A support forum for writers dealing with mental illness |
I think the best advice I've received is to always get some exercise, at least thirty minutes a day, to help get the blood circulating through the body. I always feel good after a brief walk so I take about ten minutes and go for a walk a couple times a day. I may not get a full thirty minutes, but it helps. It's nice to step away from what you're doing and give your mind time to wander. The worst advice I received has actually been from one of my doctors. She finds it unnecessary that I take so much medicine. I take my antidepressant in the morning along with my Adderall for my ADD. Then at night, I take three other meds, an antidepressant medicine booster, so-to-speak, a medicine that helps to keep my highs and lows to a minimum, and a medicine for IBS. So, a total of five pills. She feels that it's excessive and kind of feels sorry for me, I think. But I only see her once a year so I let it just roll off of me. I know that it works for me and I'm not ashamed. I, personally, wish I didn't have to take medicine, but I know that it's going to be a 'rest of my life' thing—and I'm okay with that. I think the advice I would give a friend struggling with the same issues is to always take your medicine, especially when you're feeling better. Don't stop taking it. I actually gave that advice to a friend about a week ago. She went to the doctor this week and got back on her meds. I'm so proud of her. I don't think it's a good idea for a layman to give advice, only because most of what they probably know about the illness is incorrect, so it wouldn't be helpful. However, if that layman said something like, "I don't have a clue what it's like to have, [enter illness here], but what would doing this or that maybe help," would be more acceptable than just stating something they've only read or heard about. |