I thought I would be “cured†by now. Seven months after my hospitalization for Major Depressive Disorder, it feels like I should be on top of my game. I have medication helping me, a therapist, a psychiatrist and peer support. In September, I flew to Chicago and spent the weekend learning SMART Recovery at their 25th Annual Conference. I … [Read more...] about What’s the point of my life?
Self Care
10 ways I am de-stressing the holidays
Even before acknowledging my depression, the holidays could be stressful. Expectations about what “should†happen can make things uncomfortable at best. When I would go into the holidays without clearly thinking about what I want and need for self-care, the outcomes were generally ok, sometimes good, but unpredictable. This year, I am … [Read more...] about 10 ways I am de-stressing the holidays
Is it possible to be “recovered” rather than forever in “recovery?”
This is the question I am grappling with right now. This idea was presented in the training I am doing with SMART Recovery. Yes, I want to be a meeting facilitator someday, but right now I am still working on me. Seeing this concept in black and white, has given me a renewed sense of hope about my future. The Transtheoretical Model (also called the Stages of Change … [Read more...] about Is it possible to be “recovered” rather than forever in “recovery?”
Doing the Drugs; Part II
Today my Psychiatrist upped my Prozac to 40mg daily. This is double the 20 mg I have been taking since the end of April. Thinking about how this came to be, I am sad, mad and glad that it happened. Taking medication, along with therapy seems like a straight-forward process. You see a doctor, get a pill, your cured! Reality is nothing like that. I am sad because took a … [Read more...] about Doing the Drugs; Part II
I can’t believe I lied to my Psychiatrist
Well, maybe I just did not tell him everything. That sounds a lot better. Yet, in the end, I wasn’t honest about how I was doing. My years of practice hiding and concealing my depression kicked in when I went in to see him last week. It had been three months since I first saw him, and I made a lot of progress. With all the work I have done to … [Read more...] about I can’t believe I lied to my Psychiatrist
