I read blogs.  I find them vastly more interesting that a lot of fiction out there and often a lot more uplifting than the news.   Don’t get me wrong, I read the news, however all of my news is read off of  www.fark.com – they don’t write the news; they mock it.  🙂

Anyway, yes.  I’m depressed and it has been a fight to drag myself out of the deep dark hole of doom.  I don’ t know how to explain how exhausting, how annoying I find myself, or even how I use up all of my energy just getting through my work week.  There is a blogger who explains it so much better than I can (and she uses pictures; everyone loves pictures) : http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html

I have not reached the ‘nothing can do anything to me’ freedom of the above referenced blog posting, but I’m getting there.  My depression phases in a pretty predictable ways: 1. doing okay.  2.  bad things happen and I respond in plucky, self-reliant, admirable ways.  3.  more bad things happen–I keep going pluckily.  4. Something completely inane happens (THERE IS NO MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM ON THIS ENTIRE ISLAND!!!!) and I LOSE MY EVER  LOVING MIND (which begins listing every single bad thing that has happened throughout my life including that time some mean kids made fun of my red-polka-dotted shoes in elementary school and…and…and…) and I sob like an idiot or WORSE go completely numb for a few days and then sob like an idiot while my dogs circle me wondering if food lady has completely run out of food and that is why she is so sad and here we can share this squeaky toy? please stop crying food lady.  5. and then I’m better? no.  not even close.  it’s a slow climb from the depths of hell and because I get so depressed my immune system says “good luck, fool” and leaves for a while which means I get a cold or something else stupid and then I keep climbing.  Sometimes I slip, but I do get back up to ‘normal’ eventually but it seems to take me twice as long to get out of it than it does to fall into the ‘hole’.   I literally use all of my energy faking normal getting through my workday.  By the time I’m home I am lucky to make it to the bedroom to sleep.  When people ask what I’m doing and I jauntily reply – sleep.  That is not an exaggeration.   Now, I should make it clear that I work a minimum of 10-12 hours per day and there is nothing fun going on in my life.  But I am never sure if the lack of fun is due to the depression, or if the depression is made worse from the lack of fun.  It’s a nasty spiral, isn’t it?

If nothing else, I am in the company of amazing people because some of my best friends and some of my favorite blog reads seems to dealing with many of the same issues.  Depression and other mental illnesses are often looked at as a weakness.  That no-one suffering has the strength of will to ‘snap out of it’ or just ‘be happy’.  Please know that no-one *wants* to feel this low or alone.  Depression is a sneaky jerk who tells you the world would be better without you.  That no-one really wants you around.  Do your best to ignore the sneaky bastard.  He lies.

Every one of the ladies who writes below is dealing with depression…different levels, different coping mechanisms.  They also write hoolarious other stuff which keeps me vastly entertained. 🙂  

I will be okay.  If you are dealing with depression or the like, you will be okay too.  It just takes time. 

**hugs**

-H.

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html

http://thebloggess.com/2011/10/im-out-of-the-hole/

http://journalnotkept.blogspot.com/search/label/1990s