Morphex's blogologue (Life, technology, music, politics, business, mental health and more)

Life still improving

Well, my mental health is still improving (or rather at the moment at a bit of a plataeu). There is still some bouts of anxiety which are uncomfortable, but with techniques and ways of thinking about it I learned from my psychiatrist, they are at times manageable.

It is a great comfort to have Valium, if nothing else as a backup and then trying to deal with situations without using it.

I think the Valium is a great aide, but that it also maybe postpones some natural emotional processes.. so that if I take it one evening it does enable me to disconnect from stress and problematic emotions and then the day after deal with them.

So taking a Valium in the evening and then going to bed at an early hour and getting a good nights sleep breaks up stress and troubled hours and makes them manageable.

As the doctor in Spain said, people who use it over time and relatively often are worse off in the long run than those who don't. And I see that now. A lot of my mental problems are entangled experiences and emotions and need to be untangled.

I still look back sometimes and think of a lot of wasted time (happiness) during my life due to mental issues, but it is getting better now. I think I remember from a younger age that I wondered what mental illness and such was and not understanding, and for better or worse, I understand a lot about it now.

Norway is a pretty good place to live, but if the thing that's handling the input is broken, one can still be in a kind of hell while everyone around is OK or happy, and playful. It is a handicap to have serious mental issues, a handicap that you can hide from everyone else but at times come off as odd, irritable, weird, clumsy, stupid and so on. And a handicap you can get rid off by taking medicine and/or going to therapy, although one is (in the case of psychosis) more vulnerable to a new psychotic episode after having one.

Well, I'm exercising more and trying to get at least 30-60 minutes of exercise every day, either walking, doing strength exercises and so on. Exercise is as I've said earlier probably one of the best things one can do for mind and body, although overdoing it makes things worse.

I'm up to 50 seconds sideways plank (25 seconds on each side), 50 seconds static pushups (25 seconds on each side) 64 squats (without weights), 63 push-ups (12, 12, 12, 27), 108 sit-ups, 108 back-lifts (lying on the back and lifting the butt) and 108 lower-back push-downs (lying on the back pushing the lower-back down to the floor) and 120 arm pull-ups, sitting and squatting forward while lifting the arm up fast or slow.

I'm quite proud of reaching this level of exercise and strength now, and it has been a gradual build up from about half of what's listed above.


[Permalink] [By morphex] [Health (Atom feed)] [25 Jul 12:22 Europe/Oslo]