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Ok, back into the cupboard I go.

Tue, 10/06/2009 - 14:09 — parakletos

    Most of you know I'm on medication for depression. It’s helpful, after all, I haven't thought about harming myself for a while now. But it has its downsides. Some of them are the medical side-effects, the worst of which is feeling sick. The others are harder to define, but essentially they narrow the range of my emotions, great for stopping you falling into a deep dark pit, but the highs go as well. In short, life is grey, a dull monotonous grey.

    So from time to time I stop taking them. Partly it’s an act of rebellion, but also I get to soar a bit and writing becomes possible. Of course, I get to plumb the depths too, which is not so good.,

    I’ve just come to the end of one of my little rebellions as things were about to get a bit out of control. Not a lot has come out of this episode from a writing perspective but some good ideas. Perhaps I need to start working on a collaborative basis with someone as a way of turning ideas into stories. I don’t know, but perhaps it’s a way forward.

    Comments

    Thu, 10/08/2009 - 15:15 — TruckerRon

    Fighting Depression

    I am currently a student in a clinical chaplaincy training program being run at a state mental hospital. I am NOT a trained clinician by any means, just a former truck driver who's finding his way through life.

    Several years ago I was as depressed as a guy can get without having an organic cause. I was dealing with long-term unemployment in my former industry (tech writing), out-of-control diabetes, and dealing with a handicapped child (Down Syndrome and autism). I was miserable, self-centered, and ready to have a fatal "accident" so my family could at least have the insurance money.

    I walked out of it.

    No, I don't mean I abandoned anyone, I mean I started going for walks. Really long walks. And it helped.

    Outside of your medications, I hope you're doing the same things that I and others have found that help:

  • Exercise -- Get out and MOVE!
  • Music -- Build a playlist of music that lifts your mood.
  • Service -- Do something for someone else!
  • Plan -- Fill your days with just enough activity to build you, not enough to burden you.
  • Prayer -- Within your faith practices, pray for inspiration, guidance, and strength.
  • Share -- Join a self-help group so others who are finding their way can share their victories with you.

    • I sincerely hope this helps. The meds can only do so much -- you have to find a way to build on that gray foundation, to make life at that level more tolerable. You're the one who has to do it, but if you're paying attention, some of the items on that list will require you to do it with others, and that does make it easier.

    Good luck, and feel free to write back, even if it's to tell me to bugger off. I've survived a full cardiac arrest and am functioning through the grace of God and the skills of my surgeons, so I can handle a rant or two.