Depression is not crazy.

[elionwyr]

Last week, a friend posted a link to this blog, saying, "If you have ever wondered what it is like to have to deal with chronic depression... THIS."

A blogger I love with a great and mighty brain-crush said, a few days ago, "If you’re currently in the throes of a depression (or are in the position of watching someone who is) please remember that depression is a lying bastard and that this will pass. And life will be brighter again. I promise. Thank you for reminding me of that, even when I find it hard to believe it myself."

Depression is a lot of things. It is crippling. It is cyclic. It is frustrating. It is insidious and sneaky. Sometimes you don't realize you're in its grip until you realize you're sleeping in your clothes and you're relatively content to not leave the house and hey, the longer you sit at your desk the more your body hurts from not moving and the less likely you are to move because everything hurts. Or maybe you find that you simply cannot do the Big Scary Adult Things you have to do - like, oh, pay a bill - because you have an irrational anxiety about doing so.

It might look like Crazy.
It might look like Easy to Fix and Control.
It might even look like Oh You're Just Lazy.

It might look like a lot of things...until you stop and a take a really good hard look at what's going on, and at how little Cope you have left on reserve. (Which is, in some ways, as horrid a piece of the puzzle as the rest of it, because you think, 'Oh, I can totally do this thing - rawr! - and I can listen to that friend - poor baby! - and I can make that phone call - yay! - and wow I'm suddenly just wanting to go back to bed because I'm completely overwhelmed and I shouldn't be because I just did these few things...' And that's true. You should be able to do lots of things. Unless the Depression Beast is sitting on your chest, sapping away all that Cope.)

So yes, for some people, depression is the negative voice in your head that lies and criticizes, and for others, it's what pulls away your energy. And I don't really have a clever end to this, so..here. Read this article about how exercise can help.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/prescribing-exercise-to-treat-depression/

Comments

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize you were ever on an antidepressant. Was it hard to get off of it?

[cypherindigo.livejournal.com]

I found a wonderful short story that has the best description of depression I have ever read. I need to post the story information and the paragraph.

Hugs - M

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

I look forward to that. *hugs back*

[adelheid-p.livejournal.com]

One other side of the equation to fighting depression is getting enough sleep. You may appear to get by on less than 8 hours of sleep but really, this is just not the case and I note that as a week progresses to the weekend (On weekdays I have habitually gotten less sleep than on weekends) that my mood and coping skills get worse and I try to be firm with myself about getting to bed at a reasonable hour and when I am successful at this, I have fewer of problems.

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

Good point.
And then OTOH, if you find yourself sleeping a LOT, that's one of those warning signs..

[adelheid-p.livejournal.com]

*nods* Yes, sleeping a lot/feeling chronically tired is a warning sign. Also chronic insomnia is a warning sign. Ensuring that you go to bed at the same time every night --early enough to get an eight hour rest will help. In addition, exercising regularly will also help combat the insomnia and give you a good rest.

[p-m-cryan.livejournal.com]

I am trying to believe in this, I really am. But I am a little raw about this right now after the news I got this weekend.

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

*hug*

[brujah.livejournal.com]

Completely, utterly unrelated, but I had to link it to you anyway.

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

Yay! Fear the squirrel!!

[seidhrcat.livejournal.com]

I struggled for depression for a while, and it was the worse soul sucking thing ever. It was a dark, dark time. I wrote alot of interesting poetry at the time also. This was one that really captured my struggle at the time to pull myself out of it. Sorry..if it's really really bad..lol

Deep Black roses,
black as night
Dark as the heart,
an embattled soul lost in flight.

Twisting and turning,
Spiraling down..
Deep into dark places
No end to be found

Taking hold of that one last chance
You stop in mid-flight
To try to find your balance
To try to make it right

You hover between the two
Your one last chance to be saved
To choose between the dark and the light
A choice that can only be made by you.

So which do you choose
in that brief moment of time
To be lifted up, and balance restored,
and everything made right

Or to be left to be spiraling downward
Into the darkness
That deep dark unforgiving darkness
An embattled soul lost in flight.

TAM

[angely78.livejournal.com]

heh........ the funny thing is that it kinda got to you in a roundabout way from me. :) I'm glad you liked it enough to reblog it again. :)