Hi guys. It’s been a few weeks of waking up in the late morning, not eating, drinking water or brushing teeth till well into the afternoon. No exercise either. I got the flu last month and ever since then have been rotting away, never feeling 100% even thought I’m “healthy” now. How do I pick myself back up?
What helps me is to set small goals. Sit down and make a list of small tasks you can accomplish easily. If you setup a list like get these 20 things done in one day which in your current state of mind might not be realistic….you run a chance to miss that goal and dig your self deeper. So first thing on the list , “make this list” and check that off. The second thing we put is to forgive ourselves if we failed to complete something from the day before. Then check that off. Boom you are already up two. Then maybe next goal , eat a healthy meal. Don’t add anything more. Work on that for the day. Once you finish a day with those three check marks , next day we make a new list. First thing, make the list and check that off. Second we forgive ourselves for any we failed the day before because we are only human. Third eat a healthy meal. Then fourth, brush your teeth. Once you finish those things off in one day, next day make a list and have 5 things and so on and so forth. The goal is to make things routine but to make them small enough we succeed. As we go forward we add harder things… and as we build momentum it gets more easy and we dig our selves out.
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Happy to share! One thing worth knowing up front: motivation usually follows action rather than showing up before it, so waiting until you feel ready to eat, drink water, or brush your teeth tends to keep the rut in place — picking one very small anchor task and doing it at the same time each day usually works better than trying to reset everything at once. "Don't feel like doing anything? Causes and tips" https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/dont-feel-like-doing-anything-causes-and-tips Covers why a slump can stick around long after the physical part of an illness has passed, with practical steps from NOCD's Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Patrick McGrath like breaking tasks into smaller pieces and getting the basics — food, water, sleep — handled first. "How are OCD and Depression Related?" https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/depression-and-ocd-how-are-they-related Depression is the condition most commonly experienced by people living with OCD, and this one explains what it looks like when low mood and withdrawal last for weeks — worth reading if this is starting to feel like more than a post-flu dip. If a few weeks of this hasn't lifted on its own, talking to someone who understands both OCD and depression can make a real difference — NOCD offers a free 15-minute call to get matched with an OCD-specialized therapist, no commitment required: https://www.treatmyocd.com/calendar 🤍 Is this something you've been navigating on your own, or have you had a chance to connect with anyone about it? 💬 Was this response helpful? Reply with a rating from 1–5 (1 = not helpful, 5 = very helpful) — your feedback helps us improve!
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