Where should I start when it comes to recovery?

[Soda-Voxel]

I've been depressed and self hating for many many years and it has gotten so so terribly bad recently. I've finally decided I want to start and try to recover/be better/idk how else to call it, but I have no idea where to start. I don't have access to therapy at the moment, especially due to covid but also other reasons, and I'm not really sure what I can do for myself at home. I know I can't expect myself to get better in a short span of time, but I guess my impatience wants me to do something that will make me feel at least a bit better so I can see some progress.

I'm autistic so some advice I've seen online can seem vague and tricky to understand.

I've been trying to not get too upset when I see something that usually sends me into a spiral of self hatred (Like comparing myself to others) - but it's still very tricky, is this the kind of thing that takes "practise" to feel okay with? And what else can I do to help myself that will be somewhat easy while I'm still in the early days of recovery and easy tasks seem hard?

I hope I explained myself clearly enough. I'm sorry if this is asking for too vague of advice, I'm not exactly sure what I need or am looking for, so anything that helped you when you first made the decision to try and improve your mental health will be much appreciated. Thank you for reading.

 

[SillyOldBear]

I have seen you out in chat a lot, but you are very quiet. Why don't you start by introducing yourself there. It is a very safe place to get to know people.

 

[may71]

I'm glad that you're trying to get better.

This link has some information about treatment methods:
Treating Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Pain; Other Suicide Help

This link has a list of self-help books that been vetted by healthcare professionals in the UK:
https://reading-well.org.uk/

I've heard that you can get some benefit from reading about CBT techniques on your own.

I hope that something can help.

 

[BlueKoala]

This is a little bit late, but I want to share some tips that helped me get better. The biggest thing that helped me was this forum, actually, so whenever I’d feel really bad I’d come here for advice/compassion/encouragement, and it really helped.
Another thing I do is actually note when I do something well, even if it doesn’t seem too hard/important/etc. I mostly do this when I play video games, and I also do it when I try to bake. In my early stages of recovery, I did it with things like taking care of myself (for example: showering, getting some homework done, even getting out of bed, etc.). You can even say/think something like “Soda, that was awesome!” or “Wow, that actually was had to do, but I still did it, that’s great!”
Also, remember: your successes, no matter how small, are still successes. They are still a step towards a good direction, no matter what. It’s already hard to be on the road to recover from something like this, and it takes a lot to even get to the point of starting to do it, so it’s a huge step in the right direction that you came here for advice.
I’m not entirely sure if these would be helpful or not to you, but I just wanted to share some personal tips that have made me feel better. I hope that these are helpful!