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the ocd series: part 8 - things that make me better, things that make me worse

23/1/2019

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Inspired by author and depression and anxiety survivor Matt Haig, I'm sharing a list of things that can spike or worsen my OCD, rumination, anxiety and stress. And a list of things that have supported my recovery from 19 years of OCD, that make me feel happy in my soul and which help to quiet my mind.

Things that make me worse

Poor sleep
Staying up too late
Doing too much
Not resting enough
Caffeine
Not eating enough protein (meats, fish, eggs)
Crowded, busy cities (if I’m there too long)


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A mental health first aid kit for the holidays

16/12/2018

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Christmas can be a painful time of year for many people - a time when grief, loneliness, health struggles, depression, anxiety, lack of money, or family trauma can be that much more prominent. And what adds to the pain for many of us, is the loud, deeply contrasting message that this is a happy, merry, joyous time. A time of togetherness, of fun, of treats. A time of spending lots of money and receiving lots of gifts. A time of family. These societal messages can be like salt in our wounds.


Yet this common human experience isn’t often talked about. In a spirit of acknowledging our human struggles and sharing ways to care for yourself through tough times, I’ve put together these mental health first aid tips for the holidays.
There are tips for those who are:
-feeling exhausted emotionally and physically
-feeling suicidal
-grieving
-impacted by toxic family, and
​-for those who are struggling to sleep.​


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Holistic tools for depression support & recovery (part 2): Emotional health

17/6/2018

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PictureDoing things to look after my emotional health. Thanks to Lexi and Tsuri for their healing company.








​The tools we looked at in part one focused more on supporting your physical health. Let's now look at tools for supporting your emotional health.

Acknowledging your stress and trauma
Stress can be a big contributor to depression, and stress can be caused by many things.
There are:
  • physical stressors (e.g., over-working, over-exercising, illness, injury, surgery, poor nutrition, food allergies, lack of sleep, alcohol, drugs, caffeine)
  • emotional stressors (losing a loved one, relationship ending, abusive relationships, lack of supportive/nurturing relationships, losing your job, moving house, traumatic events, loneliness, health problems, family problems, childhood abuse and neglect), and
  • environmental stressors (pollution in our air and water, pesticides and herbicides on our food). 


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