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.
Lately I've been feeling extremely low with major intensity and I don't seem to be able to get any reprieve. A friend of mine is used to living with depression, but as this is fairly new to me I feel like death has a grip on me all the time. I can go out occasionally but the place I feel most at home is in front of my computer.
I am looking for help in coping with this debilitating mood. Do you have any suggestions for coping with this new situation?
I am looking for help in coping with this debilitating mood. Do you have any suggestions for coping with this new situation?
I am used to living with depression, but sometimes it can get much worse than at other times and at those times I must find ways to cope.
There have been pieces of advice I have been given by those with more experience -- some who have suffered depression and some who have helped many who have suffered severe depression. One piece is not to make major decisions while very depressed. You simply are not processing information well and seeing clearly even if you actually might feel like you are seeing clearly for the first time in years.
Another is to try keep active with something. Seek what activity you can handle while going through the depression and do it. It might take a while to find and I found that with each long wave of depression I went through there were different things I could and could not do or enjoy. Sometimes I can write poetry and sometimes I can not even while each of those times I was depressed as much.
Sometimes I like tasks like working with clay or with paint. Other times, like I mentioned, I like to work with words. Sometimes I actually like people around me while others... not so much. Though often when I feel like I want to be alone, being alone is the worst thing for me. Sometimes you really need a very caring professional to help with that. Maybe not a psychiatrist, but more a professional counsellor who has gotten to know you.
Friends can be a real help, but, a person can become fearful of wearing them out. My own friends are lucky in that I am not the sort to wear out. :-) But the thing that drove me to professional treatment was the fear of driving my close friends away.
Find what things you can still find joy in -- even if those around you do not understand -- and do them. Better if those things are healthy things. For instance, gambling or drinking or doing recreational drugs are not really a good thing to do even if you find joy in them. Constructive things are preferred, but neutral things are okay.
I think that is why so many rehab centres have craft facilities...
Remember that you are worthwhile and loved!
~ Darrell