Why do I suddenly feel the need to explain myself? I am almost five months out from my hospital stay for depression. That is almost five months of living with depression, of saying the word depression out loud, and keeping depression out in the open where I can see it. As I wrote the sentence about being out of the hospital for almost five months, I suddenly felt I … [Read more...] about Why Did I Think that? I Thought I Was Getting Better.
Books that help me
You Will Never Guess the New Name I Learned For My Depression.
Keeping depression out in the open requires constant attention. Ignoring it, or worse, assuming I am “over it,” has dire consequences. As I learn to live with depression, I am learning more and more about how it works. I am learning how secretive it wants to be, and how tempting it can be to follow its ideas. Understanding this has helped me see that depression isn’t only … [Read more...] about You Will Never Guess the New Name I Learned For My Depression.
After reading this, I’m not sure I have Concealed Depression
I was sure it was Concealed Depression. After all, I had hidden it for 43 years before finally facing it. I am just now wrapping my arms around the idea that I have a mental illness, and then I read an article that may change what I call it. That should be exciting. I am learning something new about depression and the way people experience it. And it does make sense. … [Read more...] about After reading this, I’m not sure I have Concealed Depression
My uncharted journey into the future
As I travel the new road facing my depression, it is clear the path is not straight. As I read and learn more about depression, I ran across the concept of stages of change. Currently, I am reading the SMART Recovery Handbook. It reminds me that it’s difficult to change long-standing behaviors, even when new ones are better for you. Depression has a way of making these … [Read more...] about My uncharted journey into the future
22 Coping Statements That Will Make You Less Anxious
Coping statements are another way to frame your thinking. When we worry about things that we are expecting to happen, anxiety can twist a simple thought into a fear-inducing stress producing nightmare. It’s easy to laugh at Mark Twain’s observation about himself. “I have experienced a great many bad things in my lifetime, some of which have actually come true.” It seems to me … [Read more...] about 22 Coping Statements That Will Make You Less Anxious