Sleeping and Eating

[cluckeyo]

Someone once told me that the best things in life are eating and sleeping. When you have a mental illness, things like eating and sleeping are extra important. Highly productive people can probably push themselves harder than someone who deals with mental illness. It may not be possible to have a perfect job, perfect body, perfect friends, etc. when dealing with mental illness. You have to prioritize. What can I reasonably keep up with and which comes first, second, third, ... I have not been able to diet too well lately, because food is a huge comfort in times of stress. The focus to stay with a diet regardless of my stress situation, is not possible right now. Something good to eat and and a nice nap enables me to go on with the the things that I can make time for. The things at the top of my list.

 

[Suzie]

I have to say I agree. I have had quiet the journey to realize who I am and what I need. I used to think I would be just fine without good rest and could go on little etc. I learned wrong over time. I know now when I feel over load I better stop & slow down and get some rest . I try to eat more balanced now rather than over eat actually and I feel much better when I do that. I eat smaller meals more often which affects my low blood sugar better and all around makes me feel better.

 

[Alex]

They are a couple of the important things in life, but I would say being content with what you have and who you are is important. The body naturally sleeps, and even those who are ill will sleep, although not always the best quality of sleep. As for eating, that is also dependent on wealth and other things such as allergies. We can choose our diet and what we wish to eat within our budgets, but don't forget there are people that don't have that choice and must eat what they can afford or what is given to them.


I'm not in anyway saying that people with depression don't have a hard time eating, but there are many people who are depressed and don't have a choice in what they eat, especially if they are homeless. I have worked with some people, and it opens up a new perspective on your own issues.

 

[Panic57]

I think sleeping and eating are some of the few things that we always do for ourselves. Sleep naturally rejuvenates you and you can't do it for someone else. I find cooking, when I have the time, to be really soothing quite time while eating fuels me to do what I need to do. Unlike most other interactions in life, there isn't a real give and take that can drain you like social interactions can do. Sleeping and eating are true necessary comforts we need to do regularly to be happy and healthy. If you don't have good sleeping and eating habits though, your life will be equally as horrible in the long run.

 

[HappyKoi]

It's good to take care of yourself, especially if you have perfectionist tendencies. Some people look at it as weak or selfish, but it's necessary. For some people, self-care is getting up and doing things. For some, it's slowing down and remembering that you have needs and have the right and obligation to meet those needs. I think that a lot of people, especially those with depression and anxiety, have a hard time listening to and respecting their needs. I used to get so mad at myself for having needs at all because it made me feel like I was being a burden. As I'm getting better, I'm learning to listen to and respond to my needs, and it helps.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

To the Chinese, the concept of a good life is "Can eat, can sleep. can ****". I think this works. Just to be able to eat and sleep in not enough. We must be able to clear our bowels properly to live well. Everything else is subsidiary. We work so that we can get food to eat. We work so that we can get a place to sleep. Sometimes these things are taken for granted because we have never been short of food or lack a place to sleep. To open our eyes to the stark reality of life, we should have a look at how the refugees are suffering. No food to eat. No place to sleep. That's their life, for days, for weeks, for months, for years.

 

[DylanRowan]

Sure it helps a lot. A happy stomach is surely a happy life. I don't have a scientific explanation as to why it works. But it does. "A full stomach makes a happy heart". As for sleeping, it completely changes my attitude. The day before, I can be super angry at something, but the next day, I can be happy at it. The human body sure is weird.

 

[vegito12]

I think it is important to get a good amount of sleep and eat good meals so that you can digest it in the body and sleeping can make you feel like you are in a dream land and you want it not to end and feel like staying in bed for most of the day which can take time to wake up, or you can feel like staying a little longer and it turns to hours and have experienced that quite a few times. I reckon that salty food and fizzy drinks can be alright on occasion as it can make you full and may be cheaper to buy as well depeding on where you live, as the prices can vary and consuming it too much can make the body feel lazy and have experienced that and have made changes like chainging my diet and going to gym and doing more walking and being more active and motivated as well. I try and get 8 hours sleep a night so that the next day I am motivated and have a big breakfast so that it helps me get through the day till lunchtime and depedning on what I am doing I may be really hungry or just a little and also having a full stomach can make you content as well.

 

[fuzyon]

Due to my tight schedule and anxiety I haven't been able to get 8 hours of sleep/day in nearly 2 months and it's really bad. I always "collapse" one day per week due to not sleeping enough so that's a day gone. Eating is also really important, especially for productivity. You can't focus completely on what you have to do when your mind is constantly worrying about eating something.

 

[hades_leae]

Eating doesn't have to be something you do when you are trying to deal with stress. That will lead to you being over weight, and maybe obese in the future if you are not controlling your consumption. I believe that you should just start doing more active things like hobbies. There are plenty of cool hobbies that you could take up.


Do a search for a list of all hobbies, and just start learning about the different things you're interested in.

 

[Choochoo]

I am an emotional eater so when I am feeling something strong I usually turn to food but I have been trying to correct that behavior recently. I think. Having the right diet and sleep routine are absolutely key to living a better life though so I agree. Not that it's the only necessary change to make but it's one of the best places to start, in my opinion.