Category: Health and Wellness
'Tis the season to be jolly...
But I'm not! Oi vei! How have I gotten here again? I am usually a very happy, energetic, positive-thinking person. the listener, the compassionate one, the friend when you need one. But I find myself really struggling with depression. I am pretty active and try to enjoy life to the fullest, but the fall and winter months are incredibly challenging for me. It's also very hard for me to admit that when I usually act like everything is going great. A few years ago, I was taking anti-depressants and they seemed to help, but then I was forced to get off of them due to a frustrating doctor. So why the heck am I posting?
Great question! I suppose I'm just asking for some coping suggestions and wondering if there is anyone else who finds this time of the year incredibly difficult. I know that a lot of this is circumstantial, and i'm not fully stuck in a rut, but I can feel myself starting to spiral. I know that mental health is just as important as physical health, and yet there is still this hesitancy to talk about it.
Anyhow, thank you for reading.
Hugs,
Meka
I also feel a bit depressed during Autumn and Winter.
My favorite season is Spring.
I don't like this time of the year. The weather is changing, the days are getting shorter, all the immigrand birds left for the south to find better weather so that's why i don't like it.
I would suggest playing recordings of nature with birds and sounds like that that would remind you of Spring and Summer and they might make you feel better.
Nikos
Mika depending on how much sight you have, you could try using a light box, they are extremely useful for people who find the dark autumn days depressing. Failing that, try to get out in the sunnier days as much as possible,as the sun has the same effect. I wish more people would discuss how they really feel instead of bottling it up.
Hi Meka, well I am the exact opposit I feel a bit better in Automn and winter. I don't know why but when ever I see the sun I get depressed. Nobody can understand it not even a doctor. But I do take antydepressents to help but last week it didn't help. I thought I was going crazy. But yes try sun light or the bird sounds which remind you of summer.
I agree with Goblin and Chocolate Girl. You also might try and focus on some favorite activities for you this time of year. Make a list of those activities. Say one of them is roasting marshmellows. On a scale of one to ten, figure out how much you think you might like it. After you do the activitity, ask yourself how much you liked it. You'll probably find that you liked it morethan you thought you did originally. An oldie book that I like is Feeling Good. They have lots of tips for dealing with depression in general. Good luck. You have to keep that deamond at bey.
Lou
Meka, I know how you feel. My friends laugh at me because as soon as June 21 is over, I start complaining about the days getting shorter. And because I haven't enjoyed Christmas since I was a kid, I don't have those holidays to look forward to. So between the short, cold days and hating Christmas, I don't like this time of year either. But I always get through it, and you will too. And I start feeling better again after December 21 as the days are going to gradually start getting longer. LOL, my friends laugh at me for that too.
Motivated a.k.a . Lou,
And you could book yourself an indulgent massage or pampering to help lift your mood.
hey meka, i deal with seasonal depression as well. I love Christmas, and Thanks Giving and lately I haven't been feeling the same durring them hollidays. I know its a time for me to be happy and thankful but for the past year or so it just hasn't been that easy for me. However, all hope is not lost, i find that excersising more in the winter makes me feel better and doing things that you did in the summer also can help. I know its much easier said then done, and most of the time I'd just rather give in and be sad and depressed, but thats not the way, keep a possative attitude about it as hard as that sounds. And if you need to talk about it you know ware to find me. :), hope some of this helps
Hi there:
Thanks for your responses and suggestions. I have had a band opportunity which has been keeping me busy, and I am trying to do little things to keep my spirits up. It just feels like I'm not doing a very good job. It's terribly difficult for me to admit this to myself because I want to appear as though I have it all together and am totally alright. I do like a lot of things about winter, such as snuggling up in a warm blanket with hot chocolate and a good book. Or the smell of food cooking in the crockpot is always a plus. I have some relaxation CD's and have been listening to the sounds of waterfalls and birds, and that is also helping. Some days are easier than others. Usually I don't start having trouble until November or so, but it just seems like I'm watching someone else's life go by. It's kind of a strange, disconnected feeling.
Thank you guys for responding and suggesting things and I am sorry for how personal this all became with having to read my stuff. *chuckles*
Meka
meka, please dont be sorry for making this personal. we write to share personal experiences, and help each other out when necessary. i struggle with seasonal depression, and depression in general when i find myself with very little to do. i have just come back to my final year at university after a year and a half travelling round the world. this is very difficult and i have times when i just feel myself sinking lower and lower into depression. like you, i get depressed around november, then i perk up a bit around christmas, then go right down again in january til around March. of course this can change. but what i try to do, is like you have just said, find things to keep myself busy. last winter, i was in France and i almost hit an all time low. what i did, was i found things to do, i tried to get out and do even simple things like food shopping, or going to visit friends. but i tried not to stay at home and mope cos that made it worse. and just by setting myself daily targets, i slowly managed to get through it.
Best of luck
lucia, (hot italian)
hi i no exactly what you mean i found it hard to get in to the christmas spirit last year and i didn't no what was wrong with me i evenchually ended up looking forward to it as it came closer but after i went streight back down again am hear if you need to talk
well becky your not the only one, this will be the first time in a long time i'll have a tree up for Christmas, only for melissa
, never really had a good Christmas when i was younger and the shorter colder days really bring me down.
Meka you sound very hard on yourself and I would seriously think about trying to easier on yourself. The band are not going to hate you for hitting a few bad notes, You should make a verbal list of everything you have achieved and keep it handy and when you feel disconnected and down, play the tape and remind yourself that it is possible to succeed. A few days ago I felt awful but the show must go on
Most importantly, don't be a hypocrite. If you're depressed, don't hide it from others. Better to behave accordingly with your mood. Look for others to indulge in arguments, and complain about the weather. Do it until you start laughing about yourself. Laugh, laugh, and keep on laughing! That always works for me. And don't forget to exaggerate about your depression. The stupider you make it all appear, the sooner you'll be laughing.
I'd say indulging the depression is the worst thing you can do, as you risk sinking deeper in to that black hole, instead of teetering on the edge and hopefully not falling in.
Hey, everyone. Meka, please don't apologize for posting about this, and for making it personal. Believe me, I know it's difficult to admit and talk about depression, when you want to be the strong one. I am going to be heading back to graduate school to become a licensed mental health counselor. However, I too have problems with depression, particularly in the winter. sometimes I feel like I'm a hypocrite. After all, I'm supposed to be the one making an occupation out of being there for others. But I can't help anyone else until I help myself first. You mentioned that you are usually compassionate, a good listener, and so on. I believe it. But you can't be those things if you don't take care of yourself first, and sometimes, taking care of depression is talking about it. So, keep posting here. If you ever want to talk privately, PM me.
I don't know what you like to do to relax, but here are some things I do when the depression kicks in. Journal, so I can get feelings out uncensored. Listen to music. Use my energy when I do have it to clean, and organize. When the depression hits, my life feels chaotic, and if my place is a mess, that makes it worse. Yeah I know, I'm weird like that. Take a long bath or shower. Read a book, especially if your mind is going places you don't want it to. and above all, talk to people about what you're feeling.
Hi there.
Thank you guys for the posts, I really appreciate them. I seem to teeter up and down, and unfortunately fall under the category of what an earlier poster said about being a hypocrite. I try very hard to hide that I am upset or hurting or feeling depressed because I don't want to seem whiny and bitchy. Sometimes I might mention that I'm feeling down, but it's hard for me to get to the point of saying 'hey, I'm feeling depressed.' I try not to focus on it. Lately, I have been sick, and it feels like I'm spiraling. Also agree with a post about house cleaning. Things do feel chaotic. I'll try to be easier on myself. I know that I'm a good person, but I'm not feeling it.
I think I will also make a list, maybe turn on some relaxing music and sit out on the deck. Still sick, but at least the sun is shining.
Thanks y'all for listening and posting.
Hugs,
Meka
Take care Meka and I hope you recover soon.smile
Hey there, Meka. Just checking in. How are things going? *Honestly* Smile.
Hey Meka,
Do I have SAD?
Please consult your doctor if you believe you may be suffering from a depressive illness.
This questionnaire is designed to help you assess whether you have SAD; it can also be used to help you assess how much bright light therapy is helping.
It is based on the standard assessment tool used by doctors. You might like to talk it over with your doctor or another person in your household.
Not everyone will have every symptom, but the score should go down over the weeks. Typical figures are over 20 when you have SAD and under 10 when you are
better.
SAD Questionnaire
Compared to how you normally feel when you are well, how would you rate yourself on each of the following?
0 = no different 1 = a little bit 2 = somewhat 3 = quite a lot 4 = definitely, badly
STANDARD depression symptoms score
I have been..
down and depressed
less interested in doing things or delaying doing things
less interested in sex
less interested in eating
losing weight
finding it hard to get to sleep
waking up in the night or my sleep is restless
waking up too early
more tired than usual, heavy in my limbs, aching back or muscles or headaches
guilty, I feel like a failure
feeling that life is not worth living
tense, irritable, worrying too much about little things
sure I'm ill or have a disease, unreasonably worried about my physical health
My thoughts or speech are slow
fidgety, restless, cannot keep still
Morning is worse than evening
Evening is worse than morning
feeling unreal, as if I am in a dream or cut off from what's going on around me
paranoid, suspicious
.preoccupied, I have to keep checking things
I have physical symptoms such as stomach problems, sweating, cramp, having to urinate frequently, dry mouth, sighing, heart palpitations, hyperventilating
TOTAL standard depression score
SUPPLEMENTAL depression symptoms score
I have been..
avoiding people, don't want to socialise
gaining weight
I WANT to eat more than usual
I ACTUALLY HAVE eaten more than usual
craving sweets or starchy foods
sleeping too much or I have been more tired than I should be
my mood or energy slumps in the afternoon then picks up at least an hour before bedtime
TOTAL supplemental depression score
COMBINED TOTAL depression score
I've heard of seasonal depression. That's a true disorder. I feel like that during the fall and winter. I have to wear a coat, I can't get aroundin the snow, That's the time when my family are ill, and that's during the school year.
Sugar, I looked at the questioneer that you posted. When I answered the questions, some were allot, and for some, there was no difference. I don't have SAD, but it feels like I do sometimes. I'm just curious, how could a light box effect someone who is blind?