Author Topic: 42's Therapy Thread  (Read 21554 times)

stacer

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #30 on: January 07, 2004, 10:57:56 PM »
I know just what you mean, 42, though not to that extent. I feel as if I should be doing something, and that sleep is a terrible waste of time. Not that I ever accomplish anything after a certain hour. Like, now. So I've been making myself remove all stimuli at a set bedtime, and I lay down and breathe deeply, daydream, listen to quiet music, etc. Now, I've only been doing this now that the semester is over. But I was reading this article in a psychology magazine that lack of sleep is a major precursor to a depressive episode. It's correlational, not causational--they don't know which causes which--but I do know that when I let my worries overwhelm me, I don't concentrate on the ultimate of stress relief, just allowing myself 8 full hours of unconsciousness.

They also say that when you REM sleep, you work out that day's worries and put them in a nice psychological box, which helps your mental health.

Do you do relaxation techniques--deep breathing, clearing your mind, listening to relaxing music, anything that makes you feel relaxed and pampered? (I supposed "pampered" wouldn't be the right word, since you're a guy, but you get the idea.)

I know that exercise helps me, too. When I get some sort of rigorous physical activity during the day, I wear out my muscles, to match my mind. It seems sometimes, when I don't do this, my body gets restless right when my mind is about to conk out. So unless I burn that energy off earlier, I throw off my body rhythms.
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42

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #31 on: January 07, 2004, 10:59:38 PM »
I don't sleep well, even with my drugs whitch I'm currently taking at six times the recommended dosage. I get lots of nightmares that wake me up. I should probably start a dream journal or something. I'm just kind of out of reality when I wake up.
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fuzzyoctopus

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #32 on: January 07, 2004, 11:03:17 PM »
We should both keep dream journals 42.  Then we could compare notes and both feel better about how much WEIRDER the other person's are.

I'm serious.
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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #33 on: January 07, 2004, 11:04:25 PM »
Quote
I was reading this article in a psychology magazine that lack of sleep is a major precursor to a depressive episode. It's correlational

See, that's weird. When I stay up (ie, not even try to sleep) VERY late it's for one of two reasons. I'm dorking around (which may result in/be caused by depression), or I'm being very very productive. Either of these will be for several days straight, so that amounts to a lot of missed sleep in a week.
Part of my problem is that with my ADD, I end up wasting a LOT of time in my life, and then i feel angry or depressed that I didn't get more done when I have so many personal projects that I'm genuinely interested in and want to do. So ANY time I've spent doing something I believe is worthwhile, even if it's just chatting with someone I haven't seen for a long time or who needs company, I feel really good about. Often, due to my family situation, the only time I have to be really productive is very late at night. So I don't feel bad about those sessions at all. My depression never causes productivity, and being productive never makes me depressed.
So sometimes, yeah, my lack of sleep could be an indication or cause of depression, but not always.

fuzzyoctopus

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #34 on: January 07, 2004, 11:07:38 PM »
From  my secondhand experience with depression the problem seems to be horrifyingly cyclical - Depression makes it hard to sleep and the lack of sleep intensifys the depression.  In addition depression medication seems to sometimes have the side effect of making you tired but unable to sleep.

Something that makes me VERY glad I don't suffer from depression.
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42

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #35 on: January 08, 2004, 12:57:53 AM »
Yes, depression has a whole lot of holes, snadtraps, quagmires, quandries, and other metephors that just leave you stuck. The key to a lot of treatment is to find something that will ease things enough to help the sufferer find a way out. Course, most people with severe depression have multiple traps.

When I was last in the hospital the Psycologists and Psychiatrist had all of the patients take a test to determine their "life traps." They had 16 listed life-traps. I scored high on Self-Sacrifice, Deprivation, Failure to Achieve, and Unrelenting Standards. I scored moderately in Abandonment, Social Isolation, Vulnerability, and Defectiveness. The other life traps they had listed were Mistrust, Social Undesirability, Dependence/Incompotence, Emmeshment/Underdeveloped Self, Subjugation, Emotional Inhibition, Entitlement, and Self-control/Self-Discipline.

It's all very interesting, though I've always wondered why psychological terms sound so cheesy. I don't like how the life trap theory places such an emphasis on how your childhood and junk like that. I do like how it can help people focus on specific area of depression that are more likely to pertain to their problems than just being treated for general depression. The nurses and techs also had to take the life-trap as part of the Behavioral Care Units policy.

In one of the many group sessions I attended, the therapist picked on a BYU Nursing Intern about here "life trap" issues. It was lots of fun to watch her squirn for a few minutes before the therapist moved on. The therapist wsa mostly just trying to point out that even people who aren't on medication have their own problems.
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fuzzyoctopus

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #36 on: January 08, 2004, 01:51:56 AM »
Quote
mostly just trying to point out that even people who aren't on medication have their own problems.


Which I think is important to remember.  
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French is a language meant to be butchered, especially by drunk Scotts. - Spriggan

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #37 on: January 08, 2004, 12:45:51 PM »
So, you've listed a lot of your shortcomings, which one are you focused on improving?

Me, I'm trying to be more polite, despite my opinionated personality. I'm also trying not to get into the bad habit of nagging my husband. There is, afterall, a big difference between encouragement, kicking-in-the-butt and nagging.
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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #38 on: January 08, 2004, 01:19:21 PM »
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I don't sleep well, even with my drugs whitch I'm currently taking at six times the recommended dosage.


Careful, 42.  I'm sure you've thought about where this can lead.  Just be careful.

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #39 on: January 08, 2004, 01:23:50 PM »
That's something I've been trying to work on myself, MoD--focusing on the positive, controlling what I can control (my own behavior) and letting go what I can't control (anything to do with people or situations outside myself).

This week has been one of renewal for me, actually. My last semester really threw askew pretty much everything in my life--physical health, emotional, spiritual, etc. So this week I've been focusing on going to bed earlier, getting up earlier, exercising before work, reading my scriptures in the morning. I also started the week with what I consider a true Sabbath--I had been getting lazy and when I'd come home from church, sit on the couch and turn on the TV. I decided to leave it off and spend the afternoon reading scriptures, writing in my journal, working on family history, etc. And then I was invited to a baptism that evening, which made it an even better Sabbath. It's been a really great reminder to me of how much of a difference inviting the Spirit in every single day makes to not only my spiritual well-being, but also my emotional well-being.

There's a wrench in this works which you all might have some thoughts on. So we have Institute class tonight, a January Tues-Thurs class. I can't go on Tuesdays because of tutoring, but on Thursdays I do want to go. I like going to Institute but it's rarely at the top of my list because of other things I'd like to spend my energy on, but I want to go to this. I had gone to a couple at the beginning of last semester but quickly dropped them because of all I had to do.

So this morning my roommate accused me of insincerity in wanting to go to Institute, because she says I'm only going because there's a guy there that I like. A nice fringe benefit, sure, but not the reason I'm going. I am wearing makeup today for that reason, sure, and maybe I'm wearing a nicer sweater than I might have if I wasn't going to see him there, but the root of the reason I'm going is because I really do want to reorganize my life so I'm concentrating on the things that are most important to me.

Should I have just showed up in ratty jeans (despite it being that I'm wearing the nice outfit to work as well, trying to be more professional at work now that I'm not just a grad student making a few extra dollars, but someone that wants a full-time job here)?

I'm annoyed and hurt that she would accuse me of being that shallow, when I'm honestly trying to do something about bringing a discipline back in my life that I've been missing. It so happens that this guy, a close friend of mine, is quite a disciplined person and a good example, but I think I'm mature enough of a person to be able to distinguish between my own personal goals and romance, and to be able to have them coexist. Does this make sense?
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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #40 on: January 08, 2004, 02:24:34 PM »
What your roommate should be worried about is why she cares why YOU'RE going to institute. Not to speculate, but is it because HER reasons aren't so great?

Anyway, I don't see why interest in a guy is such a bad reason anyway. The whole marriage encouragement thing. If you're being spiritually fed and get some guy's attention while at it, why should anyone question you? That doesn't make sense.

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #41 on: January 08, 2004, 02:26:48 PM »
I think so. What you are saying is

God = reason to go to Institute

Cute boy = reason to wear makeup to institute

That makes perfect sense to me. I think your roommate might be taking herself to seriously, and you too. I suggest that you stick your tongue out at her and say "God works in mysterious ways." I don't think you will be able to convince her other than what she's decided, but if you prefer the serious approach, you might point out that it's not a sin to do a good thing without pure intentions. Your intentions are good, you want to get back into the habit of going to Institute, and you would go, even if you didn't have this boy's good example to follow.

I prefer the joking approach, personally.
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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #42 on: January 08, 2004, 02:29:17 PM »
i'm gonna stick my neck out here and say that the cute guy thing is part of WHY singles are encouraged to go to Institute. Maybe not hte primary reason. but A reason

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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #43 on: January 08, 2004, 03:06:18 PM »
I agree with Saint. The church wants to provide places for youth in the church to get to meet each other, making it easier to marry in the church. I think it very considerate of them, to back up their own recommendations like that.

Personally, I never was a big fan of dances, so that wasn't the place I wanted to go to meet people. Institute is something I enjoy, so it's more likely I'll meet people there that enjoy some of the same things I do.

Or was . . . since I'm not really looking anymore.
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Re: 42's Therapy Thread
« Reply #44 on: January 08, 2004, 08:07:23 PM »
Yeah, not everyone can meet their future spouse at a crappy seasonal job.
"Hr hr! dwn wth vwls!" - Spriggan

I reject your reality, and substitute my own. - Adam Savage, Mythbusters

French is a language meant to be butchered, especially by drunk Scotts. - Spriggan