Tag Archives: MD
Mother’s Day. parenting with MD
It can be difficult to know how to best care for your child when you yourself are struggling with mental illness. Here are a few tips that may help:
1. Make sure you are getting the help and support you need. This may include therapy, medication, and/or other forms of assistance. It is important to take care of yourself so that you can be there for your child.
2. Create a routine and stick to it as much as possible. This can help both you and your child feel more stable and can make it easier to manage day-to-day life.
3. Seek out support from others. There are many organizations and groups out there that can offer support. This can be a great way to connect with other parents who are dealing with similar issues.
4. Take breaks when needed. It is okay to take a break from parenting if you are feeling overwhelmed. Ask a friend or family member to step in for a while so that you can take some time for yourself. By following these tips, you can provide your child with the best possible care even while dealing with mental illness.
Spending time with your child is important to their growth, but also is very helpful with you controlling your maladaptive daydreaming. Being engaged with them helps you stay in the present.
Maladaptive Daydreaming- Working it out
How does your maladaptive daydreaming affect your ability to work? Are you able to hold a full time job? Do you work in a creative field? Many people say MDD makes them more creative. I found it to be the opposite. But I do believe MDD effects creative people more then others. So does it help or hinder your work?
I find it very difficult to work with MDD. It is sometimes worse then others. When it is bad concentrating is almost impossible. Making finishing projects very hard. And put me in a boring meeting, and I am a thousand miles away in a few seconds. Which might be fun if you weren’t accountable for the information you miss.
How do you “work it out”? I find that working in shorts bursts helps. Frequent breaks to walk around, get some water, whatever to break up my train of thought. If not the daydreams take over and I find myself staring at my keyboard or tablet, having lost time. Lapsing into a dreamlike “coma” I also find that when working on a rush project I push myself and get very tense and nervous, fighting the daydreams to spend more time working. I become a ticking time bomb of nerves. Hoping an unexpecting coworker doesn’t trigger me with a simple “how are you?” I hate that question. I hate the casual lie, “Fine” because I’m not. But they don’t really want to know.
Here’s a peek at what I do at work. So you can see why it is so hard NOT to daydream.
Maladaptive Daydreaming- Forever Young
Do you look younger than your age? I’ve talked to many maladaptive daydreamers who say they are told that they look younger then they are. I am also told that allot. So my question is, since we most often dream a younger version of ourselves, are we slowing the aging process?
Crazy? maybe not. They haven’t even began to understand fully how the mind affects the body. You know the old saying, “you’re as young as you feel.”
Creative visualization and aging
“The power of imagery can also be a tool in rejuvenation. Some therapists use imagery to guide us as we are immersed in an experience of ‘age regression’ designed to carry us back via our memories to earlier stages of life associated with feelings of youthfulness and vitality.”
http://www.slowagingblog.com/mind/creative-visualization-and-aging
Exceeding Your Limits: Visualization
“Meditation can reduce stress, cause your immune system to work better, slow down the aging process, ”
http://mikejhca.hubpages.com/hub/Exceeding-Your-Limits-Visualization
LINKS:
Radio Show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/daydreaming/2013/07/21/maladaptive-daydreaming-forever-young
find archive past shows at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/daydreaming
YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7uWSikSRVA
Maladaptive Daydreaming- Attitude
Do you have a bad attitude? Is it due to your maladaptive daydreaming? Like the old joke about the woman who wakes up and hits her husband for cheating on her in her dream. Are the events of our daydreams effecting the way we treat the people close to us? I don’t have much control over the content of my daydreams. I have noticed that if the daydream characters are arguing then I feel agitated towards those around me. I have to be very careful not to take out that anger on them.
I don’t know if it works the other way around, I mean I don’t have happy daydreams so I can’t speak for whether or not they give you a positive attitude towards those around you. Maybe you know.
“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” proverbs 23:7 Thats a scary concept. I don’t want to be the character in my daydreams. She is more like the weak and frightened inner child needing to be rescued. I am not like that, I am a strong person. Is the movie in our head shaping who we are? Changing our attitudes, even our personalities??
Maladaptive Daydreaming- Hypnosis
I went back to the councilor. Seeing that talking about the daydreams, getting it out, wasn’t moving me forward. He suggested we try something else. He suggested I try hypnosis. Now that scares me. I have heard all my life that hypnosis opens you up to demon pocession. So I have a fear of it. Strange how beliefs you grow up with can limit your openess to try new things. Now my concilour is an ordained minister and says that much of what people think you can do with hypnosis is simply false. They can’t make a sleeper agent that can be triggered to commit crimes then not remember doing it. Nope, he says that is not possible. He said if that kind of mind control was possible they would just hypnotize all the criminals in prisons and they would never commit another crime. But it doesn’t work that way. He gave me a CD, Trancework for any negative disorder, to listen to and told me to think about doing a real hypnosis sesson.
So I am reserching the use of hypnosis for mental issues. I am at the point of being willing to try just about anything. Anyone out there tried it?
http://www.hypnosic.com/hypnosis/self-hypnosis/
” Hypnosis is as normal as a daydream, and in fact a daydream is a form of hypnosis!”
FAQ: Is Day Dreaming Hypnosis?
“Yes. Daydreaming is a hypnotic state that is much deeper than most people would realize. Daydreaming trance is a natural normal process that everyone experiences.”
http://www.adam-eason.com/2009/11/13/the-value-of-daydreaming-and-self-hypnosis/
“We can manage the external world and daydream at the same time. To do that you have to know what you can get away with. Some part of the brain has to know. This idea is often used (though in slightly different terms) to illustrate the metaphor of conscious and unconscious functioning in hypnosis… And many people liken hypnosis and self-hypnosis to the state of daydreaming.”
“Daydreaming is an effective form of self-hypnosis as well as a wonderful way to program your mind to attain your goals.”
but if you daydream about things you could never possibly attain, are you programing yourself to be disappointed and depressed?
http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/thinking-skills/stop-daydreaming
“Use hypnosis to help you stop daydreaming and focus on what you really need to do”
Daydreaming in the news
“You can spot someone who’s daydreaming from a mile away. The glazed eyes, the slack lower lip, the hands positioned like adorable puppy paws. Never disturb someone in this dissociative state. They may momentarily regard you as an adversary who’s preventing them from having sex with Megan Fox and maul your face like a brown bear.”
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/shouts/2013/03/the-science-of-daydreams.html#ixzz2MrGctoEh
Maladaptive Daydreaming- Nutrition and your brain
Does our diet affect our mental health? Can we reduce our maladaptive daydreaming with the proper nutrition? Dietary deficiencies can cause many cognitive problems. An article I found lists some common vitamins and minerals along with some serious mental problems their deficiencies can cause.
Nutritional inadequacy is commonly linked to psychological irregularity. Substances in the brain (known as neurotransmitters) control proper brain function. Nutrients play a large role in controlling mental problems. Emotional distress may be a function of an inadequate supply of a certain vitamin or mineral. Below is a list of common nutrient deficiencies and related mental symptoms adapted from Ojeda, 1995:
- Vitamin B-1 (thiamin): Loss of appetite, depression, irritability, memory loss, sensitivity to noise, inability to concentrate, fatigue, reduced attention span
- Vitamin B-3 (niacin): Insomnia, nervousness, irritability, confusion, depression, hallucination, loss of memory
- Vitamin B-6: Anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia
- Vitamin B-12 (cobalamine): Difficulty concentrating and remembering, depression, severe agitation, hallucinations, manic behavior
- Folic Acid: Irritability, weakness, apathy, hostility, anemia
- Vitamin C: Increased stress, fatigue
- Vitamin E: Depression, lethargy
- Potassium: Nervousness, irritability, mental disorientation
- Magnesium: Paranoid psychosis
- Calcium: Anxiety, neurosis, fatigue, insomnia, tension
- Zinc: Anemia, poor mental function
- Iron: Depression, lethargy, poor concentration, irritability, decreased attention span
- Essential Fatty Acids: Anxiety, irritability, insomnia
I have tried taking many supplements but without much success yet. As for diet, I think most of us know how we should be eating. You know, natural foods, less processed, fewer grains and carbs, more green vegetables. But knowing and doing is not the same thing. It is HARD to eat right. I hate green vegetables. In today’s fast pasted life we want fast, and easy. We are addicted to sugar and processed carbs. The modern lifestyle may have contributed to the increase in mental health problems over the years. It would be easier if we got an immediate payoff to our efforts. Like if I eat a plate of spinach then my MD would reduce or I’d drop a few pounds. But it takes time for our bodies to repair the damage we have spent years creating. And it often takes a long time of being good to start to feel the results. Unfortunately I often give up before seeing the payoff.
Cognitive Symptoms of Menopause(source of list above)
http://www.redhotmamas.org/component/content/article/39-volume9/294-cognitive-symptoms-menopause
Low fat diet missing essential brain nutrients and leads to cognitive decline
http://www.naturalnews.com/031504_low-fat_diet_brain_function.html#ixzz2KnrJtKAO
New Science-Based Cookbook Aims to Improve Brain Health
Nutrition: Brainpower Tied to Omega-3 Levels
Brain Boosters: Cognitive Function Foods
http://bitesizewellness.com/2012/04/brain-boosters-cognitive-function-foods/
Maladaptive Daydreaming- Daydream therapists
Anyone else dreaming up their own therapist? If so does it offer you insight to your issues or just rehash the same old things?
I have noticed that some of my DDs involve me going to see a therapist as part of the story line. I do or say something that gets me ordered to go to “medical” for an evaluation lol. But I think the discussion that follows seems to help me in my real life coping.
In one story, I am working as a time agent, secret group that time travels to document historic events. The controller of our group asks me out. I go and we seem to have a good time. During the date we discuss the upcoming mission to Scotland. Having a little too much to drink I share too much info about my wanting to live in the past, to find someone there and start a new life. The next day I go in to work to find the controller has pulled my certification and suspended me until I undergo a psychic exam to ensure I’m not going to go awol on the mission. I feel betrayed. But the mandatory doc visit brings out a dialog that is much like what I would like to say to a real therapist. If I could find one who would take me seriously.
Other story lines start with me awol and I’m tracked down, captured, sedated, and strapped to a bed in a mental ward. Then go through the doctor dialog following that. Sometimes it’s after a traumatic event, grief counseling etc.
I guess my mind is screaming to me to see a therapist. Lol.
The problem being that your dream therapist can’t tell you anything YOU don’t already know. Seeing that he/she is part of your imagination. But a new concept in therapy involves the virtual world. This maybe just what the introvert needs. Logging into a recorded session with an avatar or skyping a real therapist. These could be good ways to reach people who feel uncomfortable going to a therapist.
Virtual Therapists: The Avatar Will See You Now
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-12/avatar-will-see-you-now
Could a virtual therapist improve YOUR life?
Skype Away: Online Therapy is Still Exciting!
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/09/24/skype-away-online-therapy-is-still-exciting/
Virtual reality treatment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ppm2lhpkXs
Big Bang Theory- Sheldon the therapist
Maladaptive Daydreaming- Intermissions and Remission
Do you have intermissions? A time between the end of one daydream and the beginning of another. Or do your daydreams flow continually? Mine start and stop and the time in between is very disturbing, full of anxiety. Like someone changing the channels while you’re watching tv. Scenes will flash through my mind, some from the daydream that just ended, some from past daydreams, all with strong emotional events. Sometimes the same one will repeat changing some details.
Even though this is a time of mental upheaval and confusion I try to prolong it as much as I can. Due to the simple fact that I am not controlled by a daydream in that time. I try to keep myself distracted much like you do a fussy toddler. Even talking out load to myself, “look, at that, isn’t that interesting” But like a fussy toddler it only works for a short time. Sooner or later a new image will lock in and take off. I will be left mentally exhausted. Strange, my mind will then quiet some, allowing me some use of the leftover attention and consciousness. As the new daydream runs along in the background. Is there a way to grasp our sanity in this space of time and shut down the default network? I think I will try using the mindfulness meditation during the down time to see what happens.
There are some who do not have this down time or intermissions. They have a whole other life that runs along the same time line as their current one, sometimes for years. Their characters age along with them. The founder of Wild minds network was mentioned in a Yahoo article that described her fantasy world as being decades long.
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/daydreams-dont-stop-strange-true-condition-130800916.html
“Cordellia Amethyste Rose leads a double life. There’s the version we can see: Cordellia the withdrawn, anxious 32-year-old with two cats. And there’s the version only Cordellia sees, a decades-long fantasy of her idealized self, who is also named Cordellia (but goes by Baby) and is a successful musician/actress with a husband and eight children.”
I also have a friend who is a writer and he says his daydreams continually run. He has written a book based on the daydream characters and says the story didn’t end where he ended the book. It continues day to day. I find this fascinating and very foreign to my experience. Maybe I am the one who is the odd one in this matter. I’m glad mine have not continued, since they are mostly disturbing and depressing. More like reoccurring nightmares then pleasant fantasy retreats.
Remission
Recovering from Chronic Mental Illness: Reconciling With Relapse
“The word remission is different than the word recovered. Remission implies, in the context of chronic mental illness, an abating of symptoms, a period of stability. A time in which life moves as smoothly as it can. It’s lovely, but you ask yourself, will it last? Will I relapse? In my life, this question bothers me immensely. But it’s something I try not to think about, and you might want to do the same. If we are focused on the possibility of relapse when in remission, the stress of that can, in fact, trigger an episode.
That is the most difficult part: forgetting that a chronic mental illness is, in fact, chronic. Remission is often determined to be recovered. When the symptoms of mental illness are gone, when you are stable, you are in recovery. The symptoms of the mental illness have lessened. But if you cannot accept the reality of relapse, that it might happen or it might not, recovery is fruitless. You cannot enjoy it. Recovery, remission, hard fought, should be cherished but it’s difficult, to say the least, to ignore the word relapse. To live without it dwelling in the back of your psyche.
Learning to Embrace the Reality of Relapse
This is a tall order. Is it possible to embrace the notion that we might not always be well? I argue that in order to become well, to stay well, we must.
You cannot walk through life full of fear. Well, you can, but that isn’t living at all. It is simply existing. The body is not properly connected to the mind. In order to recover, to achieve remission, you must understand that you might relapse. Your life will probably not be entirely smooth. It might be a bit harder than those who do not have a chronic mental illness, it probably will be, but your life is worth fighting for.”
I went into remission. Recently during an intermission, the struggle to prevent a new story from kicking in got easier. I continued to distract myself and kept busy. Trying to keep my mind focused on work. After a few hours I was really confused by the weakening of the changing pictures in my mind. My mood was more upbeat as well. It would seem the depression was going into remission as well. One day, one night, two days, two nights, I couldn’t believe my mind was clear. I felt normal again. No more depression, or coldness. I didn’t need to be away from people. I was actually enjoying other people’s company. But I was very fearful about it coming back. How long would I have? After a year and 8 months struggling with MD, I tried to accept this time as a gift and live it to the fullest. Take it day by day and see how it went.
Now I did not just get stronger will or something like that. I fought just as hard every time a DD ended, and during. Trying to stop it. This remission had nothing to do with my will power or efforts. It is just my mind or chemistry or something outside of my control. It stopped as quickly as it began and just as uncontrollably. After 5 days it came back. The sadness of it returned as well. I wish I knew why it stopped, so I could repeat it. But I haven’t a clue. I can only hope and pray it will stop again. Until then I guess I should go back and relisten to the shows on coping and accepting. 🙂
Maladaptive daydreaming- Accepting ourselves
An important part of our recovery or coping with daily life with MD is learning to accept ourselves. With all our flaws. To be kind and loving to ourselves. This has been a real struggle for me. I have always been an “identify the problem, get a plan, and fix it” kind of person. So when MD started, I researched like crazy, still do, ran to doctors, tried medications. But sadly began to realize that there was no magic pill. No “cure”. With this revelation came despair. The more I tried to control it the angrier I would get at myself for failing. Now I think I’m finally figuring out that this may be who I am from now on. I need to accept myself, right now, in this flawed state. Maybe I could blame genetics, over three generations my family has had four schizophrenics, possibly five, and two epileptics. (one bipolar if you count me but I don’t agree with the diagnosis) So faulty mental wiring runs in my family. But blaming doesn’t change anything. It’s time to accept, and more on.
Galatians 5:14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
AS YOURSELF- we are not only to love those around us but are commanded to love ourselves.
Articles:
Loving And Accepting Yourself
http://healthymind.sg/adult.aspx?id=130
Accept Who You Are
How to improve your mental wellbeing – Mind
http://www.mind.org.uk/mental_health_a-z/7986_how_to_improve_your_mental_wellbeing
7 Ways to Accept Yourself for Who You Are
http://www.tara-west.com/2010/accept-yourself-for-who-you-are/
Videos:
Accepting yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tixffN68VjE
accepting your reality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loZkXfDhh6k
accept your flaws
maladaptive daydreaming 
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