Posted by whiterabbit on July 5, 2003, at 23:06:24
In reply to surrender or fight?, posted by ruby on July 5, 2003, at 22:06:41
Actually, just let it hang until morning. If you wake up & feel you can bear going to church, & usually you feel better after the service, then
get up & go. But if you wake up & really feel just too dreadful to move, then you tell God that you love him but this morning you'll love Him from home. He understands.I've found that depression makes every decision a real effort, so just try not to make any more decisions than you have to. A good way to accomplish this is to deal with each day as it comes without fretting too much about yesterday or tomorrow. This is the gold standard for us substance abuser types and plain good sense for everyone. There's a terrific book, I recommend it ad nauseum, that covers this day-to-day approach with a little more depth in the straightforward way you appreciate when you're not up for complicated theories or jargon - "How to Stop Worrying & Start Living" by Dale Carnegie.
The battle to stay up or sleep is an old one for me too. You know you should get some rest but you don't feel like it right now no matter what the clock says. What I do - not saying it's right or sane or anything, it's just what I do - is to make little bargains with myself when it starts to get late. I say, "Alright, I'll finish writing this post (or watching this show, or reading this chapter - fill in the blank), and then I'll get up and put on my pajamas." So I do that, and then I take up with whatever is so fascinating I just must stay awake, but I make another deal with myself - "When I get to this part, I'll take a little break and go brush my teeth, let the dogs in and check the locks."
That's how I get myself at least moving in the right direction towards bed. These little rituals that you do at night before going to bed - changing clothes, cup of tea, turning off lights or whatever - they signal to your subconcious that it's time to start shutting down the machine for a night's rest, which helps make you sleepy & more ready for bed.
I didn't make that up, I read it in Cosmopolitan or the Enquirer or something like that, so it must be true. Now excuse me please, have to put on my nighties.
Sweet dreams-
Gracie
poster:whiterabbit
thread:239596
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030704/msgs/239604.html