Get the Support You Need

Learn from thousands of users who have made their way through our courses. Need help getting started? Watch this short video.

today's top discussions:

logo

Emergency Happy Questions

Ashley -> Health Educator

2024-06-11 2:42 PM

Depression Community

logo

Questions to challenge negativity

Ashley -> Health Educator

2024-06-03 3:43 PM

Depression Community

logo

Social anxiety disorder

Ashley -> Health Educator

2024-05-29 1:50 PM

Anxiety Community

This Month’s Leaders:

Most Supportive

Most Loved

Browse through 411.758 posts in 47.059 threads.

160,770 Members

Please welcome our newest members: MereM, browcari, Cas151, Britanica78, m_ladyschoolme

Time for change...


13 years ago 0 653 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Jacques,
 
Has it been three weeks since you have been on your 'light' anti-depressant? You still sound pretty low. It might be good to check in with your doctor on the goal of the medication and discuss your dose. That would be a normal and expected next step after starting any new medication.
 
It's great that you set some realistic goals for yourself. Even though you don't like little steps, you might need to have faith in them at this point!  I think you have lots of insight and are going to work through this. Facing feelings can be difficult and tiring. I wonder if being numb is that much better?
 
Log on and keep us posted often!
 
Tiana, Health Educator
13 years ago 0 52 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0

Hi Ashley,

Thanks for getting back to me. Would it be helpfull to dig a bit deeper regarding how I feel? Yes. Can I? I don't know... I'm not really tired of hiding my feelings behind a facade, I kind of like my facade; it's comfortable. I'm starting to realize that my coping machnisms including the facade are failing. I come from a culture where people tell you how you should feel. They are quite persistent in forcing their opinion about how you should feel upon you. By having a facade, I used to be able to work through my feelings in my speed on my terms. I used to be able to work through depressions, but now I am no longer able to really cope with it anymore...

Currently I feel mainly tired.... in 4 weeks I have had only 1 night of good quality sleep. I don't feel like doing anything; everything seems to be going down the drain anyway. Even little things I'm normally very good at, take me hours and hours to complete... and even then they don't even come close to my quality standards. If that happens, I'm almost desperate. I start to second guess everything I have done up to now... at the same time I want to forget everything I have done and encountered up to now. I try to feel as numb as possible...

I tried to start with the program. I have a hard time setting little steps goals as I'm a real big picture guy. For me little steps are just little steps and I am not able to enjoy little steps as successes. The program also makes me to think about my feelings and maybe I am just afraid of what I may feel. I think I have said something similar 25 years ago; being afraid of feelings.
13 years ago 0 11221 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Jacques,
 
Welcome to the group.  Thank you for sharing your story with us.  I can hear you are tired of hiding how you are feeling and you know you are not okay.  Do you think it would be helpful to dig a little deeper and tell us actually how you feel?  You do not need to have a facade here. 
 
Also, have you begun working on the program at all? 

Ashley, Health Educator
13 years ago 0 52 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I have been suffering from depressions for decades. Already 25 years ago I was diagnosed with clinical depression and advised to take therapy. Back then the psychiatrist suspected that I had been suffering from depressions for years. However I never followed through with therapy as I didn't want to be stigmatized.
 
I have always been able to hide my feelings. I always have a little smile on my face, so people never question my feelings. Eventhough I am very introvert, I learned to interact with people and act as a social butterfly. After a social event I have to have my me-time though - complete solitude in darkness. I have been able to create a facade of a friendly, relaxed, fun-loving guy who loves city life.

Three weeks ago I noticed that I was very hyper, but at the same time very ineffecient. I knew I would fall into a major depression and for the first time in 25 years I decided to try to really make a change. I went to my physician and explained my situation, which came as a complete shock for him... I had a very long conversation with him, where he went looking for a traumatic event. As I have been involved in risk taking behaviour, I had sufficient events to choose from. I never had really suicidial ideas; sure I thought about death, but I never see it as a solution. During our conversation I started to hide behind my facade again... As a result he thinks I quite good in coping with my depressions and he prescribed a light med.
 
When I told my wife I was prescribed medication, she was also rather shocked. Her mother is bipolar and has had depressions in the past. However her mother is very expressive, so she shows all typical signs of depressions. I don't show them. I feel I am quite lucky as my wife really wants to help me... however I don't even know how.
 
This weekend the depression set in despite the meds. I only want to watch stupid comedies, which make me smile. I'm not sleeping properly, I'm not eating properly... every morning I will drag myself out of bed, so at least it looks like I'm okay. I know my wife comes home around 6 PM, so I will make sure to have taken a shower by 4 PM, so at least it looks like I'm okay... But I realize that I'm not okay... Especially the last 3 years the depressions have become a major interference in my life.

Reading this thread: