Trouble sleeping?

Hey guys,

This is just a quick update for those of you who have problems sleeping. This can be having problems falling asleep, staying asleep or getting up in the morning. This is something quite common for me, and I know how frustrating it is. Being so mentally and emotionally drained and wanting to just sleep for hours when you can't even manage to drift off. So I'm just going to share some things that I do, and some things that have been recommended to me to try to get a better nights sleep. 

Getting off to sleep;


~ A warm bath/shower before going to bed; it'll help to relax you and can be quite soothing. It can also be nice to use your favourite scented products too. (Personally, I love lush products!) but you could also try something lavender scented. As well as being relaxing, this also gives you some wind down time before sleeping, so I do this a lot. 

~ Hot drinks before bed; I would say to avoid coffee, or adding sugar to your drinks. But tea, herbal fruit tea's, and hot chocolate can work quite well. I've heard of a lot of people having the original Horlicks drink before going to bed, as that's advertised as being a before bed drink, aimed at trying to help you sleep better. But personally I've not noticed any difference between that and the other hot drinks. 


~ Wind down activities; things such as reading by low light, watching some tv or a film quietly, listening to soft music for a while before bed could help. For the best chance of getting off to sleep easier, it's not a good idea to keep your brain too active by doing something that takes up a lot of attention and concentration. 

~ Try to make simple preparations for the next day; Chances are, if you're too anxious or stressed about the next day, it's going to make it even harder to get off to sleep as you'll be too busy worrying and all of the negative thoughts will just be going around in your head. Try breaking it down into simple plans, write it down if you need to, or talk to someone if that's possible. It's a gentle way of convincing yourself nothing is going to happen, and you don't need to worry as much as you are. By getting it off your chest, it could make you more relieved or relaxed.  

There's no guaranteed way of preventing yourself from waking up during the night, but if you do, you could try the following. Getting back to sleep;

~ Staying out of your thoughts; I know it's very easy when you are repeatedly waking up to start panicking and becoming stressed over your inability to fall back to sleep. But that will just keep you up longer. Try staying in your relaxed position instead of sitting up. The stress will only encourage 
you to stay awake even longer. Instead of focusing on your thoughts, focus on how you're feeling, and the relaxation. 

~ Relax and don't focus; Don't focus too much on the sleeping itself. If you're laying there repeating in your head "why can't I sleep, I need to go to sleep..." it'll just keep your brain active and encourage the stress and worry. Try to let your mind go blank, you could even try the old counting sheep exercise.  

Getting up in the morning; 

~ Give yourself something to look forward to; For me, it's always helped knowing I have something to look forward to the next day, even if it's just a little something. You can call it your reward for getting up if that suits you. 

~ Messages to yourself; Personally, because of the depression it makes it quite hard even having the motivation to get up some days, which I don't think helps the matter. I've done it a few times where I've set alarms on my phone, or sometimes notes on there with an inspirational quote, or just 
something motivational to remind myself of the good things rather than just how I'm feeling in that moment

Of course none of these are going to have an immediate affect on your sleeping patterns, or even work for you for that matter. Different things work for different people, and some of these things are really only all that good for the short term help, if you've been experiencing bad sleeping problems and have found yourself very tired and lacking a lot of energy during the day, I would suggest seeking advice from a professional. Until next time, sleep tight! ♡










"Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again" 

~ Alice 

Depression

Hey guys,

So as you can tell, the topic of this update is depression, so here goes. 


At the moment I guess I'm not in the best of places my self, but I'm not fully at my worst. When I am at my worst I won't want to leave my room, never mind my house. I lose interest in the things that would usually distract me or keep me going, and nothing sounds more appealing to me than being curled up in bed listening to music, away from the rest of the world. I lose all desire to do anything and avoid as much communication as possible. Usually I just feel like I need to be left alone to get through it by myself and have the time I need, but that way it can become very easy for me to get stuck in this rut that it takes me a while to get out of. I know sometimes a bit of encouragement and support can go a long way, but it's hard for me to listen to and appreciate any positive advice and what other people think I should do, because I seem to go into this defensive mode where the "No one understands me, or cares" and the "Everyone's against me" thoughts seem to go around in my head. 

Usually putting on a front in public is something I'm pretty used to if I'm honest, but when I'm at my worst that itself just doesn't seem possible. If I have to leave the house when I'm feeling this way I have very teary eyes, I feel tense, insecure and just horrible. It's the worst feeling I've experienced along side panic attacks. 


 Fortunately, though I have a pretty much non existent social life, I do have a family who care and try to support me, and have been doing so for years. Even if sometimes I can't see it and I just think their complaining and pushing me into things, I know they're doing it for my own good. And I appreciate that in my own way once I come out of the other side of it, however long that may take. There's just a lot of differences of opinions, and them constantly wanting to do what's best for me that sometimes makes us clash. I don't suppose it's nice for them seeing me go through some of the things I have been through, but sometimes it feels like they need to remember its not been great for me being the one actually going through it either. 

A majority of the time I just think that my room is my comfort zone, where I feel safe and at ease, so why should I have to leave it? But I have realised that sometimes it can be for the best. Sometimes, with support and encouragement, you just need to try and push yourself out of this, get back on your feet and keep trying. Sure, take the time you need to help yourself feel better, but don't become too comfortable and too afraid to try and help yourself to get well again, I've done it enough myself. And nothing good has come from it. In fact I do it almost every time. I take some time for myself, and that time just doesn't seem to end, I get too comfortable in staying in this little bubble I have at home and don't see any point in changing it. I just keep telling myself that I need more time, which doesn't solve anything, it's just a hard habit to change. 


Some of the signs and symptoms of Depression; 

~ Trouble sleeping; can't get to sleep, keep waking up, difficulty getting up. 
~ Finding it difficult to concentrate and focus on tasks. 
~ Strong feelings of being hopeless and helpless. 
~ Over eating or complete loss of appetite. 
~ Complete loss of interest in things that you would usually enjoy. 
~ Find it hard to control negative thoughts and emotions. 
~ Feeling more irritable, short tempered, aggressive, or restless than usual. 
~ You have thoughts that life is not worth living; Self-harm and suicidal tendencies.  
~ Consuming more alcohol than normal or engaging in reckless behaviour. 
~ Reoccurring worries that you're going crazy or mad. 


If you have been experiencing any of the above for a while with no change you could be suffering with a form of Depression. Please don't just "put up with it" seek professional guidance and advice. 


I understand not everyone is receiving support. Which is partly the reason for me setting up my blog and email, to give support to those of you who don't get it anywhere else. You're going through a hard enough time as it is, without not having someone to talk to. Everyone falls down every now and then and just needs someone to help pick them up, that's what I'm here for. And remember, you're not as alone as you may think ♡













"Have I gone mad?"
"I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."


~ Alice and The Mad Hatter