The truth about depression is that it's a silent mood changer. It can happen at any time, at any level of severity and stay for as long as it wants. Medications help the frequency and sometimes the severity. Depression is a burden not easily shared.
It's not like I can snap my fingers and it leaves. If I could, of course I would! It's subtle, can disguise itself as some other emotion like sadness or anger turned inward. It's tiring, like fighting to get up multiple times during the day. I don't know what the difference is between major depressive disorder and chronic depression. They feel the same and I've been diagnosed with both.
Here are some things I can do when I notice I'm depressed:
- Get out of bed. If I stay in bed, the depression becomes too strong to fight.
- Eat all meals. Depression tells me to either not eat or overeat.
- Take medications as prescribed. When I do this, the chemical side of depression stands a good chance of being balanced.
- Be gentle with myself. This includes no major decisions, doing the basics and not pushing myself to start something new.
- Ride the waves of emotions. Keep a journal, talk to someone or write on my blog. Keeping it inside is not a good idea and can perpetuate the negative feelings.
- Fake it till you make it. I've found smiling when it's hard to smile helps a lot. So does going out in public (library, store, etc.), taking a ride to a forest preserve or walking in my neighborhood.
- Pray. I often ask God to give me whatever it is I need to accomplish His plan for the day.
