Depression and anxiety

[Iain G]

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My anxiety issues have started to spike a bit now. I’m asthmatic so am a bit concerned about the virus but my usual coping strategy - exercise- has largely been cut off and this lockdown isn’t helping. Also having a bit more alcohol than I usually have as stuck in the house and the temptation is there. Will need to make a real effort to try new or adapted coping strategies now

Hey Scorrie, yeah its an odd and unsettling time and everyone I know, including myself, who have asthma or a respitory condition are having a bit of a wee panic about it, which is only natural I think.

What exercises can you do from home? Can you still get out on a bike, go for a run, go for a walk. Try not to focus on the things you now cant do and try look at new things you can do and try, its a chance to broaden horizons in some ways and to find new ways to put joy into your life and find some calm. It's bloody hard though!

There are plenty of online classes for things like Yoga or Pilates, great for mindfulness and for core strength and stretching, why not seek one or two out? And gyms and trainers are running fitness classes online. Plenty of ways to have fun and look silly in your lycra in front of the TV.

Would also think about putting that booze out of site, keep the beer out the fridge, nobody wants warm beer, well apart from the English :)

And don't be afraid to reach out to people if you are feeling down or blue or need to vent or just need some human contact. The best thing to come out of this will be that we get to know people better and will start to re-claim our friendships and sense of community.

Oh and Hearts are still going belly up

[CropleyWasGod]

On the note of exercise, Edinburgh Leisure members have access to videos of Les Mills classes.

I'm not sure if I can share it, but if anyone is interested, I'll have a look and see what can be done.

[stu in nottingham]

Some interesting posts.

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I’ve suffered mentally in the past but, strangely, I’m not finding the current situation too difficult to deal with despite my job being under threat and so on.

I put my relatively clear mind down to exercise. Obviously, following the rules, I’ll only be able to get out running or whatever once a day. Luckily, I’ve got a bit space in the back garden that I can use to do some stuff as well.

I’m looking at the next few weeks as an opportunity to really build a bit of fitness. Generally, I do quite well during the week and then undo my good work at the weekend. Not going to have that issue for a considerable time now so that’s going to be the thing that gives me a positive focus.

Find this really interesting as the general premise regarding opportunity of it echoes mine. For some of the worst reasons we have a situation, an opportunity to make welcome and healthy changes to our lives, both physically and mentally. It's a time when many can take the time to stop, think about their lives and the world and reconsider formerly-held beliefs.

Regarding exercise, my next plan is to get back into this which I really recommend to people who are staying home. It was designed to do in a small space for a few minutes a day and has a plan which can be begun from very modest levels of fitness:

Royal Canadian Air Force XBX Plan
http://www.corvedale.com/5bx/xbxPlan.pdf

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My anxiety issues have started to spike a bit now. I’m asthmatic so am a bit concerned about the virus but my usual coping strategy - exercise- has largely been cut off and this lockdown isn’t helping. Also having a bit more alcohol than I usually have as stuck in the house and the temptation is there. Will need to make a real effort to try new or adapted coping strategies now

I have found the opposite which has come as something of a surprise to me I have to say. I keep a few beers in the fridge at any old time but as i go out quite regularly they tend to remain untouched for months. In among all the madness re shopping at the moment I considered should I buy in a bit of a stock of bottles for those long evenings to come (I live alone). In practice what has happened is that whilst staying in the home since almost a week ago I haven't had a single drink in the home and not felt the 'loss' of it. The evening comes and it just feels a bit pointless taking a drink, sitting watching TB, listening to the radio or reading. I actually miss a long cold drink more than anything and a drink of juice can cover that. I'm really not sure about buying that beer in at all now.

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This is one for all the therapists and counsellors out there.

The NHS are currently setting up a network to help staff with their mental health issues. It's only just started (I registered yesterday), and already they have over 2,000 volunteers.

PM me if you want to know the process.

It's great to hear about this, CWG. I work for a large registered charity and we have our own similar provision. I hope fellow therapists and counsellers also feel supported out there. Something that has not come as a surprise to me is that supporting other, perhaps less experienced people and slightly people on the team I work with is of benefit to me and makes me feel increasingly resilient and strong. I reckon you will know exactly what I mean by that.

Another little protective factor for me personally is a neighbour's friendly cat that has visited me for a long time and comes and sits on my lap every evening and demands a cuddle. A great companion.

[Scorrie]

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Hey Scorrie, yeah its an odd and unsettling time and everyone I know, including myself, who have asthma or a respitory condition are having a bit of a wee panic about it, which is only natural I think.

What exercises can you do from home? Can you still get out on a bike, go for a run, go for a walk. Try not to focus on the things you now cant do and try look at new things you can do and try, its a chance to broaden horizons in some ways and to find new ways to put joy into your life and find some calm. It's bloody hard though!

There are plenty of online classes for things like Yoga or Pilates, great for mindfulness and for core strength and stretching, why not seek one or two out? And gyms and trainers are running fitness classes online. Plenty of ways to have fun and look silly in your lycra in front of the TV.

Would also think about putting that booze out of site, keep the beer out the fridge, nobody wants warm beer, well apart from the English :)

And don't be afraid to reach out to people if you are feeling down or blue or need to vent or just need some human contact. The best thing to come out of this will be that we get to know people better and will start to re-claim our friendships and sense of community.

Oh and Hearts are still going belly up

Many thanks Iain. Am doing Pilates in the house and getting out for walk (my one exercise a day!) I’m used to tennis and football so miss them. Also doing loads of reading etc. I have coping strategies - just need to adjust them for this situation! Thanks to others who have posted above as well. All really helpful. Aye and Hearts are still in bother👍

[wpj]

Staying at home, going for a walk daily but as a single dad I am missing my wee girl, I was in hospital last week we weren't able to meet up, now she is in isolation for another two weeks. I am recording poems and using WhatsApp when I can. It's really tough as I would be with her having fun but can't. She is four, five in July, I am lucky her mum is brilliant and I have no concerns other than missing her so much. It's kinda lonely without her.

[Phil MaGlass]

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Many thanks Iain. Am doing Pilates in the house and getting out for walk (my one exercise a day!) I’m used to tennis and football so miss them. Also doing loads of reading etc. I have coping strategies - just need to adjust them for this situation! Thanks to others who have posted above as well. All really helpful. Aye and Hearts are still in bother👍

Just like tae add(if I may) that Pilates is also great for lower back problems, so if you are stiff in the back or find difficulty in bending, picking up things etc..give it a bash, i swear by it, had chronic back pain due to an accident playing fitba maaannnny years ago, now, I only feel something if I go a couple of weeks without doing Pilates, try it (or yoga)
You will feel a bit stiff for a few days, but its worth it in the long run. I used to take Declofenac and Ibuprofen regularly, Not been to a doctor for years and havent taken anything for years either,

stay well.

[CropleyWasGod]

If anyone is struggling with sleep , and that often goes along with anxiety, I have a download that I give to all clients.

Give me a shout if you want me to send it to you.

[wpj]

I have downloaded Max Richter sleep and also Moby has some really good free downloads on his website. He really doesn't care about money and is totally happy for folk to download his music. Lovely guy.

[Scorrie]

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Just like tae add(if I may) that Pilates is also great for lower back problems, so if you are stiff in the back or find difficulty in bending, picking up things etc..give it a bash, i swear by it, had chronic back pain due to an accident playing fitba maaannnny years ago, now, I only feel something if I go a couple of weeks without doing Pilates, try it (or yoga)
You will feel a bit stiff for a few days, but its worth it in the long run. I used to take Declofenac and Ibuprofen regularly, Not been to a doctor for years and havent taken anything for years either,

stay well.

Many thanks! Aye Pilates is brilliant. I’ve been doing it for a few years now so know most of the moves etc so can do it at home. I really think it helped extend football career as well 👍

[Iain G]

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If anyone is struggling with sleep , and that often goes along with anxiety, I have a download that I give to all clients.

Give me a shout if you want me to send it to you.

Audio book of "Craig Levein : Football Revolutionary" read by Ronnie Corbett?

[lord bunberry]

I feel really weird saying this but is anyone else feeling remarkably better during this crisis? I’ve spent a hell of a lot of the past 10 years feeling down and thinking the worst about every possible scenario. Now that the **** has hit the fan I’m unbelievably upbeat, it might not last, but I hope I’m not the only one.

[B.H.F.C]

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I feel really weird saying this but is anyone else feeling remarkably better during this crisis? I’ve spent a hell of a lot of the past 10 years feeling down and thinking the worst about every possible scenario. Now that the **** has hit the fan I’m unbelievably upbeat, it might not last, but I hope I’m not the only one.

My anxiety in the past has been caused by thinking about what could happen. I’ve always found it easier to deal with something that has actually happened, or is happening, even if it’s negative. In this case, not having that ‘why me’ feeling makes a difference to the mindset I think. Everybody is being affected by this in some way.

[lord bunberry]

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My anxiety in the past has been caused by thinking about what could happen. I’ve always found it easier to deal with something that has actually happened, or is happening, even if it’s negative. In this case, not having that ‘why me’ feeling makes a difference to the mindset I think. Everybody is being affected by this in some way.

Do you know I watched a guy on the news say the exact same thing. He said he’d suffered from anxiety all his life, but now that everything he’d been anxious about was happening he was remarkably calm. It’s our time buddy

[overdrive]

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I feel really weird saying this but is anyone else feeling remarkably better during this crisis? I’ve spent a hell of a lot of the past 10 years feeling down and thinking the worst about every possible scenario. Now that the **** has hit the fan I’m unbelievably upbeat, it might not last, but I hope I’m not the only one.

I’m finding it the same. I suppose we are being forced to live in the moment more than normal.

[SteveHFC]

I have been suffering from my mental health for the last few months. Spoke to someone on the phone earlier today who's arranged for me to do some CBT over the next 8 weeks. Anyone had any experience with CBT and how it helped them?.

[Pretty Boy]

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I feel really weird saying this but is anyone else feeling remarkably better during this crisis? I’ve spent a hell of a lot of the past 10 years feeling down and thinking the worst about every possible scenario. Now that the **** has hit the fan I’m unbelievably upbeat, it might not last, but I hope I’m not the only one.

You're not alone. Health anxiety crippled me for years. Even leaving the house was a challenge. When the Legionnaires outbreak happened in Edinburgh a few years back I was a wreck and eventually wore a GP down and got tested because I was such a state.

This is just too big. With anxiety the fear is often irrational, being afraid now is rational yet I'm quite calm about it. Maybe part of it is because of my own coping strategies. I'm not religiously watching the news and I'm not obsessing about new numbers as they are published. I see a few people doing that and, whilst it's good to be informed, it's something I wouldn't encourage. It's only going to be bad news for the next couple of weeks at least so it's a dangerous cycle to get into.

I have found myself getting a bit worked up late at night thinking about how long it could be before seeing people again but I'm able to get in under control quickly.

[Iain G]

I found this quite an interesting, reassuring and informative read:

https://hbr.org/2020/03/that-discomf...eling-is-grief

[CropleyWasGod]

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I have been suffering from my mental health for the last few months. Spoke to someone on the phone earlier today who's arranged for me to do some CBT over the next 8 weeks. Anyone had any experience with CBT and how it helped them?.

I had CBT years ago.

In short, it didn't work for me. Years later, I understand why.

I treated it as an academic exercise where, or so I thought, I would do the homework the therapist gave me and I'd be fine.... just like at school. When that didn't happen immediately, I got upset and confused, and it arguably made me worse in the short term.

Now, I hear myself saying the things that the therapist was trying to get me to understand all those years ago. So, arguably, it worked, but it took much longer than it was meant to

DISCLAIMER. That is just my experience. I know that, for many, it really does work. I would suggest you go into it with an open mind and some self-compassion, and not to be hard on yourself if the results don't come right away.

Good luck

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

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I'm not religiously watching the news and I'm not obsessing about new numbers as they are published. I see a few people doing that and, whilst it's good to be informed, it's something I wouldn't encourage. It's only going to be bad news for the next couple of weeks at least so it's a dangerous cycle to get into.

It's becoming quite morbid, each to their own though I suppose.

[Zazu62]

Having a bit of a hard time this week, was meant to be moving house but still stuck in a house where I am finding things difficult. It’s all about just trying to survive at the moment and hope i come out the other side with my mental health and freedom intact

[CropleyWasGod]

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Having a bit of a hard time this week, was meant to be moving house but still stuck in a house where I am finding things difficult. It’s all about just trying to survive at the moment and hope i come out the other side with my mental health and freedom intact

When we are in new and difficult situations like this, our primitive mind takes over. We find ourself reacting with one of the 3 F's.... Fight, flight or freeze. Look around you, and you'll see lots of evidence of that. I'm guessing you might be in the 3rd group.

As humans, we also have access to an intellectual mind, but that gets shouted down when the primitive brain is in full flow. Even just knowing that can be helpful, as slowly the intellectual mind starts to make some kind of sense about everything.

Your sense of survival is absolutely normal.... it's a primitive response, of course, but no less valid for that. For most of us just now, that's what we're doing.

My mantra in these situations is.... "find what works for you, and keep doing it". Pretty soon, people get round to the 4th F.... **** it

[wpj]

I am a single dad, I am really struggling not seeing my wee girl. I get on well with mum so that's a bonus but as I am at risk I cant see her. It is breaking my heart, we WhatsApp, she is four and very aware of what's going on, age appropriate of course. I am self isolating and have just started to go stir crazy, I have mental health issue on top of all this. I am writing this in the garden, late O clock.
Lucky I have my neighbours cat with me. My ex has my cat but she is very cool. I really miss my girl, I am watching videos of her. This really sucks. Stay safe netters

[Dalianwanda]

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I am a single dad, I am really struggling not seeing my wee girl. I get on well with mum so that's a bonus but as I am at risk I cant see her. It is breaking my heart, we WhatsApp, she is four and very aware of what's going on, age appropriate of course. I am self isolating and have just started to go stir crazy, I have mental health issue on top of all this. I am writing this in the garden, late O clock.
Lucky I have my neighbours cat with me. My ex has my cat but she is very cool. I really miss my girl, I am watching videos of her. This really sucks. Stay safe netters

if you want a chat tmrw then i’m around...happy to listen..stick in dude

[Sir David Gray]

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I am a single dad, I am really struggling not seeing my wee girl. I get on well with mum so that's a bonus but as I am at risk I cant see her. It is breaking my heart, we WhatsApp, she is four and very aware of what's going on, age appropriate of course. I am self isolating and have just started to go stir crazy, I have mental health issue on top of all this. I am writing this in the garden, late O clock.
Lucky I have my neighbours cat with me. My ex has my cat but she is very cool. I really miss my girl, I am watching videos of her. This really sucks. Stay safe netters

Hope you're ok pal. 💚

[wpj]

Thanks to you all. I am not coping, I will be ok tomorrow I'm sure. This is really Shte I cant sleep and cant go to work and i work for NHS. I am so lucky to have a garden I really need it.

[stu in nottingham]

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Thanks to you all. I am not coping, I will be ok tomorrow I'm sure. This is really Shte I cant sleep and cant go to work and i work for NHS. I am so lucky to have a garden I really need it.

Please accept my offer of support too, buddy, anytime. So difficult I can imagine, the situation with your youngster. It is hard but when you find yourself projecting forwards too much try as much as you can to be in the moment. The present is the best place for all of us right now.

You make a point about your neighbour's cat. Funnily enough, similar for me too. I don't know who this boy belongs to - if indeed anyone at all but he's here every single day and back again in the evening, sitting on my lap or close to me. I've never really had pets but how comforting he is, living alone as I do. Can't overestimate how therapeutic him being in my home is for me. I'm guessing people's pets will never have received so much attention!

[wpj]

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Please accept my offer of support too, buddy, anytime. So difficult I can imagine, the situation with your youngster. It is hard but when you find yourself projecting forwards too much try as much as you can to be in the moment. The present is the best place for all of us right now.

You make a point about your neighbour's cat. Funnily enough, similar for me too. I don't know who this boy belongs to - if indeed anyone at all but he's here every single day and back again in the evening, sitting on my lap or close to me. I've never really had pets but how comforting he is, living alone as I do. Can't overestimate how therapeutic him being in my home is for me. I'm guessing people's pets will never have received so much attention!

Thanks Stu, I always appreciate your support.
I had two cats, brother and sister, the sister passed away which broke my heart. Cash, the brother wonderfully named is pretty much aloof but when I go "home" he runs to me like a puppy. He is named after the man in black and just like Johnny he is a handful

[wpj]

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if you want a chat tmrw then i’m around...happy to listen..stick in dude

Thanks, totally mad times, I appreciate your message just cant sleep going to make a loaf of bread, at least I have food to cook. Need to catch up on the cooking tips thread

[oconnors_strip]

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Thanks to you all. I am not coping, I will be ok tomorrow I'm sure. This is really Shte I cant sleep and cant go to work and i work for NHS. I am so lucky to have a garden I really need it.

I work for the nhs aswell and will message you a contact number for staff to phone for help and support

[AFKA5814_Hibs]

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It must be awful as a parent to watch your child become so unhappy and not have any way of helping them.

The teenage years can be such a horrible time in someone's life. I hated high school and got bullied as well. It affected me a lot and to be honest I feel I'm still dealing with the effects of it today and that was from about 16 or 17 years ago.

Although I never reached the depths that your daughter got to, I often felt so alone and didn't feel like I could reach out to anyone.

It's great your daughter has managed to get the help that she needed and sounds like she's in a much stronger place already. Fingers crossed for her that it's onwards and upwards.

Sorry, just noticed your reply SDG. The school were actually very supportive of her and cant complain about how they handled the situation. She is certainly much happier now she has left school, she is a teenager so still prone to a few moody turns, but much better, thanks.

As you say, you still have affects from your school days, so she probably will as well, it probably will never really leave her, but hopefully these will become less so as she becomes older.