Reposting a lot of my self care tips here
First, I think you might benefit from seeing your PCP. If *they* recommend psychotherapy & medication, seriously consider following through on their recommendation
Second, if there are any responsibilities in your life draining you right now that you can afford to say no to, then feel free to say no to them.
Keep in mind if you are depressed/burnt out some people still need things outside them as responsibilities to help them keep moving/feeling connected.
WELLNESS
This is basic lifestyle advice I don't think violates TOS
How Should I Proceed?
you have to scroll up one for my post on self care
I'm going to rewrite my advice here, all of this it would be best to cover with your personal medical providers
I just read something by Dr, Pamela Wible on KevinMD to a med student experiencing burn out
she makes a point that with burn out, "feeling numb", getting back into your body is important
she recommends weekly massage for getting back in touch with your body / relax
Make a point of getting a hug a day.
I recommend psycheducation.org Dr. Phelps' website, it is aimed at bipolar but he talks about blue light's effect on sleep which I find valuable, and most of my lifestyle advice for sleep & blue light is based off his site, he cites lots of research
1) routine, especially sleep
-I don't know if you sleep with a partner, but I would recommend taking whatever steps to ensure your sleep hygiene is good, even if that means you two sleep separate (studies show people physically have worse sleep quality with a partner, but subjective rating of quality is higher, so it's up to you what will be best for how you are doing). Remember, you don't have to sleep together to sleep together.
-same wake time, same sleep time, *even on weekends,* allot enough hours. if you can avoid fighting your natural rhythm (morning lark vs night owl) that would be good
-cool, dark room free of pets (I have to have an electronic scat shock mat to keep my cats from scratching at the door at night)
-if needed, invest in darkening shades perhaps, that will block out the light that might wake you in the am, but you could invest in a sunrise simulator (you can even just plug a lamp into a cheap timer) with a daylight spectrum bulb, if this conflicts with partner, consider a facemask
-cut out electronics or tone down the blue light with apps like f.lux after the sun goes down
-one may need to reduce the number of hours they are sleeping or in bed - if you can even change from being in bed to being on the couch, that would be an improvement. If you could even sit in a chair outside for 5 minutes, that would be a real accomplishment for the day.
2) don't skip a good breakfast
3) don't go hungry, eat healthy
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I'm not sure what your current pattern is. If you want to share what's going on there, I likely have some tips.
4) no caffeine within 8 hours of sleep, or after 2-4 pm,
-some people find they get a midday "slump" from caffeine and feel better cutting it out entirely.
-If you drink regularly and are going to try to cut it out, anticipate possible headache and have a plan with your provider possibly including an OTC med like tylenol or ibuprofen
5) with consultation of a physician consider melatonin if needed,
(sometimes in depression improving sleep quality can reduce miserable hours in bed, but without knowing more about your case, and not giving advice, I would be sure to discuss all of this with a provider first)
-less is more with dosage, main side effect can be freaky nightmares which often levels out, risk is that it *can* worsen depression in some but that's rare, it can have a paradoxical effect at high doses (meaning opposite to intended effect) so always start low go slow
-don't use herbs for medical purposes without talking to your primary care provider.
6) drink more water, this is easier to do *with* food, but just carrying some around with you can help encourage intake.
-To encourage myself to drink water (I'm picky) I invested in a Brita filter, make ice using that water, and drink out of a large glass mason jar with lid so my cat can't knock it over (she loves to!).
-You can also do herbal unsweetened tea.
-There is no magic number but I aim for 2L a day.
-Most of us, especially caffeine/soda drinkers, walk around chronically dehydrated, eventually the feedback loop regulating this will turn off your thirst drive, so initially you may have to "force" yourself to drink water, you will adjust
7) cut out all alcohol for now.
-if you go out with friends, there are plenty of things you can ask to have "virgin."
-if your friends ask and you don't want to explain, just say you're on a "cleanse" or some hippy thing.
-I buy non-caffeinated root beer in glass bottles so I still get the "treat" / psychosocial aspect of drinking without the alcohol at home. Soda isn't ideal but it's a better choice to substitute for a weekend beer on your porch if you are struggling with mental health
8) no marijuana. Really, no marijuana.
-If giving up these things bums you out, just remember it's temporary.
-In my opinion, booze & MJ don't help feelings of burn out. A single stressful day? Maybe, but burnout, no.
-goes without saying, none of the other street drugs either. Really.
9) I personally see benefit to a multivitamin although I can't say the studies are dramatically behind me.
-Data is mixed but particularly look into vitamin D (90% of us tested above a certain parallel in the US test deficient, don't just rely on the summer to replenish you),
-consider fish oil too, Costco enteric coated from Amazon is cheap, keep in freezer to avoid fish burps, the most common side effect.
-Talk about iron with your doctor and be sure to include good dietary sources.
10) Exercise but I know that can be hard,
-even just getting 10 minutes of walking a day more than what you're doing now, a brisk walk.
-Stretching/yoga!! Netflix has some programs so you can do it from home, or YouTube videos, even just pictures online.
-Stretching by Bob Anderson is my fave resource for home stretching.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=stretching,+bob+anderson&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=28618117647&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=491951793333905093&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_79e40b5ucp_e
-A foam roller does amazing things for my neck, back, IT band. There are large ones and travel sized ones.
-A TheraCane is a nice way to make love to yourself.
11) If you can sit by a window with a view, maybe with a little plant or beta fish to keep you company, sunlight, having plants/pets life that depends on you helps. Gardening, even just a few potted plants.
12) Time with nature, maybe go to the zoo or aquarium.
Sometimes just looking at the animals at Petsmart cheers me up
13) I suggest looking into Adult Children of Alcoholics/Dysfunctional families, you can google them and see if that fits you or might be helpful, even if you don't think it reading my post at least check out the website
14) Look into meditation, mindfulness techniques, guided meditation, relaxing music, biofeedback programs
15) Daily rituals like hot tub, warm bath, candles, incense, herbal tea, aromatherapy
16) Read some comics everyday, something to make you laugh. xkcd is one online example.
17) More ambitious: swimming, camping, hiking, beach, river, bike riding, even just day trips, scenic drives
18) Google Thich Nhat Han. I've found a lot of his writings very inspirational.
When I get really depressed/burnt out, I start at the top of this list, and try to slowly work down it as I can. Doing it all at once can be too much. But as you add each step of wellness and feel better, it gets easier to add another
In my opinion, the best thing for burn out is to basically stop doing/worrying about as much as I can, and start over with self care. Maslow's hierarchy, start with the biological like sleep & food, and work up to pleasurable low stress activities
