I felt so much...then nothing.

You've been here haven't you? 

To be so swamped with feelings and thoughts you're overwhelmed. You can't think straight, you can't make sense of what you are able to think about and it sends you further down the rabbit hole. Your mind hurts and your emotions are burnt.

I've been there too...still visit occasionally...and it's not a good feeling. 

But then it switches doesn't it?

You go from feeling so much you can't make sense of it all to feeling nothing...you're flat and you're disinterested.

It's a roller-coaster ride of emotions isn't it? What did you do for you to make it an easier ride or did you? How do you talk to yourself when you're here? What words do you use? Do your words drive you further down or do they lift you up? Do you know why this happened?

---

Sometimes I think we go flat as a way of protecting ourselves. To keep this level of emotions going is exhausting to our bodies and it takes a toll. We need a break and our thoughts need a rest. How we feel is driven by our thoughts and our thoughts are driven by how we feel and then we crash...exhausted.

Sometimes too though the flat is caused by the medications we're prescribed. Have you experienced this? To help with my depression and anxiety, I was prescribed various medications and I found that they caused a "flat effect". I went from feeling too much to not being able to feel anything at all...good or bad. It was a small blessing but if it prevents the "good" feelings too...it wasn't helping, because then I couldn't feel anything.

The flat feeling is not a comfortable one but there are things we can do to help ourselves through it...

• speak to your doctor or pharmacist regarding your medications...maybe a dosage change is needed or a change in type of medication if the "flat effect" continues...even if it's not caused by medication speak to your doctor...feelings like this that are prolonged may need outside help...and there is help!
  
• talk with care to you...beating yourself up for this won't help...be gentle with the words you use during this time
• know that it's okay to feel this way...but it's not okay to get lost in it...this time will pass and you will move through it...be gentle and patient with you
• continue to do the things you enjoy doing...art, hobbies, music, reading etc...don't give up on the things that make you feel good when you're feeling flat...this is when you need these things in your life the most
• reach out to your support group, family and friends...let them know how you're feeling and what if anything they can do to help and accept the help okay?
• be patient with yourself...if this is due to your medications it may take time to resolve 
• talk to someone you trust...there are also confidential crisis lines you can reach out to if you're feeling alone...you don't have to hold it in anymore
• get out and go for a walk....change your scenery for a bit...treat yourself to lunch...sometimes a break in routine can do wonders for a hurting mind. This is when I turn to nature and go for a walk on the pond or sit on the beach. 
• challenge the negative thoughts that you're having...are they truth? rehashed versions of someone else's negativity? are they valid to your life now or even to the life you're working towards? 
• remind yourself of the good in your life...the things you've accomplished...even the little things too

Learning how to soothe ourselves through the roller-coaster ride of a pained life is a healing gift that we can give to ourselves but first you must believe you can do it and that you're worth the effort. YOU CAN and YOU ARE!

take good care of you eh?