New to depression

[ClevelandToGeorgia]

Hi

I'm not sure when it started exactly but over the past few months I've hit a hard low. I still have ambitions to do things and I get excited when I think about them, but I can bbnn ut physically get myself to do them. It's almost impossible to get myself to do them. I think about those things constantly and how I want to, but end up laying on a couch doing nothing instead. This is extremely unlike me. I'm normally a very happy person doing many active things and I just cannot seem to do anything.

I don't know how to change this or get back into my active lifestyle. I do not want to take medication, I want to do this as holistically as possible.

What do I do?

[Hidden]

If you feel low and depressed you need to discuss this with your Doctor, He will suggest a treatment pathway for you.

To know why you feel depressed can help you approach the cause. To come to terms with Depression can also help

BOB

[Waiting4themoon]

Hi ClevelandToGeorgia,

I am sorry that you are having such a hard time lately. It must be very frustrating to look back and find that you cannot seem to manage to do the things you used to do. I really hope that you are able to get the relief you seek without medication.

It seems to me that for many of the general forms of anxiety and depression professional opinion tends to suggest CBT and other forms of therapy as having a lot of evidence that it works as a first line of treatment. Sometimes alongside medication too.

Something that came to mind, and it is probably because I was thinking just now about someone I know well, and I want to share with you to see if you can relate to it.

I know someone who is very active businessman. He has people who work for him and he initiates all sorts of business projects and when he is asked if he is happy with his life he will generally answer in the affirmative. If you met him he would make a very favourable impression on you. The way it works is, he tasks people with carrying out his projects and that way they are constantly coming back to him for questions. This makes his life very busy. It also takes away his need to self motivate as he is constantly driven by external pressure and deadlines set by his staff and the projects themselves. Things get quite messy though because he puts himself at the centre of the projects but doesn't drive from the centre of up front. He ensures that he is driven externally.

When he has days where he doesn't have anything to do (which is very rare) he finds himself feeling very uncomfortable quite quickly.

It seems to me, although I am by no means certain that this is the case, that this person is simply spending all his life avoiding himself. I don't know much about his childhood and so don't know if he had issues there that are unresolved.

I wonder whether your unconscious world has finally broken through into your consciousness and is saying to you, "please pay attention to me, I need your help". Stop doing and start being. We are called human beings not human doings!

I have found that books have come to me just when I have needed them. There are also some really good websites that I go to for insight. psychologytoday.com and tinybuddha.com are two of my favourites for general psychological / therapeutic self help.

Be kind to yourself. It would seem to me that some part of you just wants to spend time just with you.

Wishing you all the very best,

[Hidden]

Hope you start to feel motivated again soon, I am finding it hard at the moment due to it being winter, hoping to improve once spring arrives, I just keep watching old movies with the blankets over me to stay warm, forgotten how to move i think.

[Dicksoan]

Yes this is depression and the way I hear you talk I sense its gona change to psychotic depression. This is exactly the way I started but luckily for you , you now now what your dealing with. So I think to deal with the root cause is the best way out. Infact you do know why your depressed your just overlooking it. So its best to find a therapist so that you talk about verything that gives you unhappiness whether big or small.that way you can recover without having to take meds.

You just need to talk out your issues.

Another thing I suggest is take a long long time just to rest. Yes you have big ambitions but your burned out so rest for a couple of months just resting from everything will help you. U need to relax a lot your mind needs rest and a lot of it so if you stress about not taking action to fuflfil your plans then you will lose more time.I suggest you put everything down and go parting go for all entertainment for months until eventually you will realise that your now healed. Just unwind and relax a lot watch a lot of. Comedy a lot of it

[Ragdoll15]

Reading your post was like reading about myself. I think about what I want to do but keep putting it off until tomorrow. The trouble is the tomorrow never comes, and I lay on the sofa feeling very depressed. Sometimes we have to take medication for depression if nothing else works, don't rule it out as it might change your life.

[ClevelandToGeorgia]

Everyone thank you, I am definitely going to look into everything you guys have said. This really helps, it's a great starting point for me. I truly appreciate it.

[AZ1970]

Have you reached burn out in your life? I have heard others say that depression really is "depletion" of our energy and reserves? Research radical self care. There are books about the topic and you can find things on the internet. Good luck on your journey!

[ClevelandToGeorgia in reply to AZ1970]

I would say, probably... it began during a time that I was doing full time work, part time work and school while being a single mom. I also was in a very nasty car accident that stopped me from being able to workout for months.

[AZ1970 in reply to ClevelandToGeorgia]

Thank makes a lot of sense. You were giving and giving. No wonder you hit that wall of exhaustion.