Stress, Depression & Coping with them... skills needed!

[DawnSuiter]

Thanks again everyone!
Beekissed, your a doll for sharing so much of your personal life with me/us. Your right, I am just looking for some skills, survival skills. While a pill MIGHT be right, I just don't feel it. I'm not a naturalist or anything but I DO hate adding anything to my body besides food & drink. I rarely drink any alcohol, mostly because I dont' like how it feels. Same with the Prozac... I just don't like feeling loaded.

I am working on getting everything cleaned up and organized, and it sure does help. I Do need to get back to things that make me happy... this makes sense to me since if I start from a good and well inspired mood, perhaps it is a longer way to fall to being stressed & depressed. So if level 10 is pure bliss and level 1 is total stress, starting from Level 8 or 10 makes it a LONGER way to get to Level 1, as opposed to starting there or at 2 or 3...

I think I'm rambling now...

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

This might sound dumb, but it worked for my brother when he was having a hard time coping... when he got upset, angry, sad or just couldn't handle the family anymore, he'd get his shovel, and go 'dig his hole'... eventually, it was REALLY big, and really cool, and then one spring it filled in with water, and we'd occasionally 'accidentally' fall in... physical labor helps with depression, so if shoveling doesn't sound good to you, just go for a walk, chop down a tree (SO much harder than it looks.. i tried one last weekend, because It was either take the axe to the tree or DH, and had to give up because the axe thing was SO heavy, and the tree wasn't giving in...), or join a pool and swim. I know that especially in the winter, swimming feels a little bit like heaven to me... Splurge on a really nice box/tin of herbal tea (caffeine won't help, so maybe cut back a little on that too), and some nice bubble bath. Take a bath when you get really stressed, or even every night, with a good, trashy romance/mystery novel. My DH is in the military, so when he's gone, I'm super lonely, and when he's home, i swear, he spends every second trying to drive me INSANE... boots on in the house (HIS HOUSE!!!... no, MY HOUSE), leaving juice out on the counter, throwing away papers, that are important to me, but apparently looked like garbage, letting my 2 DD's (4 and 2) play with my well organized box of glass beads... so I KNOW the feeling of stress/depression, wanting to smash crap.... anyway, try to eat healthy, fluctuating sugar levels can cause emotional issues, get some good exercise, and maybe try some Fish Oil.. my father (depressed forever) swears by it, and is noticeably more normal when he's taking it....

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

As far as keeping things clean and organized, try the FLYLADY... I LOVE the flylady. She has downloadable podcasts, and a Crisis Cleaning one, that I adore. I use it every few weeks, just to get my downstairs back on track... makes me feel valued, appreciated and just all around better. She is so nice, and is patient, and wonderful, so after the 50 minutes, I have a smile on my face, and the downstairs is clean... *sigh*, I love the flylady.

 

[TaLani]

Dawn, so sorry to hear that you're having a rough time. One thing that I keep thinking about after reading all the posts is - are you actually stressed or is it anxiety? Depression and anxiety can go hand-in-hand or be seperate. My hubby doesn't suffer with depression, but he does suffer with anxiety. He's a much more relaxed and nicer person when he's on his medication (Lexapro). Don't get me wrong, I'm not a pill popper myself at all, but it's made a world of difference in his emotional state and how he deals with everyday stuff. It's prescribed through his family doctor and he doesn't see a counselor. I know you don't want to take a pill for what's going on, but if you've tried so many other means to deal with your stress & those things don't seem to be working, maybe a pill would be something else for you to try - you can always stop it if it doesn't seem to work. However, if you give it a try, take the med exactly as directed and take it for at least 3 mos for it to fully take effect.

It's really a good idea for you to see a family dr at least once a yr anyway for regular checkups on cholesterol, BP, etc. - seeing a fam dr even once a yr can save your life if they catch something that you may not be aware of through yrly checkups. I don't want anything to happen to you!

A suggestion too might be to read. I buy a lot of books from www.cbd.com. A good read is Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. Please read what's stated in my sig line, maybe it'll help you too. I'll be praying for you Dawn!

 

[HippieChickens]

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