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11 November, 2009

Look for it


(I am not a trained professional. I am just someone who is going through depression. Always seek medical advice.)

Do you remember a time that you felt sad and lost the energy that you had. Some people get that quite often because they have depression. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that a person who is depressed feels worse than you did during that time of sadness, I am writing this post to help everyone to understand a little about depression and to give some hope to the ones who have depression. There is a lot of articles about depression these days, I just wanted to give you my side of having depression.

First, a little about being depressed. A person who is depressed may feel alone, sadness, no enjoyment in life, hopeless or worthless, just to name a few. To have depression, you don't need to feel depressed every minute of every day. Some feel depressed a short time through the day, like when they get home from work or going to bed. Others may feel depressed once a week. There is no set time for a person to be depressed.

But that is enough of the symptoms, lets look at the hope that we can all have when we are depressed. The first thing when comes to getting back on the right track is to have a long look at yourself. Take some time out with a note pad and write how you feel each day. How you feel when facing different situations and when you feel sad or alone. Write down every feeling you have had during those times. With that list, visit your local doctor with it and talk to them about it. Getting over that first hump by visiting your doctor can be the road to recovery. There a things available that can help with the symptoms. One is medication. I know there will be a few out there that hate the thought of medication. That decision is up to you and your doctor. With me, it helped. I know some of my friends have had to go on anti-depressant for a couple of months just to help them over a stressful period. Seeing a psychologist can be very beneficial. They can give you strategies to combat depression and they are great to go and see to help talk about how you feel. Having close friends who know that you have depression and that are supportive can benefit quite a lot. Taking time to reward yourself with something that you like, for example treating yourself by going to the movies or a walk along the beach is really good.

I know when I have down times I just feel like crawling into a cave. But at these times we need to get ourselves up and do something. "Yer right, that is easy said" some are probably saying. Believe me it can be a challenge. But doing something like going for a walk really does work. I found that when I feel down, I like to go and work on some of my hobbies or watch a Star Trek dvd. By doing doing something that distracts your mind can be very helpful. I will admit it works 99% of the time, but I know that I have to give it a go for me to feel better. Exercise is great to. Getting outside and getting some fresh air is great. Even if you go outside and read a book under a tree, at least you are outside.

Depression can be very hard to deal with. I am the first to admit that it is a bumpy road and there are potholes along the way, but if I want to get better I have to put effort in. I have had depression since I was 11 and now I am 25 and I still have days that I am depressed, but I am the happiest I have ever been. There were times I stopped eating, times I was put on suicide watch, times I never left the house and times I never left my mothers side. But I am living proof that depression can be controlled and overcome. In the those 14 years, I had really good times, times that I didn't need to see any psychologists or doctors, times that I was very happy and I had a career. I got married, something that I never thought I could do when I was very depressed. I know that when a person is depressed that they feel there is no hope, but there is. If you are finding it hard, please go and see someone. Getting help is no quick fix, but it can be what gets you back on track. There is away out of those down times, you just have to look for it.


I am not a trained professional. I am just someone who is going through depression. Always seek medical advice.

7 comments:

Curvy Mummy said...

Very good post! And great advise. I too suffer from depression, but you have to give everything a go, what may work for one person, may not work for another, but the key here is TRYING! Very well put. Keep up the great work.

Beautiful Dreamer
http://dailyinspirationherald.blogspot.com/
http://beautifuldreamersdiary.blogspot.com/

Better Man said...

Thanks for the comment. I am only new at blogging and really appreciate comments I receive.

Always a mom said...

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Check my post " My First Award".
Congrats.

Dayne Gingrich said...

Good luck with this. It's definitely tough, but keep taking daily action towards better, better, better.

Better Man said...

Thanks Dayne for the comment. Defiantly agree

Niqi said...

Sometimes it is hard for people to see that they have depression - it can make your irritable and find everyone else irritating - it can have physical symptoms or only mental ones. It is a sneaky illness really. And in most cases it is a chemical imbalance in the brain. My parents and brother and I have all suffered from depression for years. We are each on a different medication for it after trying many different ones. When you find one that works for you it does make the day to day go much better.

Hope you can find what works for you. :)

Better Man said...

Thanks Niqi, I think I am on the right track with my medication. I am feeling 100 times better.