Engaging topic with Unc and Twist - Pulling Ourselves from the Brink (OR NOT): The Exhausting Cycle of Depression"
I know this is a common topic. Hopefully this space can offer comfort and ideas to others, as well as ourselves.
There's times it feels like we're hanging by a thread. Everything is going well and then suddenly it's not. Sometimes it's a gradual drop and sometimes it's sudden.
Depression feels like a constant, heavy weight. It’s like walking through life carrying this immense. Logically you might know that you have good things in life, but your brain refuses to let you feel them. It’s exhaustion that sleep cannot fix.
Depression lies. It tells you that you are a burden, that no one cares, and that this pain is permanent.
It is lying to you. The truth is, your mind is currently incapable of seeing the good options, not that they don't exist.
Sometimes depression just seems to constantly be there. Maybe we work through it at one point only to be blindsided by it again. How do some people seem to manage to pull themselves out of the pit of misery and how do they recognize the signs that they're slipping back into it?
Let's talk about the brink of depression—and how to pull away from it.
Everyone is welcome to join in. If you're comfortable, feel free to share your story and experiences!
@IsayUncle I figured I would post it in the depression community. We can always have it moved if you want.
@mytwistedsoul
No, this is perfect.
Your introduction is AMAZINg! You hit every nail on the head.... "Heartfelt" 🤗
Can't wait to dive in... but have to wait, at the moment. 😕. off to work.
@IsayUncle Thank you! No worries ok? Take your time 😊
@mytwistedsoul
Hello my brother, it;s been awhile since we've talked. Really feeling ashamed and yet dangleing by a thread. So much😒
@BubblegumPuppy Pear sweet, wonderful, dear friend! ❤️ It is so great to see you! Big hugs! (if ok of course) It has been a long time, I feel bad for not keeping in better touch with you. I'm sorry about that.
@mytwistedsoul
Thank you for providing such a kind, safe, non judgemental space, for such an important topic 💙
@Amanda84 My pleasure! 😊 Thank you for always being so supportive 💜
@mytwistedsoul
@IsayUncle I think this would be a good title for my autobiography 😂
@mytwistedsoul
So I, I wrote up a very long winded Responce about Core Balance Chores and my Antidepressant Schedule but I decided to post it in the scratchpad, because it was so long winded.
I thought maybe you could look at it, Tell me what you think, and if it was worth slimming it down to post it here.
I did take a little excerpt from it, as noted below.
"So, the chores themselves are relative to the persons Circumstances. The actual chores are not the important part. The important part is finding your core balance In regards to self-care and daily obligations. It’s about deciding what is the bare minimum that you want to live the rest of your life like, the bare minimum. Only the individual can decide, in an honest perspective What’s their bare minimums are going to be."
@mytwistedsoul
I really appreciate how honestly you put this. Depression can feel like it drags you right to the edge, even when nothing 'big' has happened on the outside. That sudden drop you mentioned, or the slow side, both feel so real when you're in it.
And you're right it lies in such convincing ways. It makes you feel like you're stuck or broken when really your mind is just overwhelmed and can't see the full picture right now. I think a lot of people relate to that feeling of doing okay for a while and then getting blindsided again. It doesn't mean your failing. It just means you're human and dealing with something heavy. Sometimes the smallest signs, like losing interest, feeling more tired, withdrawing a bit, are the early warnings, but they're easy to miss when life is busy.
Talking about it like this, openly, is one of the ways people pull themselves back from the brink. It reminds you that you're not the only one fighting this cycle, and that there are ways forward even when your brain can't see them yet 💓
@colorfulHorizon2069
Your post was very well written. It's encoraging and Supportive to hear other people Relate to how depression sneaks in on us. I like how you brought up the point that it doesn't have to be something big that happens on the outside.
For myself, I figure out something that works but then..... either, the monotony or discipline of it Decreases my interaction, or life gets busy and that thing that was working for a while gets put on the back burner.
Sometimes I think it helps to do a reset and reflect on some of the things that helped us and try to pick back up on some of those.
@IsayUncle
I appreciate that!
I agree, having resets and reflecting on things that helped us and trying to pick back on them helps. I can relate to doing that a lot and reflecting is hard but necessary sometimes. It helps you see things differently and sometimes helps so much that you solve a problem!
@colorfulHorizon2069
I had forgotten to mention or emphasize that the reflection and reset is What I do when I get into those stages that I'm so shut down for no reason at all, that I can't function.
Even though I still wallow around, overwhelmed and in a lot of dismay, I leave room in my thought process to say OK, It's time to reset and reflect. And so I definitely let my brain think about the positive things that I've done, up on the other side of the brink, and I think that really helps after a few days.
The steps that I took to get up out of the depths of My Deepest Depressions worked then, and has always worked when I applied those steps. Sometimes I can't take those steps because the brain just won't let me do it, but in reset and reflection mode it's easier to remember the steps that I took and after a few days I can start to do those again and it works.
This conversation can easily lead into a dopamine conversation and the importance of routines. It is my core balance routine that saves me every time........ Maybe For another day 😊
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🦋
@colorfulHorizon2069 Thank you! Thank you too for being here! 💜 You're right, talking about it openly can be really helpful and let's others know that they're not the only one struggling. I know for myself I struggle to talk about it, I get quiet. Maybe because of the times I've been told to get over it or people take a step back. It can be just as draining for people trying to help someone struggling with depression.
@mytwistedsoul
Thank you for having me here!! The early warning signs are definitely hard to see sometimes, but once you start picking up on them it makes it easier, I think! 😇
@mytwistedsoul
Hi Twist,
My mind grinding several different perspectives and points of views. Starting these two threads really gets the mind going.
Everything is so interconnected, and one thing and then it connects to another thing and etc. I think posting In the depression forum was a good idea. You probably could have put the dopamine over there too, because everything is so connected.
I’m writing to you here because if I write in the post I think it will be too long, and too confusing so I thought I would share all these ideas with you and even though everything is interconnected, I’m talking about the brink of depression mostly.
Talking about the brink of depression, Leads me to one cause and that is being overwhelmed. The following punch list is of all the things that are running through my mind used to be an indicator of getting overwhelmed. (Now I let them drift…. A good reflection of growth)
Writing here in the scratch pad Will help me unload the garbage, while at the same time preserving the important stuff. (I DECIDED TO POST HERE INSTEAD).... It's a reflection or reminder how easy it is to get overwhelmed, and pushed to the brink of depression.
CHAOTIC BRAIN DUMP
Dopamine threads into everything.
Gratitude and thankfulness.
Starting and finishing.
Importance of written routines, journals, and to do’s.
Added worries, problems out of nowhere.
Reflections. Forgetting the good, remembering the bad.
Beyond existing.
How all the entanglements weave together and interconnect.
(NOTE: This is a partial list) I think this is why a routine list, journal and/or to-do list is beneficial to help us away from the brink a little bit. It helps to sort and prioritize daily.
I am sorry you catastrophise, cbt helps deal with these thoughts. This can lead to depression.
I am sorry you catastrophise, cbt helps deal with these thoughts. This can lead to depression.