anyone ever just let themselves go completly because of SA?

[custom_fusion-lqx]

on the lines of not shaving, eating non stop without excersing and sleeping till 1 in the afternoon and then sleeping for 12 hours... and just going mad and continue for a long time till you can break out of it... i did a long time ago i would sleep 12 hour days eat constntly not move out my computer chair and was so depressed i would just eat and eat and play FPS games for 12 hours straight just to escape.

[Twoflower]

yep, I've done that, not because of SA though -more a depression thing. i stopped going out, stopped eating, stopped bothering about how i looked, internetted constantly...oh wait, I don't do that much different now Ha, nonono. I was pretty bad then. Took a fair amount to get out of it, it's an awful lot of effort....but you have to in the end.

[Ajax Amsterdam]

I've done that a number of times. Stopped shaving, didn't shower or wash my hair. Ate like a pig, drank too much alcohol, went to bed very late and got up late. Festered away basically. It was strangely therapeutic at times. An abandonment of having to care. Maybe it gave me space to just be.

[TommyGun]

I have,infact im just getting over doing it to myself for the last few months, except unlike most people who seem to overeat,when I get like this I hardly eat anything,I've just lost about 21 pounds in the last few months and I feel as weak as a kitten.

It took me 3 years to put all the weight on after the last time I did this to myself,but it only took a few months to lose it,doesn't seem fair but I've only myself to blame.

[Memory]

I do this regularly. I can usually cut it out because I realise I have things I have to do which forces me to start caring about my lifestyle again. But as soon as I have no commitments, I seem to go straight back into letting myself go.

[Szarlej]

I had that as well, complete shutting down to the world outside, sleepless nights, waking up at 2-3pm, drinking a lot, smoking a lot, not a word uttered for days and constant feeling of going down the spiral.

Maybe you really need to hit the very bottom of emotional breakdown and shut down in order to comprehend what are you doing to yourself and pick yourself up again.

[Ajax Amsterdam]

Originally Posted by Szarlej

...Maybe you really need to hit the very bottom of emotional breakdown and shut down in order to comprehend what are you doing to yourself and pick yourself up again.

That's been my experience. I'm a bit like a rubber ball in that I tend to need to hit rock bottom before I bounce back again.

[Szarlej]

mind you in my case it lasted 2 years before i decided to do anything about it and another couple of years to start to slowely climb back.

Ever since than days have come and gone, months have swished by, years passed and i still keep on climbing and stumbling.

[Pablo Huntsbach]

I usually stay in bed until 1 or 2, it's really bad and it has to stop.

[Toxic]

sounds fairly normal for me

well

im trying to keep on top of shaving at least, my food routine is fairly normal (its not normal but its the same most days at least!)

its certainly not because of SA however, its because im fairly lazy..actually enjoy lazing about and doing.. not much..yes i want a job because i need the money ..but im quite happy with sleeping till 1-2pm or whatever..i still have a 17-18hr day anyway!

i get bored but if i was loaded my sleep pattern wouldnt change much, id still struggle to shave i doubt my food pattern would change much id just be on higher class junk food!

but yeaaah its mostly coz of having nothing to do i never have and never will be a particularly active person

[mhealer3]

Originally Posted by Benfica

I've done that a number of times. Stopped shaving, didn't shower or wash my hair. Ate like a pig, drank too much alcohol, went to bed very late and got up late. Festered away basically. It was strangely therapeutic at times. An abandonment of having to care. Maybe it gave me space to just be.

thanks 4 that
i'm glad you spin it so that people don't feel condemned
for 'zoning-out' awhile.

it's a lovely way of saying that we needn't have guilt for halted routines.
i'm a lot less structured than most, but losing my job
has made me feel a bit lost & my 'self-care'routines are slipping.

now i realize that it's not more to be ashamed of,
but part of being human. i feel like i'm grieving something, really.
nobody in my family would be as kind as you have about this matter.
i can be where i am in life now without feeling shame.
luv my UK friends.

[Golz]

Think its something I do every so often anyway, though I'm of the sort who doesn't eat, doesn't sleep and generally just doesn't care when I 'let myself go' so stuff that takes effort like shaving can be avoided too (then again I'll delay that as much as possible when I'm fine too ). Guess a lot of it is just me being me every now and this happens, not really SA related though. This week been one of them but it had a reason.

However I remember when I was like that for maybe 2-3 years on end, that was SA + depression related. It's a vicious circle as the messed up eating and sleeping just makes you feel even worse. So think that's the difference, a short period of letting yourself go is probably quite fine but long term is when it can be a problem, at least that's how it seems to be for me.

[Eraserhead]

I've certainly been in a sort of lethargic depression in the past when i've been out of work. This is definately a result of SA. I expect if I lost my job this would be likely to happen again.

[Matt_1983]

Originally Posted by Ryan_

That's my first year of uni, right there.

Me too! Sort of became a reclusive, alcoholic binge eater.

[Moksha]

not caring about personal appearance, not eating, sleeping a lot etc are classic symptoms of depression rather than SA. But then you rarely get SA with out depression...so

[Ubyse]

Originally Posted by Toxic

sounds fairly normal for me

And me really. I get up go to work, come home and sit on the PC every single day. I was off on leave today and have barely moved from where i'm sat now. I've never ever laid in bed until the afternoon though. Today infact when off work I was up earlier than I would be if I was working..just to sit here oddly. Not sure if I should be concerned or not

[Eraserhead]

Originally Posted by Ubyse

And me really. I get up go to work, come home and sit on the PC every single day. I was off on leave today and have barely moved from where i'm sat now. I've never ever laid in bed until the afternoon though. Today infact when off work I was up earlier than I would be if I was working..just to sit here oddly. Not sure if I should be concerned or not

I find that anxiety can be very draining. I think that working full time can take a lot out of you when you're constantly overanalysing things people say etc. Therefore when I am at home I find myself relaxing as much as possible. Watching films or whatever feels necessary, somehow.

[enilorac]

Originally Posted by Benfica

I've done that a number of times. Stopped shaving, didn't shower or wash my hair. Ate like a pig, drank too much alcohol, went to bed very late and got up late. Festered away basically. It was strangely therapeutic at times. An abandonment of having to care. Maybe it gave me space to just be.

I have days like that when it actually helps because sometimes it gives me space and time to breath and get things sorted in my head.

[RTAP]

Originally Posted by PatButcher

on the lines of not shaving, eating non stop without excersing and sleeping till 1 in the afternoon and then sleeping for 12 hours... and just going mad and continue for a long time till you can break out of it... i did a long time ago i would sleep 12 hour days eat constntly not move out my computer chair and was so depressed i would just eat and eat and play FPS games for 12 hours straight just to escape.

Originally Posted by Ryan_

That's my first year of uni, right there.

me too - perhaps not sleeping to 1pm, but certainly seem to be sleeping longer (if no lectures( than I used to before I came to uni.

[Mr. Nobody]

I've done this on and off for decades,
but with me it's more like doing the minumum to get by in front of people I work with, so I'm not too bad at personal hygiene etc. becuase people see that daily, but my house has been left to rack and ruin ( because no-one gets to see that ) and my garden has more or less been abandoned to nature.

as most have mentioned, losing interest in yourself is more often a sign of depression,..

not doing my garden is more to do with SA as my garden is really exposed, loads of people walk past you when you're in the gardens where I live, and all the fences are very low,.. just feels way too exposed sometimes, especially in summer months.

[Puppet]

Strangely this isn't a symptom of my SA. I did go through a cycle where I would get back from work and have no motivation to do anything at all, but that was due to me missing my boyfriend like hell, so really that was a result of depression. On the topic of SA, it happens on very rare occasions. Generally I am the opposite, I eat healthy try and find a hobby I enjoy and make the most of my day by cleaning and getting basic tasks done. However, if i have a day where I know I need to go work i have no motivation whatsoever and sit around on the laptop worrying and struggling to cope with my SA.

[951thompson]

i did this last week, grow a right bin ladan style goatie!!! festered eating shed loads a food, didnt go out for a full week other then food shopping lol i have these fazies once in a while too, only lasted a week this time though!