I tend to feel like I am getting the flu I just feel so tired and overwhelmed! Everything is just too much....I have to lay low until I feel slightly better so something kicks in the medication department. Can I just say I've spent more time than I want to in the depression isle...

I sleep more than 2.5 - 3 hours a night....

Hi, i can relate with the lacking on personal hygiene. In winter i end up letting my leg hair get so long it makes me feel bad for my boyfriend, cause its gross haha. Yeah everything is too much... its like i cant handle it, i get to where i wont want to go out of the house at all, i'll call off work, if my bf convinces me to come out I freak out when he tries to bring into a restaurant where I will have to talk to someone, i just avoid people period--everyone, even the people that mean the most. I also start stressing about the future and how i will never achieve what i hope too.
I find chilling out the mania much easier than dealing with the negativity that comes with depression. What do you do to turn it around? What type of coping skills do you use? I find that positive music helps.

i too fall down on self care although since i started back swimming a few months ago at least I am showering every day and having an epsom salts bath with relaxation oils at night which helps a lot. i avoid people and call them sounding perky to put off having to meet them. it works for me! like Mayb i like to lay low and get plenty of rest when depression hits and when the meds kick in it is such a relief. writing is of course a great outlet too, i have just started melatonin to try and get some sleep but it hasn't started working really yet and what little sleep i do get is not very good. i hope you feel better today and have some good things in it. hugs

Apathy is my front-line flag. Self-care? Clean up after myself? Give a flying fuck how other feel? Appreciate a beautiful bird song? Notice a kindness in action?

Why bother? I have important self-loathing to do. . .

I tend to withdraw as well. I try to keep everything as normal as possible for my family, but I definitely have a much shorter fuse and am much more easily overwhelmed. So I usually retreat to my room to paint, or journal, or just play Candy Crush. The problem with the alone time is that I also struggle with self injury, so I am constantly being monitored by my husband.

Lack on hygiene, loss of appetite, lay in bed all day and feel sluggish.

I also withdraw, bathe every three days if Im lucky, lay in bed and stare blankly at the tv or sleep too much. I have crying spells and am just miserable. So glad I am not in that place right now. Hope you are doing well too.

I can usually feel my depression coming on. Like a weird 6th sense telling me its coming. I just end up crying a lot out of the blue feeling very overwhelmed with no drive for anything. I have mixed episodes so I also experience a lot of anger and frustration at the same time. I avoid people and any social interaction until I'm back to normal again.

I will sleep a lot and slack on the personal hygiene also. I withdraw from people too. I don't want to go anywhere or do anything, but watch TV.