Sorry to hear your woes guys. Depression is a horrible thing. It seems to suppress all the good emotions and just leave you with the negatives like anger and guilt.
I’ve just come out of a bout of this myself, so empathise strongly with both sides of the issues. A key thing to remember is that there usually is no main cause. It’s just a lot of small set backs that can add up and tip you into this state of mind.
The way to improve your mental state, at least, for me, is to mentally plan your day and celebrate the achievement of small things. This way you can set yourself up with a lot of little victories and can perhaps generate some positivity. However, don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get through the list. Sometimes getting out of bed, having a wash and brushing your teeth is as good as it gets. These are still achievements when you are suffering from depression and should be celebrated as such.
Talking is definitely a good thing as well, but only to someone that is empathetic to your situation. The worst thing is to be told to “snap out of it” or to continually be asked “how you are” or “do you feel a bit better”. These questions just drive you mad. Better to ask a question about a subject the sufferer knows about, or to try to talk about happier times or current events. My uncle, who also suffers sometimes, calls it talking bollocks, ie, chatting about absolutely anything with no importance whatever. It breaks the circle of introspection and puts your mind in neutral. There are times when the sufferer just want to be left alone, and any human interaction can be maddening. In this case, let them have space. They will come back to you when they are ready.
Just be aware there is no quick fix and no real cure. It can bite back really quickly with no real reason or warning, but can also go dormant just as fast. Antidepressants don’t really help much in my experience. They just put your emotions in neutral until you feel nothing at all. They are very helpful if you are suffering seriously negative thoughts, but for a bout of mild depression they just turn you into a sort of zombie. Human contact and activity on the sufferers terms will improve the situation, but needs patience and understanding from their loved ones.
If either of you guys want to discuss this, or just rant, please feel free to PM me. I’ve experienced this issue from both sides and know the importance of a support team in improving the situation.
I’ve just come out of a bout of this myself, so empathise strongly with both sides of the issues. A key thing to remember is that there usually is no main cause. It’s just a lot of small set backs that can add up and tip you into this state of mind.
The way to improve your mental state, at least, for me, is to mentally plan your day and celebrate the achievement of small things. This way you can set yourself up with a lot of little victories and can perhaps generate some positivity. However, don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get through the list. Sometimes getting out of bed, having a wash and brushing your teeth is as good as it gets. These are still achievements when you are suffering from depression and should be celebrated as such.
Talking is definitely a good thing as well, but only to someone that is empathetic to your situation. The worst thing is to be told to “snap out of it” or to continually be asked “how you are” or “do you feel a bit better”. These questions just drive you mad. Better to ask a question about a subject the sufferer knows about, or to try to talk about happier times or current events. My uncle, who also suffers sometimes, calls it talking bollocks, ie, chatting about absolutely anything with no importance whatever. It breaks the circle of introspection and puts your mind in neutral. There are times when the sufferer just want to be left alone, and any human interaction can be maddening. In this case, let them have space. They will come back to you when they are ready.
Just be aware there is no quick fix and no real cure. It can bite back really quickly with no real reason or warning, but can also go dormant just as fast. Antidepressants don’t really help much in my experience. They just put your emotions in neutral until you feel nothing at all. They are very helpful if you are suffering seriously negative thoughts, but for a bout of mild depression they just turn you into a sort of zombie. Human contact and activity on the sufferers terms will improve the situation, but needs patience and understanding from their loved ones.
If either of you guys want to discuss this, or just rant, please feel free to PM me. I’ve experienced this issue from both sides and know the importance of a support team in improving the situation.
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