So, for those of you who don’t already know, I have fallen off the mental health bandwagon over the last month or so.

I didn’t actually realise that it was as bad as it is, but now I do. That’s always the hardest bit, noticing the problem in the first place.

So now I’m in Thailand, unable to walk properly – thanks to a hungry crab or some kind of sea creature that thought my foot was food – and generally feeling tired and crap and overspent on this months budget.

On the budget topic, I generally allow $1000 per month, occasionally for special events, like bungee jumping or health retreats increasing the budget. This month I have spent over $1500 with two weeks still to go. It’s not a huge problem, but my own irresponsibility bugs me.

Now I need an action plan. I need to get my brain functioning again and I’d like to do it without going back on my medication – although I do know I can if things get to that point.

The main points are diet and exercise, they have always been the key to being healthy.

Commitments to myself:

1. Do the Tai-Chi form 3 times per day

2. Drink at least 2L of water per day

3. Have at least one piece of fruit per day

This is the aim for the next week, and I will add more to it after that.

So I snapped out fo self pity mode and finally went bungee jumping yesterday.

It was great. They have to weigh you for it and my weight without shoes is now 61.3kg. I’m really happy about it. 62kg was my personal goal at weight watchers, so in less than 2 years I made it.

I also met a cute Welsh guy. i’m enjoying being happy and relatively healthy, people seem more attracted to me this way. After the years and years of being single it’s nice to change that, to feel a bit desirable. So me and this guy, Richard had a little fun on the back seat of the bus on the way back from bungee jumping (don’t panic, not too much fun).

It all makes me a bit unsure what to do next though. Dan, the English guy from the last few months, wants me to go to Thailand for a couple of weeks with him, and its really tempting. Not just because I do actually miss him, but a break from india/Nepal would be good for me. Different food, different language and customs, the ability to wear shorts and singlet tops without being a target for harassment, its all quite appealing.

I’m not sure what to do really. I do feel like Thailand would be better for me, and better for my training for this fun run. Thinking of which, if you haven’t said you will sponsor me yet, send me an email. i’m running 7km on the 1st Nov in Delhi to raise money for The Deaf Way

On the whole though, I’m happy again. I feel like a person again. Plus, it’s been 2 months since I stopped my medication!

Occasionally I begin to feel a bit selfish travelling around and not contributing to the world. Well, I contribute to the global economy by spending money and I help Australia’s unemployment rate because I’m not looking for work

On the whole I don’t do anything.

Then I remember that I have achieved one of the aims of this trip, which was to get off my antidepressants.  So it’s not all a waste.

I have learned Tai-Chi and a bit about Tibetan Buddhism, learned a little about Hinduism and will probably learn more when I get back into India. I’ve made some good friends and had a bit of a holiday romance. I just can’t decide if that’s enough.  Oh, also saw the best looking person I have ever met in real life, this Greek guy (he was really nice too).

So I guess it all comes back to my health. I need to work on my health and energy levels still. They are much, much better than before but I am still tired more often than I am energetic. I don’t really know how to go about doing that. My diet could use some work, its better but not great. I still eat too much sugar and sleep too much. These are hard habits to break.

So, if anyone still actually reads this, what do you think? Is spending the next  few months working on my health a good or valid use of my time, or is it a bit selfish?

I’m now DRUG FREE!!! Its been 5 days and I haven’t taken any anti-depressants.

I have been sleeping well and eating (sometimes) well.

Its great, I’m excited about the idea of being a healthy person.

Please don’t read this and think that I am saying medication is bad, far from it, I think its great and I am glad that I had it to help me through the years of my illness, but I don’t believe I need them long term so I am happy to be off them.

I was on medication since late 2004, its now August 2009 and I am looking forward to my life. My mentally stable, medication free life

I was in counselling for years, one of the recurring themes was that I needed to eat well and exercise. That advice bugged the shit out of me at the time, as if its that easy. But now, now that I am well, I’m going to try to eat well and exercise to avoid my life falling that far off the rails again.

Of course, I know that life isn’t going to always be easy & that I won’t always be happy. Everything always changes, I think I am better able to adapt now.

I wasn’t going to post anything about this, but keeping it in my head is not working out.
I met this guy a little while ago who I really liked, I can’t emphasise that enough, it made me feel like all the other people I have ever liked were children’s crushes.
Anyway, nothing is going to happen and I don’t like it.
I feel like I have been emotionally manipulated and Im not used to it.
Don’t get me wrong, I know i will forget about him sooner or later. I just wish it would be sooner. I don’t like not getting what I want.

Well, that’s my whinge for the day. I am actually going quite well, I’m really looking forward to the meditation course I am doing next week. I’m liking this town I am in, but its not good for me, I drink too much and party too much and then eat fatty foods all day to make myself feel better. Its not ideal, but its fun and the sunshine here is great.

My Mum is in hospital again. At least this time we know.

She will be in at least overnight. My Nan didn’t have too much information. Just something about her having a blood disease, probably a commplication from having a cancer cut off her foot a couple of months ago.

Thinking of having cancers cut off. I went to a doctor here the other day (because I am still sick, and haven’t had a functioning digestive system for over 2 weeks) and while I was there I asked him about a mole that I am 99% sure had changed colour. The next thing I knew he was all keen to burn in off and two others I had on my stomach. He gave me the injections to numb the areas and then he said something that was a bit concerning. I can’t remember the actual sentence, but it was along the lines, of ‘Dr ???’s beauty clinic’ up until that point I thought there was a ’sound’ medical reason for getting rid of them. Now I’m not so sure.

Anyway, it just occurred to me that if mum is sick from a complication of her ’spot removal’ maybe  should be more careful about the ones I have??

That’s an aside anyway. BTW, if any of you call me on skype now, it diverts to my indian mobile. So please remember the time difference if you are going to do that

Oh, and pray for my mum.

So my mum ended up in hospital last week, and neither Mum or Warren thought that was information that any of her kids should know.
I can understand mum not thinking of it, she was quite sick. But, for Warren to not bother even calling Doug (he gets along with Doug). I can’t understand.
I’m taking this as yet another sign that he is not good for her. Firstly, letting it get to a point where she needs to go to hospital, as in they didnt even see a doctor in the week leadup she was sick. Then, not telling anyone. It’s just not OK.
I don’t trust him with her, he is to controlling and she is too weak, probably too weak to even notice, let alone do anything about it.
Anyway, I now like him even less.
It even felt difficult to get him to put her on the phone to me today. Not happy.

Most of you know, I have been trying to live life “In case I die” meaning, if I were to die tomorrow what do I want to have done today.
This on the surface, this seems selfish, but when you think about it more it’s not. To really think like this, it means having an understanding of the problems that you will create with your behaviour (if it is too selfish, it probably causes pain for other people, which is not the type of thing you want to do on your last day alive)

Anyway, so the reason I lose is that I  sometimes I miss out on things that I want to do. Don’t get me wrong, this is partially a self preservation thing. So it means that I feel like I am doing the ‘right’ thing, when I really want to be doing something different.

But, such is life.  I am in India so I am getting very used to having anything and everything that I want. So feeling like I am missing out on anything is driving me crazy.

Again, please don’t misunderstand. I love being in India, I am currently in Chennai with Chantalle and having a great time. I just sometimes want more than I have, I guess its the human condition.

For those of you who don’t know, I have been on anti-depressants since sometime in 2004. i have been on the ones I am on now since sometime in 2005.

Last year I decided that I would try to get off them. So I have been working on that. I am now on the lowest dose I have ever been on. 22.5mg.

I started on 30mg, went up to 45, went back to 30, up again, then up tto 60mg. Then I have been slowly coming down.

I’m excited about this. I know that I will have to be careful of the depression thing for the rest of my life, but I like the idea of being ‘normal’ for a while. I like the idea that I can trust my brains to make the right chemicals and hormones and stuff without assistance.

The plan is to be drug free by Nov 1st. That date isn’t special or anything, its just the date that came up when I made my current plan.

Now that its been announced on their own blogs…

Alastair & Carla got engaged last night. I’m very excited for them, its great.
I met Carla last night, we had a bit of a chat on Skype. I was even the first person to see the ring, even though in was via a web camera.
Not sure what else to say really, I’m really happy for them, they seem so happy and they look so cute together.

So, Congratulations Al & Carla.

(although, Al, I’m sure there are less extreme measures to get me to come back at some point finding someone to marry and making me promise to be there seems excessive )