Depression, Relaxation and Joy

Depression isn’t something you can just cope with!

It’s pretty dangerous to just live with it and hope it goes away, because whilst you might get periods of remission, each tme it comes back (and it will) it will last longer and be deeper.

It may be different in your case, but for me the biggest thing about depression is the lack of hope. And worse than that, that you don’t even care there is no hope.

Depression is pretty prolific, but believe it or not, there are some people who don’t understand what it is. They think it means being sad, or down because “one” thing has happened. They think it is a cry for help or that you need to tie your shoeloaces up and “get on with it”.

I guess we can’t blame them. If you’ve never been down a bottomless, endless, black hole, I guess it must be hard to appreciate what it is like. But as it’s endless, you don’t just pop your head over the top and go, “oh OK then I’ll just get on with it now then…”

As you have no hope, you do not have the will, or strength, or belief, or reason to even lift your head. It seems pointless.

But if you are depressed yourself, you will already know that an dhave some sor tof feelign sliek this. The question is, you have for some reaosn come here, maybe in a last dash, pointless but do it anyway, attempt to find out if you have ALL of the facts and if there is anything that can be done, or if there isn’t, what to do next.

Well I know you won’t believe me right now, but you do not have ALL of the facts. It’s a bit like not being able to see glass and not believing it is there. Well just hang on in there with me for a while, and maybe you will get to touch the glass for yourself.

I won’t lie to you. There is no hope and things won’t just get better on their own. And nobody else can wave a maagic wand and do it for you. I can’t even say you will never feel pain again either. But NOTHING like the pain (and hopelessness) you feel now.
If you didn’t know already, depression is an “illness” and like most illnesses, it can be cured. But rather than taking medical drugs, which just mask the symptoms, you need to find the cause and solve the infection.

Certianly if you have been assessed properly and not just fobbed ioff with soem drugs, by al emans take them./ But do not rley ona chemical to solve yoru life for you.

As  said, we need to find the source of the infection and treat that directly, so it just doesn’t come back again, and/or we becoem reliant on the distracting drugs.

If there’s one thing I could give you to take away right now, and as ridiculous as it sounds, and a minor and inconsequential as it will apear, my best advice to you right now, is to “follow a routine”. Regardless of whethe ryou want to (you almost certainly won;t) follow a routine.

Comb your hair, put your make-up on, brush your teeth, shave, get out of bed at a proper reasonable time. Change your underwear. Wash. Make food to eat even if you only pick at it. Go to bed at a sensible time even if you can only lie and toss and turn. Just do it!

Routine is the very first toe on the ladder. It is the atom past being an incontinent heap on the floor. So if you an only do one more thing, follow your routine!
I know there is no point in you doing it, but just do it anyway. Just trust me this once, that doing it, is better than not doing it. It doesn’t matter why, or if, or but, or anything. Just follow your routine.

It’s how the survivors of Nazi concentration camps managed to survive through unbelievable conditions (like not knowing if they were going to death today). And if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us to try it. The bottom line, I know you don’t believe me, is that routine works. It really, really does.

Claire.