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UncleDaveBoyardee t1_iy1uyn3 wrote

Reply to comment by fanghornegghorn in LPT if you struggle with depression or other disorders preventing ADLs, you don't have to eat a full meal or even get into the shower in order to have tiny successes. by nip_pickles

As a very depressed person the idea of being proud I blinked 10 times while surrounddd by garbage is rly funny

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BPD-and-Lipstick t1_iy1wmkn wrote

Honestly it works!! I'm going through a depression phase right now (I have recurrent depressive disorder), and every day I don't want to wake up. So when my first (of three) alarm goes off, I think to myself "what's the smallest thing I can do right now just to stay awake?" And generally, the answer is to just keep blinking until my second alarm goes off 5 minutes later.

Then I say "Okay, I've made it to my second alarm, now all I need to do is just roll over or sit up. Sitting up is the goal, but rolling over is just as good." And generally, by my third alarm 5 minutes later, I'm sitting up.

Then, when my third alarm goes off, I tell myself, "Okay, now all you need to do is grab an energy drink. Yes, they're across the room. But let's take it one step at a time. The first thing I need to do is just put my feet on the floor. That's not that bad." And by 30 minutes later, I've gone to the bathroom, brushed my hair, started sipping an energy drink, and made a plan to get food.

Sometimes just taking it one small step at a time makes all the difference and celebrating every little stage of doing it.

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ImpossibleRhubarb443 t1_iy29p6w wrote

This is both a really good way of showing how difficult depression can be and also a pretty good strategy

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BPD-and-Lipstick t1_iy2a8u8 wrote

Thank you! I can't take credit, though. My therapist (with the help of the Friends tv show) was the one who taught me how to do it.

I mentioned the episode with Chandler's wedding, how Ross breaks each part of getting ready down for him so he didnt freak out, and wished there was a way to do thaf in real life, cause i could do with a step by step guide and someone encouraging me to do it, and it must be the weirdest thing my therapist had to do, but she did it! She broke down every task I was struggling with into small, simple steps that I could repeatedly achieve and celebrate, and once I tried it out, it actually worked.

Like showering: first, I just need to find a towel. Then head to the bathroom. Then switch the water on. Then get in, possibly sitting down on the floor. Then I just need to get my hair wet... you get the point. Small simple steps make it so I don't think beyond just that small thing, and then take a moment to be happy I did that small thing

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