50 ways to Cope With Stress

Here's a great screensaver (or in the physical world a fridge door saver) courtesy of we♥it

Andante

Can Illness be Addictive? (Part 2- What's in it for me?)

Image:Tumbler.com

Could I be subconsciously using illness to escape something I don't want to confront or do?

Has being 'unwell' become a habit, an addiction, a delusion  so convincing I fail to see what others see? Have I ever asked myself why I am so anxious and others are not? Have I convinced myself  that if I lost my illness I would not cope, not be able to live the life I live? Do I find some sort of twisted comfort in being sick? Like someone with an eating disorder who finds avoiding food and controlling the way they look as something within their power...that they can control?

Is the thought of myself not being that guy who's always sleepy, moody, funny, vague, naive, a loner, sensitive and difficult too much for me to deal with? 

Image Ownership being sought

What am I getting out of being the loner, the one who needs to lie down, the one who always says 'no' he's too busy or says 'yes' but never delivers?

Could it be that my illness has in fact become an  addiction? Because addiction includes rewards. In my case could I be using illness as an excuse to avoid things I don't like doing, to spend more time at home doing things I like?

Am I addicted to the close physical sensations of being unwell that somehow  act as a substitute for intimacy with other human beings?

Image Ownership being sought

It is possible that I have have come to think of the feelings as 'me' ....as 'normal'? To suddenly be free of anxiety and depression (a version of sadness) is a little frightening, as a prisoner might experience on his first day out of  gaol . 

Released prisoners often talk of wanting to return to the safety they felt behind bars. I admit I've had similar thoughts that if ever I was given a long gaol sentence for something it would provide a relief from the daily decision making problems of ADD (in fact a large proportion of prison population has ADD). The routine would be comforting and inescapable, giving me plenty of time to hyperfocus on writing my memoirs. 

But seriously.....have I been deluding myself all these years as an excuse to feel 'emotional', eccentric, different, special?

I've said it many times...that I would hate to be 'ordinary.'...

But I never considered the rewards... 

that being 'ordinary' may also mean healthy, happy and content.

Andante

How do you Think Other People Perceive You?

I attended one of those little discussion groups last night....you know....the ones where you sit around in a small cosy group in a comfy room with scented candles and a warm fire and talk about feelings and emotions and do role plays and games.

This workshop was with a group of new friends whom I met during a recent course, which  not surprisingly was also about getting more enjoyment out of  life. A small group of us continued to stay in touch and had got to know each other a little better during that time.

ADD is Real

Here is a video I came across on http://www.adderworld.com/blog1/ which describes the life of a young person by the name of Ashley Carey.(BrokeTheInterweb) She has quite a following on 'youtube' with over 68 video postings. She seems to have opinions on lots of subjects, is weirdly witty and imaginative, talks a real lot and....you've got it!... She has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)!  Her heartfelt description of living with the condition on a daily basis speaks for itself. It is of particular relevance to students  with ADD trying to study.

                          Ashley Carey - ADD is Real

Mad Hatter's Birthday

Well another birthday over as the years tick away

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Enjoying my new Solitary Life

I have felt an obvious shift in my energy and calmness since I have been living on my own.

I know its only been two weeks  but I also notice a synergy of events around me now that makes me feel more 'connected' to people and life.

Survival Tips - Progress Report

I started this blog a few weeks ago with a post about self help tips to survive and recover from depression  (Are you really Sick?) and hopefully reduce the chances of succumbing to it again.

It's been about four weeks now since I returned to work on a part time basis gradually increasing my hours until I'm back to the normal full time roster.

I thought I'd  revisit my survival tips one month on to see how successful I have been in using them and which ones have worked better than others. Looking back on it I must have been quite manic to have pursued so many resources in such a limited time. Obviously to even implement half of them was going to be difficult over time.

In fact there is a real danger that I 'll fall back into my previous patterns and habits particularly now I'm back at work. Finding time and energy is now a problem.