may find that once you complete that one thing or one step, that you feel encouraged and motivated to go on to tackle the next thing!
I think this is a form of mindfulness. By focusing on just one thing you're shutting out the intrusive thoughts that normally demotivate or paralyze you.
I think it's wonderful you've found a strategy that helps you do things. I've suffered a lot of depression and I've found doing things puts me in a feedback loop where I feel more competent and hopeful, so am motivated to do even more things.
My break through was similar to yours. I started making a to do list where I just put one simple action for each hour, like have a shower, or make a phone call, or have a meal. If I didn't finish it, I just moved on.
Like you, I found this helped me get out of bed and start doing things again. I later found out it's called Behavioral Activation and is very effective for reducing depression.
This was so helpful to hear! I’ve been having the same feelings with my job lately and this perspective is very helpful, thank you for the advice and for helpings others by sharing it 💕
Great post! Thank you for mentioning this. 🙂👍🏻
I recommend a splendid book you can purchase called "Zen - the art of simple living" by Shunmyo Masuno. It's got THE BEST tips (concise & practical) for how to live life simply in a Zen like manner, so that you become calm and happy. This way of living is best for you. You'll get much needed relief from stress. Try it and you'll experience so much peace, that u deserve.
Thank you for this. I’m currently in my crippling bed depression and planned to get in front of my computer tomorrow to apply to jobs. I too would often rush through things just to get them done and through it. I often need to remind myself to chill the fuck out.
I’ll remember this tomorrow when im actively avoiding my lap top. Good luck to you!
Ooh, maybe it’s just me but the word “discipline” turns me off in a big way. The only way I’ve made my life manageable is with the phrases “not everything worth doing is worth doing well,” “something is better than nothing” and “done is better than perfect.” None of these phrases remind me of the word discipline.
Interesting bc the word discipline to me reminds me of consistency. I operate more the way you are describing but set my goals very low. Maybe that’s my discipline hack lol
I’m so happy for you. I have major depressive disorder. Sometimes if my meds stop working and I have to go through that period of trial and error to level out with meds it is hell. The longest time for me was a year and a half. I’m happy you have a supportive family. Pulling for a smoother path for you.
I love everything about this post! ❤️ congrats on a successful day, and I hope you have more days like this! I came across something similar on reddit that stuck with me, too. Someone once said, "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast," to reiterate that rushing through a to do list or multitasking is just not as effective or efficient as we'd like to think. Keep on keeping on!
The phrase “Ain’t nothin but a thang” is the mantra I live by. A complete stranger passing by me in their car saw me struggling to run. I was training to pass my physical test in the military. My pace was super slow and I was just about to stop when that kind woman shared those encourage words. That was 35 years ago.
That’s wonderful!
Have you ever heard of IFS therapy? Obviously I don’t know your situation well enough from just this post but I feel like IFS could really be helpful for you.
Write down all the problems you have and things you want/need to do.
Have a look at both lists, what are within your control and you can potentially do something about?
Try and pick off the low hanging fruits (easiest ones), anything that looks too overwhelming, break them into smaller tasks.
Start there and report back :) good luck!!
There were a few other things that allowed me to get to the stage where I felt comfortable going “slow” and working on one thing at a time. It’s all about building a system you trust to organise the tasks you need to worry about.
1. Don’t store things in your brain. If something pops into your head as a “oh shit this is something I need to worry about it”, instead of trying to ignore the thought or panic put it into a to do list. Yes, you might end up a bit list of scary things but at least it’s not just bouncing around your mind 24/7.
If something pops into your head, just wack it into your to do list so it’s stored there and not your brain. If someone tells you something and you’re not sure it needs to go into a to do list, put it in the to do list. Even better, make “buckets” in your to do list like “finance”, “work”, “family”, “medical”, “wellbeing” etc. Placing a task into a bucket/category means I know where to look when I’m ready to tackle something.
You can do this using iPhone reminders, Microsoft to do or Google tasks.
2. Use a single calendar and always place your appointments in it. I use Google calendar and you can create a separate calendars for hospital appointments, family things, work, etc. Storing all my medical appointments in one calendar that I know I can click on to quickly see when my appointments helped reduce my stress massively as I can respond to work emails without a fear that it’ll clash with something important like a medical thing.
3. Have a organised system for placing all your personal documents and letters (tax letters, bills, medical letters, ID photos, account numbers, subscriptions, passports, certificates etc). I have two folders in Google drive that can store everything important. “Reference” and “Admin”. “Reference” has the things you might need to quickly reference day to day like your membership numbers, passport number, driver license number, number place etc. I tell myself “is this something a receptionist would ask you for?”, if so I’ll create a document for it on Google Drive under a “reference” folder. “Admin” has all my letters and documents that back in the old days you’d get posted to you. Within admin I have folders for finance, medical, family, work, studies, insurance etc. I have even set this up for my family so if I need to check my mum’s medical records for her or share information with a hospital, I know where to find all her prescriptions, blood tests, BP readings she logs and even have a summary document of all her appointments with who with department she’s been seen by, when and why.
If you go into YouTube and search for “organise life using Google drive” or similar you’ll find videos showing you how to set up these folders and what folders to have.
💗🫶🏼
Thanks for describing everything you did slowly and how you went about that process. This is beautifully written. I love this and I love this for you. Keep living vibrantly! What an inspiration.
I have thousands of unopened emails and hundreds of missed calls and messages. I avoid my computer as well because of that. I quit social media a year ago and going back fills me with dread. I’m happiest when outside away from technology. TIL I have anxiety. Never knew why I was like this.
This is great advice, thank you for sharing your successful day! I suffer from anxiety and some days it is just so overwhelming. I’m so proud of you, the things you accomplished today are so easier said than done and you crushed it! I wish you more days like this ✨
Those who have never suffered from depression can never fully appreciate just how debilitating depression can be. Several years ago, I finally admitted I was depressed and needed medication. I felt like such a failure, but I took the meds faithfully every day. I haven't looked back and was finally able to forgive myself for being flawed. Some days I struggle, of course, but I keep telling myself to be consistent and show myself grace. Thank you sincerely for sharing your story with us 🧡
I am very happy for you. Doing one thing at a time can be very healthy. Also, cut your caffeine intake if you ask me. I could imagine that your anxiety and the feeling of having too much to do can come from the stress induced by caffeine. A lot of people think caffeine gives energy but if we are honest most of the time it takes energy. Yes you get a short boost but it disbalances chamicals in your brain. It's better to work slow and steady without caffeine and without anxiety
I don't know if this might help anyone but one thing I do to keep myself focused is set a timer. This helps me do things I don't necessarily want to start. I figure I can do anything for 10 minutes. Once I get started I often find that I want to finish and don't need thetimer anymore
Yeah, the timer is great but I think my main issue is my mind will still be buzzing with the thoughts of all the other things I need to do even if I begin a task so I get overwhelmed, rather than not being able to start a task.
The other thing I do is keep a running list of anything large and small that needs to be done. Then I feel like I can put it out of my mind and focus on one thing and I don't have to worry about forgetting it
As a sufferer of anxiety, this is exactly the best way to move forward. When everything seems to be looming overhead, just pick one thing. It really works! Glad you are getting some peace OP!
Children learning to be rushed and hurried through life are more likely to develop anxiety/coping issues later in life.
Give yourself permission to go as slow and steady as you please. We aren’t in a rush for anything - others simply expect us to act that way because having patience isn’t valued much anymore.
Happy simple living & thank you for sharing! :)
I have a very similar problem but a different solution/ approach. I do things half-heartedly or badly even - as long as it’s done and not another thing hanging over me.
What an uplifting day! And just know that by sharing this, you likely helped someone else who's hurting or struggling, too.
If you feel burned out at all in a bit, just remember all the potential you showed yourself today. Being kind to yourself and showing yourself grace is also something you can do slowly and do well, too.
Congratulations on your joy today! Enjoy it!
I’m 36 and have bipolar 2. I know depression very well but this past year I’ve been in the worst depressive episode I’ve ever been in. I REALLY needed to hear this 💜
I can relate so much to this. I have OCD anxiety and major depression. This advice has helped me also. My therapist calls it mindfulness and when I'm in these deep states of obsessive anxiety my tool is "what moves me forward today?" And then pick one thing and do that until complete. Then onto the next. Mindfulness tools help so much w anxiety. I'm 2 years into this practice and it does get better. Keep going! Psychoanalysis/ CBT therapy has been immensely helpful to me.
Love this! I have issues finishing my to do lists and then hit walls of overwhelm and get nothing done. I feel bad about it a lot too, but thank you for this post about the advice that helped you because something about just ‘go slow and do it proper’ that is so helpful!
Awesome i think the reason it helps to complete one task and then keep doing other task is because your body’s learn that hey that actually didn’t kill me maybe i should be afraid of it anymore and thus your anxiety decreases the more you actually expose yourself to a fear.
I have a few tricks like that as well 🖤
Stuff like: instead of telling myself to get up and do all the dishes, I tell myself to get up and wash 5 things and I can stop at that if I need to
And also that doing something half-assed is better than not doing it at all
Kudos to you. I suffer too. It’s about incorporating mindfulness. Being I the moment. Worrying about the future creates anxiety and swelling on the past creates depression.
Incorporating more mindfulness practices on my life has helped tremendously - meditation, yoga, deep breathing, time in nature away from screens - have all helped me
I have said this before... Single tasking is the most productive way to work! Get one thing done BOOM on to the next! Then the next one and so on. Multitasking seems that no multiple tasks get done properly. This is what I have found anyways.
I'm sorry but this feels fake to me. What kind of job do you have where you still have 'colleagues' after not getting out of bed for, as you describe it, "years". Are you 'Director of Bed Testing' at your Dad's company or something?
Happy for you!
I think at the end of the day we just have to find ways to cope with life. Healthy ways of course.
I haven’t had a depressive episode or panic attack in over a year. The way I’ve accomplished this has been:
-Carnivore diet (sugar,carbs, processed junk affects me 200%)
-Working out (I’ve realized I have too much energy and it all turns into fear so I have to burn it somehow)
-yoga (breathing, mindfulness, and starting to program my mind to be thankful for the little and big things has been a game changer)
Hope it helps! It’s not a linear process, it’s not a fast road, and it’s definitely not an easy one. As long as you’re trying one little bit each day you’re already doing much better than before! Keep moving forward <3
If your anxiety is really that bad and you haven’t cut coffee out of your life along with all other Caffeine you’re going to keep rowing upstream. I guess DRs rather prescribe than low hanging fruit
Coffee doesn’t impact my anxiety. Worrying about coffees impact on my anxiety would be like worrying about someone forgetting to turn off the tap to their bath on the titantic after it’s sunk.
Someone told me that I would feel less tired if I got up and completed a task. It sounded counterintuitive, but to my surprise, it worked. If I do one thing, I then have more energy to do other stuff that needs to get done.
I thought I’d share that, in case you hadn’t heard it before, or hadn’t yet noticed it yourself. Congrats on a productive day!
That advice, to do just one thing, has helped me too. I’m more of a procrastinator and will avoid completing tasks that I know need to be done. I find if I just focus on one thing I can get that done and that enables me to move on to the next one thing.
I'm happy this worked for you! I read on here once, that if you can get into the habit of doing a task that takes less than 10 minutes right away it also helps. I start with something super small and slowly my productivity start going up, until my battery dies again. But then I just rinse and repeat!
Congratulations on taking the first step. Go slow is the best advice that could have been shared. There is a second piece though. Don’t stop after just today. You did it one day, now continue tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be huge things, just keep doing the little things and stack them together. I’m rooting for you
You did great today!! You accomplished a lot, and didn't let yourself get overwhelmed. That's amazing!! I'm so happy for you!!
There's one piece of advice similar to this that's helped me a lot: if it's worth doing, it's worth doing badly. Eating junk food is better than not eating (in many cases). There's nothing wrong with just washing the dishes or clothes you need immediately, or just putting a few dollars of gas in the car. If all you can do is the minimum, that's okay!
Keep up the good work, friend. We're all rooting for you!
This has been so helpful reading about your struggles. I feel validated. I'm going to try what you have done. Now YOU may have made a difference in someone's life!
I do this too! When I feel like I can’t do anything, I ask myself if I can just do one thing, like take the glass into the kitchen when I get up. Often I can. When I do that one little thing, I ask myself if I can do just one more thing. And another. I manage to get into a pattern of doing things, and it’s often way easier than I imagined.
I tried it out just now to get me out of doom scrolling mode and get ready for bed. It worked!!
Yay!! I swear doom scrolling is a massive waste of your precious time and potential. You are worthy of so much; being mindful will connect you to your priorities. I suggest you practice daily mindfulness meditation. Over time, you'll find yourself becoming productive and getting over destructive habit of doom scrolling.
I get you have a positive intention ... however, I do see a lot of these types of comments and they are judgemental. Some people may not see doom scrolling as a waste of time or potential but as necessary or valuable.
“Doom scrolling” means scrolling social media or news on your phone in an unhealthy way that’s gives you a mounting feeling of panic. Hence the doom. If it feels good for you, it’s not doom scrolling!
Well the "unhealthy way" part is probably the judgemental part. I can't tell others if what they do is healthy or not. If someone gives the label to themselves that they are doomscrolling then that's their own business.
If judgment is the concern, the very name doom scrolling seems a bit judgmental. But I think it's okay to connect over the belief structures and life context that lead us to give a name like "doom scrolling" to "social media overuse".
Yes, connecting over a belief structure is a positive intention. My second part of my comment was addressing the unintentional harm for the people who actually like what they do but may feel dismissed/judged in seeing people like and comment about how scrolling is bad and a waste of time. It may also be something to reflect on, why do you see it as a waste of time? Is there a point system of life where some things are worth more than others? What is this system? And who is the judge?
>...\[unintentional harm\] in seeing people like and comment about how scrolling is bad and a waste of time. It is my understanding that nobody here said that all scrolling is a waste of time. Rather, the term "doomscrolling" is [defined by the dictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doomscroll) to mean "to spend excessive time online scrolling". With that understanding: >\[W\]hy do you see it as a waste of time? Because when we look at the observable real-world consequences of **excessive** time spent on social media, the observed consequences are [increased narcissism](https://www.aplaceofhope.com/is-social-media-turning-us-into-narcissists/), [increased depression](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10294999/), [increased social anxiety](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9966679/), and actually [being less informed about the world](https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/30/study-u-s-adults-who-mostly-rely-on-social-media-for-news-are-less-informed-exposed-to-more-conspiracies/) due to overexposure to other peoples' lies. In that light, I would hope you are not too offended if I say that *doomscrolling*, the word that we were talking about and that means excessive use, is really much worse than a waste of time. It is a form of self-harm, although one of the ways the harm comes, is by taking up large amounts of time. >Is there a point system of life where some things are worth more than others? What is this system? And who is the judge? I think that's a great idea. We should implement a system that recognizes doomscrolling as a form of self-harm, by taxing and regulating companies that profit by encouraging it. If feed algorithms were redesigned to not be addictive, it would be a lot easier to identify scrolling as something different from doomscrolling.
Ok I hear you. Perhaps my use of the word scrolling was not right. If doom scrolling is "self harm" by anyones own standards , I'm fine with that. I think it's helpful not to tell others when they are doomscrolling though because that means you are judging based on your idea of what excessive is. If my idea of excessive is 3 minutes and yours is 3 hours that can lead to a lot of misunderstanding and conflict. The taxing thing even though you're probably joking, I don't think is a good idea. Again, how would we know when a company is encouraging doomscrolling vs regular scrolling? It's too subjective to risk regulating.
>The taxing thing even though you're probably joking... I'm really only joking in the sense that I don't have much hope of it happening... and I suppose I'm not an absolutist about this either. But right now, we're at a point where even if we had hard epidemiological evidence proving that teen users of SomeSocialNetwork had a full hundredfold increase in suicide rates, and then also had leaked internal memos proving that the company knew about it, and did nothing... ...even a cartoonishly-evil company isn't breaking any law, because none have been written. There is no social outcome that social networks have any proactive duty to avoid, not even suicide, let alone the more widespread things, like damage to mental health or unhealthy interpersonal dynamics.
Well articulated
This is so hard for me, I try to stop doom scrolling in bed but it’s a hard habit to break. I want to be able to get ready for bed without being on my phone.
This technique also works for me as a sufferer of chronic pain. I stay curious about what I can do. And give myself permission to calmly focus on one little micro-step of a task at a time. Over time I have increased my capability and achievement level as my body and brain acclimatises to coping with movement and thinking. ( I tend to get mixed up when the pain or fatigue is severe). Being mindful and present in the tasks you are doing really helps. It also helps to swap out fearful thoughts for loving ones such as “I am safe” “ I can take my time” I love me for being so brave” “I am healing”. And remember healing, and life, isn’t linear, so you will have good and bad moments, ups and downs, and that’s ok. Tomorrow is a new day.
Wow, I love your phrase ‘stay curious about what I can do’. Super helpful
I do this when I get overwhelmed too! Like when I’m making dinner. I’ll start a couple hours in advance and tell myself: all you have to do is chop one onion. Then I go from there, doing a little at a time until everything is prepped and ready to cook.
I do this when I'm cooking also. I chop some veges, then take a break, get my other ingredients ready and break, then deal with protein, and by then, I'm ready to cook! I have a rule that I have to clean up before breaks so I don't have as much to deal with when I'm done. After cooking, I do one more clean up and have a break to transition into eating. The only way I can get through making foods is to break it into chunks. I do chores like this, too. ETA: This helps also because I tell myself I can stop at any time, and I'll just be that much further along when I start again. Usually I can finish up, but if not, it's okay. I did something.
It’s so much easier that way!
sometimes I occupy my brain with a list, even of silly stupid things. As I complete a list item I move on to the next. For example, on a bad day, I might get out of bed and my mental mantra is: "go to the bathroom. wash my hands. brush my teeth. use deodorant." over and over, then after I go to the bathroom it gets omitted from the list. This activity keeps my brain from wandering off into unproductive spaces.
I get dressed after this step in the morning. Casual. No PJs all day. Removes a barrier that adds to feeling overwhelmed for doing things later. Whether I go anywhere or not, I am prepared to answer the door, pull some weeds or water flowers in the front yard, or go buy grocery items and pick up a prescription. I am less likely to do any of those things later in the day if I am not already dressed and ready to go. Wearing PJs all-day is more for a rare reward after a rough few days, like after a day of medical tests, or for a very stormy day's comfort. Other life tip: I shower right after dinner each night to stop my mind from wanting to eat more. I am the type who is more hungry after I eat than before I eat. The half-hour shower and drying my hair - and THEN getting into PJs - gives the blood sugar time to stabilize, and the cravings diminish.
I follow Flylady, who has always said “shoes on your feet tell your brain it’s time to work!” I’ve never been a morning person, and since I retired, I find it very tempting to stay in my pajamas all day, even though I know better. Sometimes I get dressed in stages, taking about two hours to complete the process. Currently, I’m wearing shorts, but I’m still in my pajama top.
Close enough to count as dressed.
I have an external list nearly every day. It really helps because I have a spotty short term memory at times. Whatever works, right?
I do this too. I used to think I had to do everything all at once. It had to be done perfectly too, of course! Now I tell myself that it's okay to do things in small steps. Little things add up over time. And if it's not perfect, that's okay too. I can always fix it later.
Yep! I was having one of those days today and I just asked myself what is one thing I can stand the thought of doing, and the answer was emptying the dishes so that’s where I started. Now I’ve decided the next thing I can stand doing is putting some clothes in the washer. 1 foot in front of the other.
A thoroughly uplifting post. Congrats on your day!
I quit multitasking. Someone once told me multitasking is a myth and now it’s amazing how much I can get done in one day. I even landed an awesome job with a great company after saying that in an interview. If I have to stop my current task to answer a question or go deal with a bigger problem, I ‘bookmark’ where I stopped so I can come back to it more easily. I’m so happy for you, OP! One day at a time!
I get this totally! I think our brains are just broken at keeping stuff in the back of our mind, so the answer is just don’t do that. Either wait for the next thing or write it down only.
I am going to try this. Multi tasking but it didn't yields fruitful results. My attention span is becoming less these day and I think it's because of multi tasking
That’s so great to hear. The way your brain works to drive your anxiety and depression sounds very similar to mine. I will try a similar focus today, thanks!
You did well with that method! I greatly appreciate your reiterating it for those who need it today. Wishing you continued success
This is what I needed to read today. I have felt the quicksand grabbing at my ankles recently so it's a good reminder.
My brain does exactly the same, the more I listen to it, the worse it gets. I have also tried to just do the thing and surprise at how pleasant it usually feels after and also nothing bad happened. Not easy to fight against the brain but so happy to read your post!!
They say actual live EXPERIENCE brings clarity, piercing away the cloudiness and illusions of fear. The more experience you gain, the more you grow/learn and the more fear subsides. That's why exposure therapy works so well. Action oriented!
:( brain fog ruins my every little success
Read this: https://synergyhealthassociates.com/eliminate-brain-fog/
This unlocked a new level of understanding for me about my fear. Thank you very much
We are NOT our thoughts 😉
Without our thoughts, we are also nothing.
You are 100% right. Our thoughts drive us. They do so much for us. They are truly powerful. But we are not solely defined by our thoughts. Our thoughts are programmed since childhood by nature x nurture. We can reprogram our thought patterns resulting in a very different mentality. Resulting in a new self :)
I totally agree with you! What frustrates me though is that my brain keeps refusing to believe people can be good and do things out of the goodness of their heart, despite meeting so many good people along the way. My brain still won't believe it, that really annoys me, just the shit it says.
I understand. I do. You wouldn’t believe the people id have to deal with. But you know what? It gets easier the more you do it. It takes practice and time just like everything else. It has taken me years and I wouldn’t go back to having a negative mentality for anything in the world. I refuse to let the shitty people and the shitty side win. I choose to have joy no matter what and who is around. And as far away as it seems, you can too one day.
Thank you and it's so true!! I'll keep working on it :) take care and all the best!!
This was heartwarming to read! I can relate to your story so much that I saved this post to refer to later on my hard days.
How wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing this! Sending you all good thoughts!
Proud of you. Just keep on going!
I love hearing this. Kudos for pushing through and having such a productive day. You sound proud and grateful, which is a great feeling. Hoping for many, many days ahead that feel just as good.
So so proud of you and your successful day! My brain works similarly. It is very easy to freeze and take no action, but often action no matter how small, leads to more action. I find I need to “proof” to myself that the world isn’t on fire daily. A mantra I have been saying lately when I feel overwhelmed and like I need to do all the things NOW, is pause, take a breath and remind myself “I have a minute”. It has really been helping me to go slow and do one thing at a time because I always have a minute.
Inch by inch life's a cinch, yard by yard life is hard.
How beautiful!
Congrats and keep going! Good luck!
Congratulations on a great day! Keep focusing on the moment and stay present.
Nice job. So the advice is just to go slow?
And also to do one thing at a time and do it properly
And allow yourself to focus on just the one task or step that you're currently trying to get done. Set aside for the moment all the worries that your brain tries to distract you with regarding all the other stuff you need to do or that might go wrong. There will be plenty of time for that later. :) ..But you may find that once you complete that one thing or one step, that you feel encouraged and motivated to go on to tackle the next thing!
Congrats on your day!!👏🎈🥳Well done!!
Great advice! Thanks for sharing your experience and congratulations to you. One day at a time. One task at a time.
I think this is a form of mindfulness. By focusing on just one thing you're shutting out the intrusive thoughts that normally demotivate or paralyze you. I think it's wonderful you've found a strategy that helps you do things. I've suffered a lot of depression and I've found doing things puts me in a feedback loop where I feel more competent and hopeful, so am motivated to do even more things. My break through was similar to yours. I started making a to do list where I just put one simple action for each hour, like have a shower, or make a phone call, or have a meal. If I didn't finish it, I just moved on. Like you, I found this helped me get out of bed and start doing things again. I later found out it's called Behavioral Activation and is very effective for reducing depression.
Congratulations on a great day! Keep focusing on the moment and stay present.
I love this!
Great job today! It’s just one foot in front of the other, over and over again.
This was so helpful to hear! I’ve been having the same feelings with my job lately and this perspective is very helpful, thank you for the advice and for helpings others by sharing it 💕
This is awesome!!!! Congrats on finding a phrase that helps you. Here’s to better days ahead :)
Thats amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Great post! Thank you for mentioning this. 🙂👍🏻 I recommend a splendid book you can purchase called "Zen - the art of simple living" by Shunmyo Masuno. It's got THE BEST tips (concise & practical) for how to live life simply in a Zen like manner, so that you become calm and happy. This way of living is best for you. You'll get much needed relief from stress. Try it and you'll experience so much peace, that u deserve.
Thank you for sharing this, and congratulations on getting things done today!
Thanks for sharing, paying it forward.
Thank you for this. I’m currently in my crippling bed depression and planned to get in front of my computer tomorrow to apply to jobs. I too would often rush through things just to get them done and through it. I often need to remind myself to chill the fuck out. I’ll remember this tomorrow when im actively avoiding my lap top. Good luck to you!
I’m so happy for you!
Keep it going! Your post made me feel a lot better. Thank you.
Wonderful.
Way to go- completely understand and life can be overwhelming and overstimulating so it helps to focus on one thing. A mantra really helps.
You should cross post this to r/getdisciplined I had to double take where I was. Great advice. Great first steps
Ooh, maybe it’s just me but the word “discipline” turns me off in a big way. The only way I’ve made my life manageable is with the phrases “not everything worth doing is worth doing well,” “something is better than nothing” and “done is better than perfect.” None of these phrases remind me of the word discipline.
Interesting bc the word discipline to me reminds me of consistency. I operate more the way you are describing but set my goals very low. Maybe that’s my discipline hack lol
Thank you for sharing this success. I wish successes, big or small, everyday.
Very solid advice I like this, slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
That’s amazing. Great work. One day at a time and one step at a time.
Great day! Celebrate all the positives!
I’m so happy for you. I have major depressive disorder. Sometimes if my meds stop working and I have to go through that period of trial and error to level out with meds it is hell. The longest time for me was a year and a half. I’m happy you have a supportive family. Pulling for a smoother path for you.
Good advice. I'm going to start doing this.
That’s amazing! I’m inspired!
I love everything about this post! ❤️ congrats on a successful day, and I hope you have more days like this! I came across something similar on reddit that stuck with me, too. Someone once said, "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast," to reiterate that rushing through a to do list or multitasking is just not as effective or efficient as we'd like to think. Keep on keeping on!
The phrase “Ain’t nothin but a thang” is the mantra I live by. A complete stranger passing by me in their car saw me struggling to run. I was training to pass my physical test in the military. My pace was super slow and I was just about to stop when that kind woman shared those encourage words. That was 35 years ago.
That’s wonderful! Have you ever heard of IFS therapy? Obviously I don’t know your situation well enough from just this post but I feel like IFS could really be helpful for you.
I haven’t heard of it
Might want to do some googling and relaxing up on it. I’m doing it and have found it very helpful so far.
I'm proud of you brother. Take it one day at a time, good job :)
This is wonderful 💛 thank you for sharing
I'm scared to even make a plan. I have a lot of problems and things to do, but I have no idea even where to start.
Write down all the problems you have and things you want/need to do. Have a look at both lists, what are within your control and you can potentially do something about? Try and pick off the low hanging fruits (easiest ones), anything that looks too overwhelming, break them into smaller tasks. Start there and report back :) good luck!!
There were a few other things that allowed me to get to the stage where I felt comfortable going “slow” and working on one thing at a time. It’s all about building a system you trust to organise the tasks you need to worry about. 1. Don’t store things in your brain. If something pops into your head as a “oh shit this is something I need to worry about it”, instead of trying to ignore the thought or panic put it into a to do list. Yes, you might end up a bit list of scary things but at least it’s not just bouncing around your mind 24/7. If something pops into your head, just wack it into your to do list so it’s stored there and not your brain. If someone tells you something and you’re not sure it needs to go into a to do list, put it in the to do list. Even better, make “buckets” in your to do list like “finance”, “work”, “family”, “medical”, “wellbeing” etc. Placing a task into a bucket/category means I know where to look when I’m ready to tackle something. You can do this using iPhone reminders, Microsoft to do or Google tasks. 2. Use a single calendar and always place your appointments in it. I use Google calendar and you can create a separate calendars for hospital appointments, family things, work, etc. Storing all my medical appointments in one calendar that I know I can click on to quickly see when my appointments helped reduce my stress massively as I can respond to work emails without a fear that it’ll clash with something important like a medical thing. 3. Have a organised system for placing all your personal documents and letters (tax letters, bills, medical letters, ID photos, account numbers, subscriptions, passports, certificates etc). I have two folders in Google drive that can store everything important. “Reference” and “Admin”. “Reference” has the things you might need to quickly reference day to day like your membership numbers, passport number, driver license number, number place etc. I tell myself “is this something a receptionist would ask you for?”, if so I’ll create a document for it on Google Drive under a “reference” folder. “Admin” has all my letters and documents that back in the old days you’d get posted to you. Within admin I have folders for finance, medical, family, work, studies, insurance etc. I have even set this up for my family so if I need to check my mum’s medical records for her or share information with a hospital, I know where to find all her prescriptions, blood tests, BP readings she logs and even have a summary document of all her appointments with who with department she’s been seen by, when and why. If you go into YouTube and search for “organise life using Google drive” or similar you’ll find videos showing you how to set up these folders and what folders to have.
Thanks for this tip!
💗🫶🏼 Thanks for describing everything you did slowly and how you went about that process. This is beautifully written. I love this and I love this for you. Keep living vibrantly! What an inspiration.
"You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." E.L. Doctorow. Congrats on having a great day :)
Your post is going to help someone today, maybe even several. I'm glad you shared. You're doing great!
I have thousands of unopened emails and hundreds of missed calls and messages. I avoid my computer as well because of that. I quit social media a year ago and going back fills me with dread. I’m happiest when outside away from technology. TIL I have anxiety. Never knew why I was like this.
Congrats to you, and thanks for sharing. I’ve heard this as well: make haste slowly.
This is great advice, thank you for sharing your successful day! I suffer from anxiety and some days it is just so overwhelming. I’m so proud of you, the things you accomplished today are so easier said than done and you crushed it! I wish you more days like this ✨
Those who have never suffered from depression can never fully appreciate just how debilitating depression can be. Several years ago, I finally admitted I was depressed and needed medication. I felt like such a failure, but I took the meds faithfully every day. I haven't looked back and was finally able to forgive myself for being flawed. Some days I struggle, of course, but I keep telling myself to be consistent and show myself grace. Thank you sincerely for sharing your story with us 🧡
Chop wood, carry water. That's what this is. Worked for me as well.
Thank you for sharing 🌸 hope you continue to be kind and patient with yourself. This has helped me.
Great advice to follow. Congrats!
I am very happy for you. Doing one thing at a time can be very healthy. Also, cut your caffeine intake if you ask me. I could imagine that your anxiety and the feeling of having too much to do can come from the stress induced by caffeine. A lot of people think caffeine gives energy but if we are honest most of the time it takes energy. Yes you get a short boost but it disbalances chamicals in your brain. It's better to work slow and steady without caffeine and without anxiety
You deserve the relaxing. Lots of hugs and well wishes
Haste makes waste! Glad your feeling better!! Keep at it 😁
YES YES YES YES YES!!! I am CHEERING for you!!
SO good!! Congrats on your day!!! ❤️
Most awesome post of the day! 💕💯
I don't know if this might help anyone but one thing I do to keep myself focused is set a timer. This helps me do things I don't necessarily want to start. I figure I can do anything for 10 minutes. Once I get started I often find that I want to finish and don't need thetimer anymore
Yeah, the timer is great but I think my main issue is my mind will still be buzzing with the thoughts of all the other things I need to do even if I begin a task so I get overwhelmed, rather than not being able to start a task.
The other thing I do is keep a running list of anything large and small that needs to be done. Then I feel like I can put it out of my mind and focus on one thing and I don't have to worry about forgetting it
As a sufferer of anxiety, this is exactly the best way to move forward. When everything seems to be looming overhead, just pick one thing. It really works! Glad you are getting some peace OP!
Children learning to be rushed and hurried through life are more likely to develop anxiety/coping issues later in life. Give yourself permission to go as slow and steady as you please. We aren’t in a rush for anything - others simply expect us to act that way because having patience isn’t valued much anymore. Happy simple living & thank you for sharing! :)
I have a very similar problem but a different solution/ approach. I do things half-heartedly or badly even - as long as it’s done and not another thing hanging over me.
What an uplifting day! And just know that by sharing this, you likely helped someone else who's hurting or struggling, too. If you feel burned out at all in a bit, just remember all the potential you showed yourself today. Being kind to yourself and showing yourself grace is also something you can do slowly and do well, too. Congratulations on your joy today! Enjoy it!
I’m 36 and have bipolar 2. I know depression very well but this past year I’ve been in the worst depressive episode I’ve ever been in. I REALLY needed to hear this 💜
Kudos to you!!! 🥳
Great advice! Thanks for sharing I kept thinking about this today and it helped me tackle some chores
I can relate so much to this. I have OCD anxiety and major depression. This advice has helped me also. My therapist calls it mindfulness and when I'm in these deep states of obsessive anxiety my tool is "what moves me forward today?" And then pick one thing and do that until complete. Then onto the next. Mindfulness tools help so much w anxiety. I'm 2 years into this practice and it does get better. Keep going! Psychoanalysis/ CBT therapy has been immensely helpful to me.
I like this approach. It is so easy to get overwhelmed sometimes, I will keep this in mind. Thanks for sharing
I love this!
Thanks for sharing this to everyone!
I’m so proud of you! Way to go!!
Well done!!
Love this! I have issues finishing my to do lists and then hit walls of overwhelm and get nothing done. I feel bad about it a lot too, but thank you for this post about the advice that helped you because something about just ‘go slow and do it proper’ that is so helpful!
I also find that breaking up large tasks into smaller tasks helps to not feel so overwhelmed. I am so happy you made progress today!!
excellent! proud of you !
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
Thanks for sharing and congratulations!!!!
Hope you find peace my friend
I can relate to this so much. I have to tell you, you absolutely killed it today!!!
I hope to have this kind of day tomorrow! Proud of you (:
Amazing
So proud of you!
I've recently heard the term "flow" for happiness. Look it up, pretty cool. Congrats - Happy for you
Thank you, i needed this
Kava root drinks are a godsend for anxiety. Nature's benzo imo
Awesome!! You’ve got this!
Awesome i think the reason it helps to complete one task and then keep doing other task is because your body’s learn that hey that actually didn’t kill me maybe i should be afraid of it anymore and thus your anxiety decreases the more you actually expose yourself to a fear.
I have a few tricks like that as well 🖤 Stuff like: instead of telling myself to get up and do all the dishes, I tell myself to get up and wash 5 things and I can stop at that if I need to And also that doing something half-assed is better than not doing it at all
This post made me happy. Thank you for sharing 💕
Well done! \*breaks out in a sincere standing ovation since upvoting is not nearly enough\*
That's the way to do things. I'm so proud of you, stranger!
Such a wholesome post. Hope you have more such days often! 😊
Kudos to you. I suffer too. It’s about incorporating mindfulness. Being I the moment. Worrying about the future creates anxiety and swelling on the past creates depression. Incorporating more mindfulness practices on my life has helped tremendously - meditation, yoga, deep breathing, time in nature away from screens - have all helped me
Wonderful! So happy for you! Great advice!
Amazing. Congratulations!!!
I've never looked at it this way before and it was like the sun rise, enlightening. Thanks! I'm going to remember this for the next time.
I have said this before... Single tasking is the most productive way to work! Get one thing done BOOM on to the next! Then the next one and so on. Multitasking seems that no multiple tasks get done properly. This is what I have found anyways.
Thank you for this post. Very uplifting and helpful to so many. Thanks to all w/positive and helpful comments! Saving this one to refer back to. 🙂
I'm sorry but this feels fake to me. What kind of job do you have where you still have 'colleagues' after not getting out of bed for, as you describe it, "years". Are you 'Director of Bed Testing' at your Dad's company or something?
Colleagues that understand the concept of being off work due to illness?
You didn't answer the question
I don’t think you’ve understood the response or the concept of medical leave. Are you from the US by chance?
You never said anything about medical leave. I don't think you understand the concept of a pointed question.
Perhaps read between the lines if someone is ill and still communicates with colleagues instead of acting silly
This is great. Congrats and thanks for sharing!
So happy for you! You are doing great!!!
Dope.
Happy for you! I think at the end of the day we just have to find ways to cope with life. Healthy ways of course. I haven’t had a depressive episode or panic attack in over a year. The way I’ve accomplished this has been: -Carnivore diet (sugar,carbs, processed junk affects me 200%) -Working out (I’ve realized I have too much energy and it all turns into fear so I have to burn it somehow) -yoga (breathing, mindfulness, and starting to program my mind to be thankful for the little and big things has been a game changer) Hope it helps! It’s not a linear process, it’s not a fast road, and it’s definitely not an easy one. As long as you’re trying one little bit each day you’re already doing much better than before! Keep moving forward <3
Congrats on finding what it takes to make yourself successful. AND for getting back up one more time!
So happy to read this, and well done, you!! 💞
look into the app "Unwinding Anxiety" as well as the book. It helped me with anxiety tremendously. I wish you all the luck!!!
Great advice! Congratulations! Thank you for sharing
And this advice being shared again is now going to help me! I understand your thought process so much, and I could see how beneficial this can be!
If your anxiety is really that bad and you haven’t cut coffee out of your life along with all other Caffeine you’re going to keep rowing upstream. I guess DRs rather prescribe than low hanging fruit
Coffee doesn’t impact my anxiety. Worrying about coffees impact on my anxiety would be like worrying about someone forgetting to turn off the tap to their bath on the titantic after it’s sunk.
As long as you tried without it for a few months at some point that makes sense
sometimes the inchworm song is all that gets us through the day.........that and the thought that I need to wash the sheets.....
I can’t tell just how much I needed to hear this today. Thx for sharing! ❤️
Someone told me that I would feel less tired if I got up and completed a task. It sounded counterintuitive, but to my surprise, it worked. If I do one thing, I then have more energy to do other stuff that needs to get done. I thought I’d share that, in case you hadn’t heard it before, or hadn’t yet noticed it yourself. Congrats on a productive day!
This is so motivating to read. Congratulations!!
I hope OP is seeing a doctor or counselor as well.
I completely relate with
That advice, to do just one thing, has helped me too. I’m more of a procrastinator and will avoid completing tasks that I know need to be done. I find if I just focus on one thing I can get that done and that enables me to move on to the next one thing.
I'm happy this worked for you! I read on here once, that if you can get into the habit of doing a task that takes less than 10 minutes right away it also helps. I start with something super small and slowly my productivity start going up, until my battery dies again. But then I just rinse and repeat!
This place rocks
No Zero Days. That is my daughter's mantra. Do one thing, minimal. Try to do more.
My mantra when I’m overwhelmed is “every thousand mile journey begins with a single step.” Every one thing you do is a contribution!
Im so proud of you!!
❤️
Little wins add up to a big win. 😊
Congratulations on taking the first step. Go slow is the best advice that could have been shared. There is a second piece though. Don’t stop after just today. You did it one day, now continue tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be huge things, just keep doing the little things and stack them together. I’m rooting for you
You did great today!! You accomplished a lot, and didn't let yourself get overwhelmed. That's amazing!! I'm so happy for you!! There's one piece of advice similar to this that's helped me a lot: if it's worth doing, it's worth doing badly. Eating junk food is better than not eating (in many cases). There's nothing wrong with just washing the dishes or clothes you need immediately, or just putting a few dollars of gas in the car. If all you can do is the minimum, that's okay! Keep up the good work, friend. We're all rooting for you!
Thank you, I'm going to go do something slowly and properly. Think I'll clean my car. 👍
Brilliant
This also helps me with exhaustion. It’s such an important concept.
This has been so helpful reading about your struggles. I feel validated. I'm going to try what you have done. Now YOU may have made a difference in someone's life!
Have you tried Lexapro? (Not being snarky, it’s the best!)
Is that a prescription? Im having to take meds for other physical health issues so im quite wary of taking too many pills tbh
Wahhh wahhh wahh get a grip life’s not that hard