your thoughts are most welcome...
That word was bantered about by a guy I was seeing, and I do believe there might be something to it. He compared it to the common cold of depression. So I guess that means we are destined to go around all the time with a snotty nose and stuffed up heads (metaphorically speaking)? One thing I know, it is hard...
Keep hanging on Penni, keep hanging on...
Welcome to the club :).
For a while, the only time I left the house was to get groceries, walk the dog, and pick up books from the library.
Ten years ago, counselling did the trick....got me back on my feet and able to manage life with a high-pressure job, young children, and a spouse with a very time consuming job.
Now with peri-menopause making everything that much more difficult, I'm on meds and am almost back to normal. I'm even feeling up to exercising which, for me, says a lot, LOL!
I think I'll pass on the the hynosis/subliminal vids, though....
Boy, do I hear ya, Pen. Communicating/socializing is pretty much the last thing I feel like doing these days... actually for quite some time now. Functional depression. Yup. I'm in jammies as I type having just finished a cuppa jo that I swore off because of the havoc it wreaks on my poor old peri-menopausal constitution. Oy. Round and round I go like a dog chasing its tail. Thanks for letting me belly-ache for a spell. I go now. Do something. Maybe. :)
To paraphrase Annie: hang in there, baby!!
Mich
(((hugs for all who have chimed in)))
i feel so isolated and i LIKE IT -- my friends are all about getting me up and out and i just don't want to. it's that simple.
i have to be careful, though, and know that the last few weeks have been super-stressful, so it could also be contributing to my general feeling of blah.
just so good (as always) to know someone understands.
:)
Regular exercise has been found to work just as well as antidepreesants after one year, and better after two. Find it hard to get out the door? Make it easy. Put on a watch, and walk 9 minutes in any direction and then back. I take the dog. If nothing else, you will lose at least 6 lb in one year on this regimen.
Saw this yesterday. Couldn't think of much to say. We can swap "Been There Still Doing It" shirts if you like.
drawing, cycling, doing corporal acts of mercy when I can, that's how I manage.
I am also a 12-stepper and there is a common misconception about PRESCRIBED medication in AA, that really ruffles me when I hear one person talk to another, about substituting one drug for another- although the AA literature clearly speaks to requiring medeical attention when required. I have been on a low dose of Lexipro for about 4 months and I feel so much better. Sleep has returned to no normal. No crazy highs and lows (well- sometimes, but usually appropriately). My rehab doctors explained to me that my brain chemistry was off b/c of several factors- extreme stress, addiction and hormone changes due to having a large brood of close aged children. It's not a magic pill, but I needed help getting out of bed. Now, I sleep 8 hours a night (hadn't done that in almost 10 years) and wake up looking forward to many things. I definately turned a corner.
Anita - Thank God the attitude you describe is no longer as common as it was when I came into the program. The most important line in the Preamble is: "The ONLY requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking." Decisions about medication are between a patient and a doctor--and nobody can argue with success.
Dear One:
Have you read Kathleen Norris' book "Acedia & Me"? If you do, you'll probably highlight the heck out of it like I did. There were so many things in there that absolutely nailed that dysthimic feeling and mindset. I went through and highlighted everything that applied to me. That was the negative runthrough. Now I'm going back and making notes on the actions that can lead one out of acedia.
Remember, all things are possible whether we feel like they are or not, thanks to the grace of God.
Blessings on your life!
Hi Penni,
What you've typed here could have been written by me, and it's only gotten worse for me over the years. I really dread having to leave the house and another thing that really bothers me is having to answer the door. I often run for cover like one of my cats. It's pathetic for a woman my age to act this way.
I'm sorry you're struggling, too. God does help me to have small victories here and there, though, so for those, I'm thankful. And He is always faithful, even when I can't rise to the occasion. Lately, I've been reading a lot and just isolating. Reading helps to relieve my mind of stress, I guess.
Hang in there and take care.
Just sharing some of the things that are working for me:
I attend Celebrate Recovery. I like it because it's open to all sorts of addictions and not focused on just one. It's helpful to me because it lets me see that the specific addiction isn't really the issue - it just helps point to the fact that there is an issue.
I work the steps with a great group of guys. We call/text each other during the week and hang out outside of meetings. Having "real life" friends who know my dark secrets and still like me really cuts through the depression.
Food and exercise. OK, I'm better at the food thing than the exercise thing. I'm down to 165 lbs (that's a 50lb drop in the past year! and 100lbs over 6 years!!).
I see a pshrink twice a month and it's great. He helps me to ask the right questions. The biggest thing he does is to show me all the places where I'm /not/ messed up.
I share my stories with others and listen to theirs.
My therapist pointed me to a book that's really helping called "The Shame that Binds You" by John Bradshaw. It's a bit technical at times, but still readable and is really helping me understand how I got so tangled up in the first place.
Oh, and the last thing! (Really. This comment is long enough. lol.) Setting proper boundaries has really helped lift the fog of depression.
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