Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
This might be kinda weird to some of you, but I feel a need to toss this open to the group because thinking about this put a damper on my sleep last night.
It's not that I'm not finding coping mechanisms...I'm actually discovering that having some relaxing sounds in the background is helping while I'm studying (I never thought I'd be able to uncover something like that and it's certainly a step forward).
This is terrific...but I get the feeling that I'm going to have days where this is not going to work or not going to be enough. I know for pretty much dead certainty that I need to keep my hands, my brain, or both, occupied (it helps with stopping self-injury issues, because I'm a picker), but it's making me think about things that I wouldn't associate with coping mechanisms.
For instance...familiar with the Yu-Gi-Oh cartoon series? A lot of the action on that series revolves around the trading card game of the same name. I can't say I'd want to be a serious player, but my curiosity seems to be peaking on it, probably because I want to learn something that's different.
While I realize that this (and there are a couple of other thoughts like it) may help in my spare time, it's not what I would associate with "normal" coping mechanisms and so I'm feeling kinda confused.
The question for the group has three parts, then: Have you ever tried something that might be unusual to help you cope with depression issues? What was it? Did it work out for you?
It's not that I'm not finding coping mechanisms...I'm actually discovering that having some relaxing sounds in the background is helping while I'm studying (I never thought I'd be able to uncover something like that and it's certainly a step forward).
This is terrific...but I get the feeling that I'm going to have days where this is not going to work or not going to be enough. I know for pretty much dead certainty that I need to keep my hands, my brain, or both, occupied (it helps with stopping self-injury issues, because I'm a picker), but it's making me think about things that I wouldn't associate with coping mechanisms.
For instance...familiar with the Yu-Gi-Oh cartoon series? A lot of the action on that series revolves around the trading card game of the same name. I can't say I'd want to be a serious player, but my curiosity seems to be peaking on it, probably because I want to learn something that's different.
While I realize that this (and there are a couple of other thoughts like it) may help in my spare time, it's not what I would associate with "normal" coping mechanisms and so I'm feeling kinda confused.
The question for the group has three parts, then: Have you ever tried something that might be unusual to help you cope with depression issues? What was it? Did it work out for you?
Balance and moderation, that seems to be what works for me.
Besides, when you think about it, while some behaviors may seem "strange" or "abnormal" in a societal sense, they're all still products of humans - essentially human behaviors. If you remove the societal screen of judgment, there's nothing more "normal" about one behavior or another - some are more common coping mechanisms, and some are healthy while others are not, but they are all produced by the same species and exist on the same plane.
Anyway, provided the coping behavior is harmful to neither the person involved nor the people around them, I always say "Whatever makes you happy" when people ask "What do you think of me doing this?" There was a post on DS a couple months ago asking "Would it be really weird to buy a doll to pretend it's me as a little girl to learn how to take care of myself?" Again, no way is that "weird" or "inappropriate." It's not hurting anybody, and it works for them.
Do what you need to do to take care of yourself, JM :) Don't worry about what's "normal" if you can, and just do whatever makes you happy.
*Hugs*
Elle
Want your fortune told over the internet? Hehe
HUGS
Best wishes to ya :) I hope you can find something that works for you soon.
Oh and Friend...LOVE Tarot! I miss it actually...people were getting a bit freaked out, which freaked me out, and I stopped :( But may all your readings be blessed ones :)