I find myself wanting to rush to work to escape my home life sometimes, even though I hate my job. When I'm at home i think too much and start to stress about everything. Then, I just want to go to sleep until my next shift at work.

So, I guess I do see where your at Belle

You're not the only one. I think we all need to be distracted from our problems/dark thoughts. When I want to do this, I find a good book to get lost in and read for hours.

In general I would say that the less I have to do, the worse Ifeel. The problem is I don't function very well so often Iam doing nothing and feeling worse and worse because of it. Today was good, though. Got some cleaning done in the kitchen which was in really badk shape, and decorated the front yard for Halloween with my husband and son which was really fun. Do you have any hobbies you can do to keep busy during down time? Something that keeps your mind busy? or are you a sports person? Maybe watch a good football game.

Sometimes during my down times, I get on YouTube and watch random videos. Most of the times I get a good laugh at the YouTube channel "Fail Army." Anything that puts a smile on my face, even if its just for a few minutes, is worth it.

Getting spacey alone - I still do sometimes. But it's a good thing. Going down and coming up helps you identify that process.

When you get spaced out, you will have thoughts that might be destructive, or negative: look at them. Learn to identify them. Think about them. Don't just unconsciously think them; learn to consciously identify them, and see what they are, what kind of thought they are. Ask yourself what their logical conclusion would be. Ask yourself how true they are, or if they are biased by your mood. Use them as tools to learn.

it took me 5 yrs to come right. 5 yrs. Be kind to yourself, do give yourself this quiet time because it exposes those bits that are not yet healed. You have to expose them to fix them.

So it doesn't matter if you hate it. Go to bed with a hottie bottle if you find yourself getting the shakes. And lie there, and get through some of this backlog you will still have. Once it's gone, it's gone. It's finite, not neverending, because as you learn from your past experiences by emotionally resolving them fully, you find you naturally change how you operate in the future.

In short, every trap you learn you no longer fall into. And down time is all about realising what the traps were.

Oh and make your home nice. that's key. So spend the time tidying up etc, and then relax in an organised space where you don't have any sense of panic about what you haven't done. :)

Yeah, I too have a hard time relaxing, lest I sink into the black well. I try to sleep through it, but we gotta regain consciousness sometimes. I exercise, ride a bicycle and work out. It helps. Levels me out. The dopamine and endorphins elevate my depression. The sheer exhaustion reduces my anxiety. I feel wonderful after grueling physical exertion. There's a strength, warmth and inner peace that fills me...until the next time I need to exercise...usually a day or two.

I try to stay busy with crafts and housework but there are times when I just want to be. When I want to just be I don't have problems. My dark times come when just relaxing is a chore. I rest from 10PM to 10AM and try to stay busy for the other 12 hours. I don't sleep 12 hours, I just unwind and relax and watch some tv. The other hours are for doing things. Its when there is nothing to do that I sometimes get down. I think it happens to all of us. There is nothing in my life weighing me down with bad thoughts. I just endure loneliness a lot and that can wear on you.

Find hobbies and activities where you can be with people. Even just going to the library to read is better than sitting at home doing nothing.