MDAO Forum

Support for People with Mood Disorders => General Discussion => Topic started by: Carly on November 11, 2015, 10:40:04 pm

Title: Routines and Purpose
Post by: Carly on November 11, 2015, 10:40:04 pm
Does anyone else find it very difficult to function without a place to go each day, a purpose?  I find if I stay inside I feel worse, but I need somewhere to go each day that
I won't give up on.  Let me know what you guys do. Do you stick to a strict routine or just do what you feel like each day?  Thanks!
Title: Re: Routines and Purpose
Post by: GrizzlyMantooth on November 12, 2015, 07:41:47 am
I try to stick to a strict routine but i find it very hard when i miss one thing it throws me off for the rest of the day. so i've been making a looser type of plan where i just have a few really important things I want to get done and just try to tackle those.

but yeah i get the getting out of the house deal, I volunteer a couple times a week to get out, also do support groups, try to meet up for coffee with friends whenever they are free, go to the gym, walk to the park, even go to read/work in the public library instead of doing it at home.

i get cabin fever pretty easy so i have a personal goal of getting out of the house (at least for a small walk) once a day.
Title: Re: Routines and Purpose
Post by: Carly on November 12, 2015, 12:38:35 pm
You sound like you are doing really well. I hope to get where you are. I try to go for a walk everyday too. Today I made banana muffins
Title: Re: Routines and Purpose
Post by: GrizzlyMantooth on November 12, 2015, 12:21:57 pm
yeah it's taken me awhile to get to the point to do those things on any given day. some days i still end up doing nothing. have to take it in baby steps.
Title: Re: Routines and Purpose
Post by: paulm on November 13, 2015, 12:51:50 am
Hello Carly. I do do better when I stick to a routine, providing that routine has good structure. I've been known to follow a routine that involves sleeping, eating and playing video games for a distraction. That type of routine doesn't usually help me LOL.

 It took me quite a while to figure out what sort of routine would work best for me. You may notice that I nearly always post at night, often late at night. I also do a lot of my volunteer work at night. I'm just a night owl. That doesn't mean that I can stay up till 6am and sleep all day(although I would love to LOL) . That is just the routine that I have picked and it helps me because it's something that I should do, I can do and it gets me up and away from the TV or what ever other distraction I'm using and doing something useful.

 Routine does help me to stay focused and to get things done. When I let every day chores slip I tend to feel guilty about it and that can start me feeling useless and I can really start to slide from there. That doesn't mean that every day at 6pm I do the dishes, some days if I'm not feeling the best they may not get done at all and I don't feel guilty about it. Take Care. paul m
 

 
Title: Re: Routines and Purpose
Post by: Carly on November 13, 2015, 10:48:40 pm
Thanks paulm, I'm definitely all over the place with routine. I just try to get done a few things I write down but in no particular order. Cleaning is something I'm trying to do lately. I would also love
to sleep in but I'm always wide awake at 7:00 which sucks. So I guess I've got to go to bed real soon. Enjoy the night, night owl.