On 2004-12-03, CatNipped penned:
Baha's recent post inspired this. For those of you who don't want to talk
in person (and that is one of the symptoms of depression - we don't have the
energy to make the effort to get help), I'm putting down here some of the
things to watch for as the early signs of depression (the earlier you catch
it, the easier it is to overcome - and as strange as it may seem, we don't
always recognize it when we begin to feel depressed), and some tips on what
you can do to help yourself get through.


Thanks for this post. It's timely for me. This year has been full of stress,
both from good and bad events -- got married, husband in the hospital twice,
having to give up Eros, lingering injuries that prevented me from getting the
kind of exercise I wanted, a host of illnesses, huge job stress, spent all my
vacation visiting my grandmother in germany (long story, but it was as
stressful as all of the above) ... and of course it's getting dark before I
leave work now, which never helps. I've had an upset stomach for the last
week, regardless of what I do or don't eat. A reaction I inherited from Dad,
apparently.

We'd been planning to spend Christmas at my parents'. Both my brothers would
be there, as well as my brother K's new wife and her (now their) two kids,
whom I haven't yet met. Between the complete lack of vacation time, a serious
need to get certain projects done by mid-january, and the realization of how
insanely expensive two tickets to NC would be for us, well, I called my dad in
tears last night to tell him I didn't think I could do it. My parents
understand, of course, but it's still a real bummer, and of course I feel
guilty.

Anyway, the really sad part to me is that, when I told my dad I was going to
look for a therapist to talk some of my stress out, it really bummed him out.
Yes, I've sought professional help during dark times, but in this case, I want
to just flush my brain a little, talk to someone with an outside perspective
and no agenda. My husband certainly understands, but my father I guess is
just a different generation and a different culture. He said something like,
"Well, honey, when you say you're going to see a therapist ... that sounds
like, you know, you think you 'need therapy.'" When I related this to my
husband later on, he responded, "Well, what's wrong with needing therapy?"

Honestly, I think my life is pretty good, and I feel blessed. I don't mean to
sound like I think my life is falling apart, because I know it's not. I think
sometimes, the day to day stresses of normal life are the hardest to cope
with. I don't know how people manage with kids. They just do, I guess. But,
as I told my dad last night, I'm just feeling a little ... brittle right now.
Things are bothering me more than they should; easy decisions seem hard. It's
not full-blown depression, but I know myself well enough to monitor the
situation.

Here I am, babbling on ... anyway, thanks for the post.

--
monique, caretaker of Oscar