Starting at the beginning...

Hello to everyone who is reading this blog, I hope you find it useful.

I'm just going to start with a little bit about me. I have suffered from stress and anxiety disorder and depression since I was a teenager, and after being put on anti-depressants twice and having a fair amount of counselling I didn't suffer for about two years. In recent weeks I have slowly seen my depression come back, and reluctant to go back on drugs I am trying to find ways I can use my previous experiences of beating depression and any other advice I can find to help combat this again. I am at a very crucial point in my career and feel it is suffering because of what I am experiencing outside of the workplace. I thought I would keep a record of this to maybe help others through my battle with depression.

I have began today by just searching the Internet and making a list of techniques I thought might help me. There is a lot out there, I have made a list one A4 side of lots of different techniques and intend to spend at least 30 minutes a day trying to put some of these into action. I don't have a lot of time during the week but it has got to the point where I have to make time for this, or risk cracking and then losing my career.

So tonight I have started this blog. I am now going to make myself a cup of Camomile tea and going to pick up my book I have been meaning to finish for months and months, and by doing so try to get my mind away from the negative and depressive thoughts that go through my mind.

Tomorrow I am going to get up early and take time to plan my day and week, I am the sort of person who needs to be in control and so needs plans and structure to follow. I intend to plan and prepare as much of my week in advance as possible, putting in 'me' time when I can do activities such as reading which have nothing to do with my career, I think my brain will benefit from that break, and then taking things one day at a time. My goal at the moment is to make it to Christmas, that is 7 weeks to get through, one day and one week at a time.