Morning Depression: I am really... - Anxiety and Depre...

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Morning Depression

78 Replies

I am really wondering how others cope with morning depression. Most mornings I can't move burying my head under the covers until early afternoon when it starts to lift. Let's face the fact, meds help tremendously as well as Therapy, however, we need to try out our coping skills as well to see what works. I am completely unmotivated..I just want to be shut off from the world. I have my dogs by my side, I do my morning routine fast, which is my anxiety in getting laundry started, dogs fed, dishes washed, only to jump under the covers on the couch and bury my head. I am feeling better with my meds being changed and increased to 60 mg Cymbalta and Klonopin 3x daily. Spoke to my Nurse Practitioner yesterday via Telehealth. My morning depression has lifted some days and other days it's cutting myself off from the world.

Anyone relate to morning depression and what do you do to help motivate yourself?

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78 Replies
Blackdog1 profile image
Blackdog1

I do feel this initial hurdle every morning like clockwork. Its like waking up to a mountain of dirt in front of the door- I have to jog up that hill just to get started. I like to wake 530.

I have a routine.

30 min walk.

15 min devotion-meditation

30 min healthunlocked;)

1 hr. Language study

1 hr. Music or writing

9 am exercise w neighbor

930 breakfast w neighbor

10-1 write on book or errands

This plan did not come fully hatched. I started w breakfast at 10 and have slowly added on other things.

I started this about a year ago after my neighbor/good friend's husband died. I didn't want her to be alone so much- but it ended up helping me as well.

in reply to Blackdog1

Yes yes well put. A mountain of dirt. Exactly. I have a routine myself that I stick to and have much more energy in the afternoon, plus my social anxiety I'm working on with my Therapist through Telehealth right now. Thank you for sharing! 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Blackdog1 profile image
Blackdog1 in reply to

Thank you for the post. It got me thinking about what works for me. It's been alot of trial and error, but I'm moving in a better direction. :)

in reply to Blackdog1

Blackdog I'm glad to hear that!! 🌻🤗⚓

Keep going⏭️⏭️⏭️

Downandout123 profile image
Downandout123 in reply to Blackdog1

I totally agree. "A mountain of dirt". Can that be a mountain of clothes, or a mountain of PAPER??. 😔 I'll NEVER climb these mountains. 😞 I get up early during the week only because I have to work. But on the weekends-left to my own devices, I'm an utter mess. And the piles get larger and larger. You would think I'd spend my weekends going through stuff. Nope. It's all just too much for me.

in reply to Downandout123

It can be overwhelming. I have to hurdle over an invisible wall.

Downandout123 profile image
Downandout123 in reply to

I can't even attempt too much of it anymore. I brought over and dumped all this stuff when I moved in here 4 years ago. I don't know what to do with it all. Just move it from place to place when I finally buy a bigger house. 😔

in reply to Downandout123

Can you have people come in to move it to storage or maybe some kindness of friends or neighbors to help?

Downandout123 profile image
Downandout123 in reply to

I have a storage space that I am paying $350 a month for, that is packed from top to bottom with all my stuff that I could not fit here. The problem with help, is that I refuse to take any. My daughter has offered countless times ( as well as other people), to come in and help me. I won't let them.

in reply to Downandout123

Sounds like you're uncomfortable accepting help from others or you're a private person, which is okay.

Downandout123 profile image
Downandout123 in reply to

Yes. I don't like the anxiety of someone going through my stuff and telling me what to do with it! Lol

in reply to Downandout123

I definitely understand that.

Blackdog1 profile image
Blackdog1 in reply to Downandout123

Maybe I'll put a jar of nutella at the top of the mountain? Just need the right motivation.

Downandout123 profile image
Downandout123 in reply to Blackdog1

I'll take devil's food cake with milk chocolate frosting!😋

in reply to Downandout123

Cheesecake or Strawberry shortcake

Downandout123 profile image
Downandout123 in reply to

Rocky road ice cream with whipped cream!!

in reply to Downandout123

Yum!🍧

in reply to

Cupcakes! 🧁

Downandout123 profile image
Downandout123 in reply to

Cannolis!! ( Do you know what they are, or is it just an Italian thing)?

in reply to Downandout123

I'm Italian, of course I do and I love them♥️♥️♥️

Downandout123 profile image
Downandout123 in reply to

Oh wow!! Rainbow cookies -only if they're made right though!

in reply to Downandout123

Once again yum!

Starrlight profile image
Starrlight in reply to Blackdog1

Your routine impresses me.

Blackdog1 profile image
Blackdog1 in reply to Starrlight

You know its what I shoot for- but sometimes I miss a few items due to life.

My mind in the morning is at its sharpest. As the day progresses, I seem to lose focus, so I'm just trying to work with what I got.

in reply to Blackdog1

Love that idea! always helps having a routine :)

there are people I care about...…...there is this young lady that is very caring like Diana or Kate Middleton who we need to go out and help others in ways I cant......….who wants to see an old bear ……………….I just make everyone run away...………...whereas a new Lady diana………...think of all the good she can do visiting people and listening to them and all the things diana did...………...think of the older people getting a visit from a wonderful wonderful young lady...……...or reading to an older person or or or or her artwork if she does it or a visit from her and her dogs...………...lonely safe people getting pet therapy if you will...………...too bad the new lady diana…………..doesn't know her inherent charm and what that charm...……..her inherent light...………..brings to the world...…………...who wants a visit from a silly old bar...………..whereas...…………..so many people out there...………...needing...………….lady diana lady diana says the kids come see my drawing come see my book.....do you like books? do you have pets lady diana ?

I see a wonderful wonderful picture ahead for a new...……….lady diana………….just

follow the yellow brick road

follow the yellow brick road...…….

the treasure you will bring...……….lies just ahead...…………..

follow the yellow brook road that only you...………………..only you …………..can bring your charm...……………….to others...…………...

in reply to

Lady Diana was someone I admired and still to this day I do.

She was a one of a kind remarkable lady.

in reply to

Look in the mirror

in reply to

Things I can not do

Not dumping on myself

Dogs love walks in the safe parks as I well know

They brag about I all the time. Chat with the horses at night

Hysterical

in reply to

Your dogs talk about u all the time behind u back

Too

Funny

U ought to see the phone bill my horses have run up

Thre am snd their yaking with ur dogs about

How awesome u r

Oops I promised not to tell my bad. Sorry

Oooh my horse are not going to be happy with me. Ooops

Sorry !!!

in reply to

Making a wall of inspirZtion easy and lots of fun

in reply to

Sounds like something I'd like to do in my meditation/ yoga room. Dedicate some wall space to inspiration.

in reply to

That's kind you Brig!

in reply to

U go girl

Building trails in the woods this am. Memorials forcyur btither and peole here dolphin and faux art many others bern kind to me

100 prestine acres

Be all of u have been so patient and kind to me Never laughed or called me stupid

in reply to

Yes inspiration walks very personal and glad I did and ignore people

However stupid it works fir me

As people here we’ll knowc

in reply to

Thank you Brig!🤗

in reply to

Sooooo welcome. U know this

But u mean the whole world to yur brother I’m sure he missed u so much

I know u know that thanks for not bein insulted by a sentimental

Old guy

Take care Yur brother said he was and is sooooo lucky

in reply to

Maybe we should put the deer feeder up near him what donu think???

in reply to

He was a lover of deer.

in reply to

We were close.

in reply to

Wondeful We have two herds

Nice of u not to be offenddd

Your brother talked to me she ly. What are yur intention of man. We laughed x as Nd laugh. Honorable totally honorable

Better be he said

We laughed and laughed. Very protective as u said.

in reply to

Thank you Brig. You're awesome.

in reply to

I’m

Just a mirror

in reply to

Sisters not replaceable

in reply to

SexpGe 43 of brother manual

Paragraph two

in reply to

Yur brother said. Ruth. 16

in reply to

sisters

are not replacable

x ten trillion trillion trillion trillion

or friends in their many forms...……...

in reply to

I agree Brig and thank you! I was the only girl and the youngest of 3..2 being brother's

in reply to

Ur brothers hill sits over thecovercvirew of the valley below

Close to his sister

Forever and ever

in reply to

Told my horses he didn’t mean to leave u

Sorry for what he put u through

Know I know that

Trees are blooming all around him

in reply to

For sure he walks by my side and protects me. Thank you Brig. X

in reply to

Any

Time

Privaldgd

in reply to

Soooooooo thankful he’s with u and u recognize what u mean to him

We’re building g a wildlife sanctuary on the farm nice to have his presence to guide us

in reply to

His sister never laughs unlike others

Just tiny by the way

in reply to

True

in reply to

He loved loved animals so much!

I think of this wonderfully kind and loving woman who has so much to offer...…….see celia black on you tube your my world …………….see she still misses the huge hole of her brother so to fill that hole she is going to go out and be the shining light that she is ………..to others...…...do the things I can or in her brothers name ……….she is very very very bright and knows all this...………….kind enough to not be insulted by a silly old bar...……….she (and others) can do what old bars just can do...……………..see when I smile...………......everyone runs away...………….whereas when she …………………......everyone lights up...…………...that's just the way flowers (real and figurative) and birds...………..work...………….they bring their light to the world (they just don't know it...……...shh trade secret dear angel...…….you just don't know it) ……….your brother brags about it allll the time to my horses...………..my sister this my sister that ………...and on and on and on and on oh he is just so crazy proud of his sister...…...and her gift to the world of her...……….just like kate middeton or diana……………...only she...……..can bring her light...………….to others...…...

just follow the yellow brick road of faith...………..

follow the yellow brick road...……….one foot in front of the other......is all it takes...…….

you and your charm...………….will do the rest...………..I assure you as there is stars in the heavens...………..

it doesn't have...…………….to make sense...………..or none of us would get out of bed...……….

the world needs you ms diana………….the world...…………...needs you...…….

the silly old bar

Yes and yes... A cheeky answer to the question you pose is BENZOS! But seriously motivated is not my friend morning, noon or night. I am working on it with what I have

in reply to

I am on Klonopin 3x daily

in reply to

Ok, I did not recognise that as a benzodiazepine. My shrinks weapon of choice plain old diazapam aka Vallium! I know what Clonazepam is now. I learn something new everyday.

Edit: include dose (as prescribed and yes this exactly how it was written... "Take 5-20mg prn, daily upto a maximum of no more than 10mg in 24 hours..."

in reply to

Holy cow 5-20 mg of Valium?! That'll settle your anxiety for sure. Here they are very careful but Valium is the most widely prescibed for anxiety. Klonopin I've been on for years and was on 5 mg and was much better with my anxiety..could handle things better..then it was lowered to 3 mg. Its a controlled substance it is a benzo. and it has a longer half-life so it stays in your system longer than Valium .

Doctor's do not like prescibing it. But my whole take on that is if it helps you be more functional then prescribe the med!

in reply to

Totally! I notice the H/L was huge so it's more stable if you miss a dose. I only get 14 Vallium a week it's a controlled drug section 3 so only needs signing the script, put my Severdol aka Morphine Sulphate 20Mg x4 a day 6 hourly is section 2 so needs the CD book filling in and signing, fortunately for me I get it delivered weekly. A) Doc don't want to let me have access to too much opioids/benzos B) since my separation I have to control my intake where I only had access to 1 day at a time when the ex lived with me now I have to do it I technically have access to 7 days. (14x5mg diazapam and 56x10mg Morphine Sulphate) enough to worry an elephant! All my CD's are in a safe with combo so I don't accidentally OD or take an OD on the spur of the moment, it's a physical barrier that make a difference to me in a good way.

I don't have any side effects from the benzos as I have been 4-5yrs on 10mg a day. Never causes drowsiness nor do the opiates. I am not addicted to them which is great.

The problem I have most is my brain is addicted/dependant on Venlafaxine (Effexor) and at 300mg a day is the highest outside a hospital setting. I get real bad real quick when I miss that dose, the half-life of Ven is super low so it's a nightmare. It's s the IR not XR so immediate release which I believe had been discontinued in the US due to the extended/modified release Effexor XR gives less side effects?

Being atypical I found the opposite to be true to for me. I had the sweats, n8ght terrors etc from the slow release ones 🤢 I am hoping to taper off Venlafaxine to Sertraline HCL aka Zoloft from Pfizer as my dad takes it and gets on well with it and I was fine on it before, the reason I ended back on Ven was I was trialed on Quetipine (Seroquel) but that made me slur and sleep all the time, and changed psychiatrist who had other ideas.

in reply to

Thank you for sharing. Glad you take precautions to be safe

enigmaticide profile image
enigmaticide

I can relate to a certain degree; the start to one's day can be difficult for many people so, in that regard, you are certainly not alone. There are some that would classify this lack of motivation in one word: rut; that is, the perception that nothing seems to change/improve despite your best efforts. Although that is the perception that "feels" the most honest and accurate, much of the time it's a lie that we drape around ourselves like an old familiar blanket because it's familiar, comfortable.

I've found that the best way to combat such stagnation is to either, think back toward activities or hobbies that you had once enjoyed and revisit them; conversely, you can brainstorm activities you had always wanted to try, but simply haven't yet. Commit to something you haven't done, or haven't done for some time, and do it; you may find yourself asking why you hadn't sooner, and that's always better than the "normal" that you may find yourself in.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed therapist, nor do I play one on T.V. If you are skeptical about any portion of the previously written, you are encouraged to share this with a traditionally trained, licensed therapist for a second opinion. Furthermore, I accept no liability for any injury, mishap nor property damage resulting in the pursuit of the above provided advise, as any and all related activities shall be conducted at your own risk. Conversely, "Do not taunt SUPER-HAPPY-FUNBALL."

in reply to enigmaticide

Enigmaticide always a trip. Love the disclaimer! Thank you for responding your advice is sound, good advice and makes sense. I have lots of hobbies it's just that huge hurdle in the morning that I need to jump, I cannot.

enigmaticide profile image
enigmaticide in reply to

Gods help me, I'm about to quote something Stewie said on an episode of Family Guy; "Whether you believe you can or you can't... you're right."

in reply to enigmaticide

🤓⚓

Thank you my friend!

in reply to enigmaticide

Right because you'll go in the direction you believe about yourself

in reply to enigmaticide

Often I lack motivation and when I am motivated my back pain limits my capabilities... catch-22.

ge99 profile image
ge99

Hi

Personally I think living in the world right now is very strange, time is all over the place for me. I wake up early, do my chores, read, go onto my email, fb or message friends. Then I get sleepy and go to bed for a few hours because I can, as I can’t go out anyway. Get up to do more things and exercise, eat lunch and watch tv, read and message people. Have dinner, watch tv and read. How many hours is that? Eventually I go to bed and wake up and start all over again.

I don’t know whether I am happy or bored or just passing time, I try not to think about it, because time goes by and before I know it another week of lock down has passed.

I will soon be able to wander around my neighbourhood and do what I please when we get back to normal, and then no doubt I will want all this time back again because I feel no pressure to do anything that I don’t want to do. Sometimes it feels like heaven and sometimes it’s like hell.

Oh well back to doing exactly what I want to do, whatever that is lol.

❤️

in reply to ge99

Nicely put and very true. I agree. The days run into each other and are the same for me to day n and day out. Yada yada yada!! It's probably worse now that it's such a rut.

Thank you for sharing. 🌻🤗

in reply to ge99

Before lockdown me=Aggrophobia During lockdown me=Pissed at not being able to get out, still Aggrophic but it's not by choice like the year+ before 2020 that I spent in bed 24/7/365 in a major depressive state causing my separation as lots of my meds have sexual dysfunction as a symptom. Either was I feel screwed, so to speak.

in reply to

I'm so sorry. I hope this year is better for you. You're in a good place here and anytime of day there's always support. ⚓🌻🤗X

in reply to

It's alot better than I have expected. A nice genuine community, I have nothing but positive things to say about this place. It's where I realise I am not alone, I can be ok and I will survive.

in reply to

I agree and you will be okay!🌻

Bluetj profile image
Bluetj

I can relate to morning, afternoon & evening depression, however, at least you get to stay in bed and bury your head. I have to get up and go to work and push myself thru the day. I start my days off depressed then sometimes at work I get so busy that I forget but as soon as things calm down at work I am back to being depressed. Then I leave work and drive home depressed, come home and try to focus on classed that I am taking, struggling with that. The worst part, I will graduate from school in September and not sure I am going to make it because my life has turned into one big depression blog. :(

in reply to Bluetj

So I get it when you're busy it's easier to refocus. When I worked as a Therapist it wasn't this bad..I had the comraderie of my co workers.. now I'm on disability and since then many things play into being depressed..inc lonliness..my friends work during the day. My dogs are my saving grace keeping me company going on walks taking care of them..they are lap dogs so even better.

So, school. You got this. You can do this. My brother died tragically in a motorcycle accident 1 semester before getting my graduate degree..I had to take finals in each class and then the 4 hour comprehensive exam that's pass or fail. I focused 2 hours/ night studying through the tears, nausea and grieving my brother etc..you will do it..the strength will come I promise you. Bluetj you can do this!!! ⚓💪

One of my friends is also gone through this morning situation. But soon he managed to make himself busy to avoid depression. He starts his morning with exercise, a morning walk, a healthy breakfast, and a rush to the office and keeps himself busy throughout the day.

After coming home, spend some time with his family, pets, and read books to distract himself from depressing thoughts.

According to him, making your mind and yourself busy can help you to overcome depression.

Stay Strong, you are not alone.

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