i traditionally have a down 3-4 month block every year at the same time, so i know where you're coming from.

i see it as part of the cycle. some folks are rapid cyclers, but i'm a slow cycler. takes longer to get there, and lasts longer once it comes. not complaining though....rapid cycling sounds way, way worse.

protocol, routine, having things to stay busy with...helps. a bit.

maybe a slight med increase to get through the down months would help?

I am a very rapid cycler, my moods can shift every hour to weeks. thanks for the suggestions, I may try doing the med increase at the beginning instead of at the end. I don't like messing with them when I am in that period, because it is very difficult to hang on as is, and I am terrified that messing with stuff will cause me to not be able to hang on. do you find it better to mess with them beforehand when you know its coming? I have wondered whether doing it in advance of would work, but I don't like talking to the doc about it. I am afraid that they would think I am just overreacting and then when I did start with the depression they would not take me as seriously?

If your the trigger makes you sad then grieve...or feel whatever emotion you have when it comes. Maybe do this in therapy, where you feel safe. Learn to acknowledge your emotions and let them wave over you. Again maybe in therapy would be the best place to do this so you feel supported.

As far as triggers go I don't do certain things. For me going to a bar is a trigger. Going by myself to to visit my daughter's dad ~in another state, like I used to when I was on binges due manic attacks, is a trigger. For safety I just don't do those things.

Now some people are triggered on days where loved ones have passed away. Now that can be helped with allowing yourself to acknowledge the feeling that comes over you. It can be successfully helped because that is just pathological grieving. Now I did that for many many years over my biological mother starting at a very young age due to being adopted and feeling abandoned as well as very very sad. Then on top of that when relatives have died I would internalize those and pile it on top of the grief I carried around anyways. What happened was therapy and my willingness to face the grief square in the eye. My mother was diagnosed 3 months into me first gettting into to therapy with terminal brain cancer. I was forced to deal with my grief and my mother took care of my daughter when I was out of control and "rapid cycling". I thought 'how in the hell am I going to make it thru all of this at once..having to grieve, which scared me to death, and to get ahold of myself so I could parent all the time.

Well I realized that therapy was my only way out of the chaos. I had to face my reality in truth. I remember going to counseling 2 times a week for almost the whole time mom was sick and dying. I had an additional class, DBT, that was teaching me how to mindfully acknowledge my emotions and learn skills such as positive distress tolerance. I was desperate. I remember my therapist saying "you have to walk thru the fire..and you will come out stronger" at one point. I was afraid to walk thru the fire..I thought I would get burned in someway. But it didn't happen I did walk through with support and came out much better than ever. The fire burned off the negative and strengthened and built up the positive in me. So basically I learned to acknowledge grief first and foremost. I found grief is like a cold...it comes on and you must endure for a time but then it fades away. It is gentle than I thought it would be...and grief is not just for others sometimes it is for ourselves. It is okay and natural.

Anyways whatever the trigger, if it is an emotion, asking for help in trying to learn how to regulate and process them is a real god send that can help heal you enough to where life is much much more bearable.

I think the best help there is for triggers is therapy... It's a process and takes some time but can help people to change their lives for the better
Big hug for you.. I hope you're feeling better soon...x

thank you all. maybe yall are right and I need to just process the different reasons for it. I guess I was somehow hoping there was a different way to deal with it than to deal with the underlying reasons. yall are awesome.

I have the same thing. Every year from Nov-Jan I'm a depressed mess and I have triggers (such as my mom and sister passing in Dec). I know it's on its way here and that causes me anxiety. I wish I knew what to say to help you. My therapist suggests having a detailed routine daily to help you get through the day. Maybe that will work for you. I agree with Mojo too...a med increase may be just what you need. Just know, you are not alone. If you ever wanna chat, I'm here. Hugs. :D