Detox Roundup

Time to summarize my week of mental health detoxification. Not that thinking about my brother on a milk carton is good for my mental health at all. Please, please let us find out something.

Here was my list again:

Meds

Spoons

Rate

Breathe

List

Breakfast

Overall, I think I did well. I took my pm meds every night, and since I ate breakfast every morning, I couldn’t excuse not taking my am meds with not eating. So meds, check, breakfast, check.

The spoons were a different story. I knew on Monday that counting spoons was not worth the effort; it’s conserving spoons that I need to work on. I will become a spoon hoarder–and now I’m picturing a sleeping dragon atop a hoard of plain stainless steel spoons. Maybe I’ll draw that.

Back to business!

Rating, well, I didn’t keep up on it after Tuesday. I don’t think that’s something I need to work on. I know how I feel, when it’s bad and when it’s good, and I know the reasons for it. I can increase the good and decrease the bad with CBT, what I’m already doing to conserve spoons. Practicing mindfulness of my thoughts.

Breathing was not as easy as it seemed it would be. I did log 10-20 minutes per day, but not necessarily when it would have done me the most good. I think the problem there is that I’ve always practiced breath control when I’m already relatively calm, and I find a quiet spot, usually our bedroom or the living room. I think it would be a good idea for me to carry headphones with me, especially when I go to appointments, so I can stop right away and calm myself down with some deep breaths and soothing sound to block out what’s bothering me. I’m going to practice taking a break to breathe when I start to feel anxious or upset, so that it becomes habit to do so.

And my list! This was my favorite part.

1. Hugs from Ian
2. Hugs from Abby because she hugs like her dad–they hug like they mean it
3. Singing
4. Coconuts
5. The cold spot at the bottom of the deep end
6. Surprise nail polish–my favorite was when Ian found a batch of 8 or so new on Craigslist
7. Dance Dance Revolution
8. Goldimouse and the Three Cats
9. Cool sheets, but not too cold
10. The smell inside a library
11. Playing board games with my Ian, my parents, and my brothers and sister during the holidays
12. Pencil sharpeners with two holes–I like to use the big one because the sharpened pencils are more aesthetically pleasing.
13. Blank paper, especially watercolor paper
14. Remembering how my grandpa would say, ‘cheese and crackers, April Inez!’ in exasperation
15. 50 First Dates
16. Yelling ‘fore!’ when we drive past the practice range
17. Olive Garden salad
18. Ian’s love of fake mustaches
19. Stickers
20. Starting my period without medication
21. Knowing my family is safe and sound

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