[hanginginhere_ramen]

Feel like it might be nice to have a thread full of tips for how to get back into the swing of things when dpdr pushes you back. Learning how to cope is one thing, but learning how to thrive once you manage that is a task I cannot seem to get a hold of.

 

[ali3n]

start doing things that you enjoy, its easier if you like your hobby to make a healthy habit out of it

 

[forestx5]

walking is the absolute best exercise. If you don't have time to go to the gym, you do have time to walk around your neighborhood or a local park.

If you don't have a companion, go to the humane society and get you a buddy. He/she will remind you every day, that it is time for your walk. (lol)

I was given a pup and 3 weeks later I realized he had some problems. The vet said he was blind due to detached retinas. 18+ years later, I tearfully

buried him in my back yard. In between, we went everywhere and did everything together. His courage was my reason for surviving 5 episodes of

major depression. He had a zest for life that wouldn't allow me to quit.

 

[PerfectFifth]

Start small and work your way up. If you plan to go to the gym and strength train three times a week, start out by congratulating yourself for going even once.

Just saying, you don't need to go to the gym to do strength training. In fact, you don't necessarily need any equipment at all. You can use your own body weight as resistance with exercises such as push-ups, squats, and plank.

 

[Al_pk]

I eat healthy things that i enjoy and have a pizza once per week. I sleep as long as i need. I also use a home workout app called freeletics which i highly recommend

 

[James_80]

For me it's all about maintaining a sense of control and building momentum. A sense of control = less anxiety. All the small things like making sure you make your bed in morning every day and do the washing up all help towards gathering a momentum of generally looking after yourself and being in control and feeling like you can do anything you want to achieve. On days you really can't bothered, it's ok to do less. Maybe just a walk instead of a workout. Stack the plates up instead of washing them etc. But some days you have to force a bit more than you want to if you want to build that momentum up, which eventually propels you forward to better things.

 

[James_80]

Just saying, you don't need to go to the gym to do strength training. In fact, you don't necessarily need any equipment at all. You can use your own body weight as resistance with exercises such as push-ups, squats, and plank.

Definitely. If you add pull ups to that then you have covered a lot of muscle groups. I got in much better shape when I changed to doing compound body weight exercises instead of using weights.

 

[Emptyflask]

Id reccomend not only excersize but things that you used to do when you felt normal. Things that seem familiar (even tho memories might feel foreign to you, i get it)
For example: watch old shows you used to enjoy, even cartoons. I rewatched a bunch of old cartoons like ed edd n eddy, spongebob. Stuff kinda filled me with nostalgia and helped put my mind at ease. I also recommend video games, even if ur not much of a gamer, solving puzzles can distract you pretty well at times. Those kinda things might help stimulate some old feel good chemicals.
Read some book, meditate, things like that.
Also, even if you dont want to excersize vigorously, just a walk a day will help alot. I got dogs and having to walk them on days i didnt want to helped in the long run.
OH, this one may be hard for some with dp but this really helped me. Seriously, get out and socialize. Fortunately im blessed with friends who practically forced me to go out even though my dp made me so scared i could hardly leave my bedroom.
Thats about all i can think of at the moment, wish you all well.

 

[forestx5]

Something in this thread reminded me of this. In the year following the seizures that changed my life, I lived without emotions. I no longer enjoyed the things that used to give me great joy.

I continued to do them anyway, because I knew I once enjoyed them, even if I could no longer "feel" the enjoyment. Many of those things involved physical activity. I'm sure it was beneficial to

my overall health and well being. What else can one do? I slowly regained about 80% of my emotional ability and began to actually enjoy those same things once more.

My advice for motivation is to follow the advice of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and "Stay Hungry". The easiest way to put a damper on exercise enthusiasm is to over do it.

Rest is a very important part of any exercise regiment. If you go at it to the point where you are dreading your next workout, then you have over done it.

Exercise is like a habit. Develop it slowly, and feed it routinely. The nice things about habits it that they remind us when it is time to do them.