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What do you do to maintain the strength to keep trying?

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prynne

MyPTSD Pro
Lately, I’ve been having a hard time doing the things that I need to do to get better. Everything is just so difficult and it’s hard to keep going when you feel like nothing you do is making a difference. This seems to be the downfall of most mentally ill people I’ve met who aren’t (currently) recovering, and miserable people in general, so I think this is an important topic.

One of my old therapists told me that physical recharging, by sleeping and resting, is only one type of recharging. She said that we also need spiritual/emotional recharging, to replenish our will to keep living/trying, or we become the kind of tired that sleep can’t fix.

Usually, I get this spiritual/emotional recharge by avoiding all responsibilities for weeks at a time, after I burn out so hard that it all feels impossible. I’ve been trying to find healthier ways to do this, so I’m wondering how you guys do it.

So far some things that I’ve found that help a bit are: thinking about the things I want to do in life that I haven’t done yet, receiving affection/validation from other people, feeling a connection with people, watching a good, inspiring movie (especially Studio Ghibli), having a fun day or night out, going on vacation, learn something new and interesting, and being in nature. I think these things would count as good stress in the PTSD cup analogy
 
my tools for managing this phenom are numerous and diverse. i allow myself to get creative with the process. i often think my higher power contributes many creative solutions when i can quiet my monkey mind far enough to listen. my higher power never shouts, so it is important to quiet my rambunctious monkey mind in order the hear. the two critical tools i use every time are:

1) stay task oriented. i don't need to worry about cleaning the whole house and yard. just sweep the floor, or whatever. if **just** sweeping the floor proves to be more than i can handle, i remind myself to be gentle with myself and patient with the process.

2) itsy bitsy baby steps. breaking ^it^ down into small steps makes each step easier and more manageable. those itsy bitsy baby steps add up in a hurry.
 
Good conversations usually get me inspired. Had it hammered in early that community is the most vital aspect of healing trauma. As loathe as I am to admit it at times, when people just plain piss me off, I have to just grit my teeth and try again. Isolationism is my nature. I'm like an animal, I retreat to lick my wounds where no one can see me vulnerable. This's slowly and steadily changing, and I've been pleasantly shocked to discover I actually have friends, now.
 
those itsy bitsy baby steps add up in a hurry.
This is something I'm trying to get myself to start doing more. My instinct is always to do everything at once, even though things go way better for me when I do tiny pieces at a time. I guess I'm just still learning that it's okay to not do things the way that everyone else seems to do them.
Isolationism is my nature. I'm like an animal, I retreat to lick my wounds where no one can see me vulnerable.
Me too. I learned that if I'm alone, then no one can hurt me. I isolate myself automatically, don't even think about what I'm doing or why. Even after two years of my boyfriend reminding me that there are people who care when I don't want to leave the house for a week. It's slowly getting better
community is the most vital aspect of healing trauma
No one ever told me this, but this site has made me think it's true. Community is helping me in ways that 8 years of individual therapy were never able to accomplish.
 
I guess I'm just still learning that it's okay to not do things the way that everyone else seems to do them.

for my own strictly personals, i put the emphasis on **seems**. fact is that even the people i spend the most time with are not under my constant observation. it is all too easy for me to look at years of hard work and persistence and gain the impression that they stopped at walmart to pick up their startling success on the way to visit me. then we get to the folly of comparing my insides to their outsides. not a fair comparison, not even for the people i see every day.

gentle empathy on the impulses to do everything at once. give me high drama and accolades! ! ! sigh. . . itsy bitsy baby steps are, far and away, more manageable than leaping tall social injustices in a single bound.
 
Sunrise / sunsets
Feeding the birds
Being in nature generally
Playing a computer game sometimes
Comedy shows
Beautiful surroundings / art / clothes
Making art
Playing a musical instrument
Dancing
Music
A good chat
Mindfulness / meditating
 
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