.:Depression – What is it, and isn’t:.

Depression.  It is such a small word for such a long road. I want to share with all of you what it is, and what it isn’t.  Many of us suffer with it in some form or another and then there are those select few that just don’t understand.  So, without further ado, I am going to shine a bit of a light on it, in the Lilly way.

Depression is the severe feeling of despondency and dejection. By medical terms. It is a common but serious mental disorder. So let me bullet point this (I LOVE ME SOME BULLET POINTS YO!):

• Depression is a REAL THING. It isn’t something that is just boom you can get over it. IT IS A MENTAL STATE.
• Depression can and will affect people in different ways.  While some people are hardly able to get out of bed, some will do menial things, like sink into a Television screen.  Okay, that sounds bad like I am talking about the scene in “Nightmare on Elm Street” where the TV picks up the girl and shoves her hea…..  Okay, stopping here.
• Depression can be treated.  There are ways to get out of a funk.  Whether it is meditation, mediCation or therapy. You can find help.

All of us have periods of sadness.  Whether it is a break-up, a loss of a job or home, it comes on.  Sadness is a part of every day life and something that will never go away.  Depression on the other hand is deeper than that.  It is the loss of will.  Things that we used to be interested in just lose their oomph.  No motivation to get out there and take on the world.  It is the feeling of inadequacy.  Eating too much, or too little.  Now, you might say that these all sound like SAD symptoms, and you are right.  They are.  BUT it is when they extend past that point, last for a lot longer than usual.

Let’s say there is a girl named Bertha May Magillycutty. Bertha has been in a relationship with Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen.  Then Bertha and Smitty break up.  She is sad, ends up losing interest, starts eating buckets of ice cream while watching The Notebook.  After a few days she gets leveled out and begins picking up the pieces.

Now here is the way the Depressed Mind gets.

Bertha and Smitty break up.  She is heartbroken.  Cannot get out of bed, she lets herself go.  Doesn’t shower, brush her hair.  She doesn’t leave the house. She is in a downward spiral. Where the first Bertha began picking up the pieces, this Bertha looks at the pieces all strewn around the floor and gets frustrated by the amount of them are on the floor.  She sees them as a wave of pieces that she couldn’t possibly pick up.  So she sits in the middle of that pieces strewn floor and loses herself in them.

So there it is my friends.  How DEPRESSION is.  It is wave after wave of pieces that we just feel we won’t be able to put back together because there are just so many. So we sink lower and lower into the blackness.

It, Depression, interferes with the daily lives of those that it grabs, like a torturous villain. It causes pain, not only to the person being held “captive” but those around them too. It doesn’t at all mean that those suffering from depression is weak, by no means.  It just means that we are overwhelmed.

Like I said before, too many times depression is overlooked. It is “diagnosed” as just sadness, or another sickness. But I am going to give a short list of symptoms that we can look for in ourselves or those around us.

• Loss of interest in things previously enjoyed.  (Hobbies, Sports, etc)
• Difficulty in making decisions, or remembering planned things.
• Restlessness or irritability.
• Weight gain or loss.
• Fatigue or lethargy.
• Feelings of being worthless, useless, unneeded.
• Difficulty sleeping.  Either too little, or too much.
• Hopelessness

There are many different types of depression as well.  I will not go into detail of them, since this is already running long, but there is one that I want to bring up.  Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar is NOT the same as depression.  While a person that suffers from Bipolar disorder, does have extremely low moods, they also have very HIGH moods.  They can been down and out, or excessively happy.

What I want all of you to know is that no matter how severe depression is, it IS treatable. Using meditation techniques helps soothe over whatever wounds are creating the issue.  Find a quiet spot, fill it with candles and smell good things and just sit and relax.  Just allow your mind to wander.  Lay down if you must, but you need to clear your mind and just allow it to roam.  If something comes in, push it out and keep your head clear.

You may also decide that medications are in order. There are many different types out there, you need to speak to your doctor to find which one suits you. Non-narcotic types are out there, just figure which works.

Therapy is a great way to get a handle on depression.  Speak about how your feeling with a medical therapist.  Just let it out.

Keep a journal.  Put in all of your feelings, the pain, heartache and then when you are done with that one, burn it.  And then as the smoke flows up into the sky, visualize that your hurt is going with it.

A mixture of all of these could help.  But the most important thing is for you to know that you are NOT alone in this.  You have family, friends (online and off) that are going to be there for you.  Goodness knows that I am.

Now depression is not something that can be dropped at turn of a hat.  Saying “Just get over it,” is not a good treatment option.  This ‘sadness’ goes a lot deeper.  It is the loss of hope and desire.  You cannot just dust those off and boom, shiny and new.  I wish it would, but it won’t. It isn’t something that can be just shooed away.  It is deep rooted and seeded, and the only thing that can help is HELP.

Study about depression.  Research about it friends.  And remember, no matter what, you can get passed this. You got it.

L.

.:I know it has been a while:.

Yes my dear friends, it has been a while.  Things have been in an uproar since I posted last so I felt that now that I have a bit of time, I can explain all that has been going on.  I also want to give a bit of advice to all of you.

Since you and I last spoke, I have been feeling a wee bit down.  A bit of a depression has sunk in, but many of us deal with things like that.  Being who I am, I try my best to find ways to dig myself out of a funk but this time it has been a bit difficult.  Thankfully, after taking some time to really focus on everything that was bringing me down, I FINALLY said to myself, “What am I doing?  I deserve better than this.”  I spent hours standing in front of my mirror telling myself that I am better than these feelings of depression.

I can tell you, my dear friends, that those first few days were hard.  I would look in the mirror and just cry.  Who I saw in the mirror was not who I was inside.  I am big and boisterous.  I am carefree and unique.  But who I saw in the mirror was a miserable person; a person that didn’t match the one living within this body.  It was hard to see someone that is sick on the outside of myself, when the inside is so alive.

Yes, I know.  I am always one that stands up and is positive all the time.  But for the past few weeks, that person just walked out and left an empty shell.  It can happen to everyone, and unfortunately, it comes at the most inopportune times.

Now, I am doing a lot better.  While I am still not 100%, I can see the light at the end of this dark tunnel.  I can see the brightness and it is beautiful.  I see the positive all around me, and know that I am making my way back into my comfort zone.

Look my friends, my advice here is coming from the deep dark abyss of despair and depression.  It is coming from someone that has fought long and hard to keep it at bay.  And if you know me, or have been privy to all that I write on here, you will see that most of my advise or “opinions” (quotey fingers used here!) come from my experiences.

So saying that, here is my thoughts.

YOU ARE BETTER THAN YOUR DEPRESSION.

If all of us focus on the negative sides of our lives, we are not able to see or appreciate all the wonderful things that we have around us.  There are so many things to be grateful for.  Your children, your life, your family.  All of these things are so beautiful and something to cherish.

Now, I want to explain something.

I do not like medication.  In any form.  That is just my prerogative.  It is hard enough to get me to take tylenol.  But if you feel that your depression is too overwhelming, that you are losing control of it.  GO TO THE DOCTOR.  Ask them about what you can do to assist in getting control.  Would medication be the answer?  I don’t know.  But if you are down and out, if you cannot see the light at the end of that tunnel, DO WHAT YOU CAN TO GET THAT LADDER OUT.  Even if it is having to take something to make it better.

You need to see the beauty in life my friends.  Because you deserve it too.

All of you are wonderful people, all of you have such glorious gifts surrounding you.  It is time to take the reins, even if you need help.

Love Always

L.

Feel free to like, comment and subscribe.  And by all means share.  But I would like to hear about your experiences with depression.  Feel free to post down below.