The past year has been hard. Hell, the past two years have been hard. Mostly emotionally (at least for me), but physically for Hubby. I’ve worried about his health. I’ve worried about his paycheck. I’ve worried about our finances. I dealt with the loss of a beloved pet. It’s been a roller-coaster of things are horrible then things are better then things kind of suck then things are okay then WTF is happening??? I think last winter, I just kind of checked out… I had to come to grips with the death of Clover just a few months after realizing that there was a possibility that Hubby simply no longer cared about his own medical issues and wasn’t going to do anything about it, thus making me face some deep truths about the change of losing him far too soon.
The new year came around, and I was just… existing? I don’t know how to really qualify what I was feeling. I just didn’t give a single shit about anything. I wasn’t in a good mood, I wasn’t in a bad mood, I was just moving throughout my daily life like I was in a fog. I didn’t have any motivation to do anything fun or new. I used Hubby’s issues as a way to skip a lot of things that I should have been doing (like parkrun, gym, shopping, etc). I was moving from one day to another with blinders on, just doing daily tasks because I had to, not because I wanted to. Thinking about it now, I feel like there are large swaths of time that I cannot differentiate between other times, like all of January is a blur.
A few weeks ago, Hubby was able to get back to work, and (knock on wood) things seem to be getting back to “normal,” or at least our version of normal. I take him to work, which means that I have no excuse not to go to the gym. So I’ve been going back to the gym. And I’ve been going back to parkrun. And we’ve been eating better on a normal dinner-time schedule. And we’ve been sleeping better.
And I began to wonder…
Did I just make it to the other side of depression? Like, is that a thing that you can suffer from and then get better, without the help of anyone else or meds or anything?
According to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration), there are multiple types of Depression. I feel like, if actually diagnosed, I’d fall in “Major Depressive Disorder” or “Persistent Depressive Disorder.” To be diagnosed with any type of depression, doctors say that a person would need to have symptom(s) every day for at least two weeks. I looked over the long list, and I saw many symptoms that hit home, including:
Continuous low mood or sadness
The amount of times I’ve caught myself walking around the house, or sitting on the couch, and just letting out a huge sigh for absolutely no reason is massive, so I can imagine that there were plenty of times I did it and didn’t hear myself.
Feeling hopeless or helpless
I can’t really put a concrete example for this, but I know I felt it… It was more of a I suck at X so why do I even bother? kind of feeling. I'd randomly look at my messy house, or slow run time, and just feel... stuck... like I can't change anything.
Feeling irritable and intolerant of others
This being a symptom caught me off-guard, because it happened a lot and I just thought that I was being bitchy. But oh yeah, this was a big one. I’d snip at Hubby. I’d yell at people in other cars while I was driving. I’d make snide comments about my coworkers. I'd attack people online.
Having no motivation or interest in things
I was perfectly content to watch YouTube videos and read Reddit for hours at a time. I didn’t want to read a book, or go to the park, or do anything new. I didn't want to clean the house or cook dinner or bake cookies. I wanted to fart around and do nothing.
Not taking care of yourself (not showering, not cleaning your living space)
This is actually the symptom that made me look into what was wrong with me… Eh fuck it, I’ll shower tomorrow was said many-a time in my head. Who cared what I looked like, especially if I was going to work from home the next day. Or, I could just wear pants to work instead of shaving. Or, I could just put my hair up instead of washing it so it looks fresh and curly. And I didn’t care that my home office was a hot mess, my kitchen was nasty, or that the backseat of my car was covered with random jackets and hoodies. I didn't take into account that my husband deserved clean home and a wife that smelled nice. I didn't take into account that my coworkers deserved a put-together employee. I didn't take into account that *I* deserved to be clean and surrounded by cleanliness.
Not getting any enjoyment out of life
Looking back now, there hasn’t been a lot of smiling and laughing, and I love laughing. You know that “heh” smile you give people when they show you something that they find hilarious, but you don’t? Yeah, I feel like I did that a lot.
Changes in appetite (decreased, not wanting to eat)
This is another surprise, but I totally see it… I love junk food. I have an entire shelf in the dining room dedicated solely to my junk food. I was organizing our pantry over the weekend, and I realized that my shelf was overflowing with tons of snacks that I’m just hadn't been eating… none of it calls to me, none of it looks good. Some of it just requires too much effort (like opening a bag of chips is too much work, because then I’ll have to find a container to put it in so it doesn’t go bad… so I just don’t open it).
Unexplained aches and pains
UNexplained? Maybe yes, maybe no… Have I felt extremely achy over the past few months? Yes. Is it simply because of this, or because I’ve been sitting on my ass for hours on end instead of taking care of myself, because of this? I don’t know.
Lack of energy
Same as above, really… Am I drained simply because of depression, or because I sit on my ass for hours (a body at rest will remain at rest, and all that)… I don’t know.
Loss of libido
So, I didn’t think of this either! TMI, but we’ve not been intimate for months and months and months… Sometimes I’d be in the mood, but he’d be in pain. Then he’d be in the mood, but I felt like ass. I haven’t felt “sexy” in months.
Disturbed or Disordered Sleep (hard to fall asleep, stay asleep, or waking up very early)
There was a stretch of time around the beginning of the year when this was a problem. I’d be awake until 11pm at least, with a racing brain, then I’d sleep like death until around 3am, wake up to pee, then be awake again for an hour. There’d be many mornings that I’d wake up at 5:30am or so, and just stare at the ceiling until the alarm with off 45 minutes later
Neglecting hobbies or interests
I’d been calling this “lack of willpower” but I think now it’s something deeper. If I had no concrete reason to be awake at 7am, I was skipping gym and parkrun. I haven’t gone out on a trail (for walking) in forever. I didn’t care about this blog or our YouTube video (making or editing) - I have five videos just sitting on my hard drive right now, waiting for me to edit and post them. I haven’t baked anything delicious because it’s just too much… I didn’t even really make Christmas cookies this year! I haven’t read a book in months because I just don’t care.
Avoiding contact with friends or social activities
Most of my friends and social activities revolve around parkrun, and there were plenty of weeks where I just skipped out on going, or skipped the after-event coffee, so that I didn’t have to be social.
Thankfully, I never had more serious symptoms, like thoughts of death and suicide, attempting suicide, or any sort of self-harm behaviors.
I found this bit of information especially interesting… Depression often hurts physically as well as emotionally, because the same biochemicals that influence your mood also affect how your body affects pain. Things like headaches, back pain, muscle aches, digestive problems, fatigue, sleeping problems, lightheadedness, or changes in appetite may all be due to depression.
Depression can often come on gradually, so it can be difficult to notice that something is wrong, which is probably why I can only see it, in hindsight. While I was dealing with it, I just felt like I was moving through a pool of maple syrup or something. Depression is a compounding problem. Just feeling down, or just feeling irritable isn’t a huge deal. But behaviors + thoughts + feelings + physical symptoms can all interact and combine to keep depression going, making it harder to overcome. It’s a big nasty snowball that just rolls over you.
If I’d reached out for help, my doctor would probably have started with a few different options, including self-help, talking therapies, and medicine. If depression seems mild (like mine), a wait and see approach may be the best option, to see if it resolves itself. Doctors or therapists may suggest guided self-help like a workbook or online course. Probably something like HeadSpace (which I hate).
Ironically, there is a lot of evidence that exercise can help depression, and it’s one of the main treatments for mild depression… But if you see above, many of my symptoms include me skipping out on exercise or parkrun!
Another lifestyle “treatment” is setting small, achievable goals; setting realistic goals to build confidence and motivation, such as making your bed, taking a walk, or doing a load of dishes. I began to notice I subconsciously did this – and felt better when I did the task. I would often set a goal of doing a simple load of dishes or finishing a load of laundry. They were easy tasks that I needed to do, and completing them made me feel accomplished, like I “did something” that day.
So, in the past few weeks, I think I have unconsciously pulled myself out of a bout of depression I didn’t even know I was in? I feel like getting back into a daily routine has given me structure in my day to do what I used to do, which is what has pulled me above water. Like, I can’t skip the gym, because I have to take him to work anyway, and if I go directly home, he’ll get a notification from the safety alarm that I went home at 7am, and he’ll know I’m a quitter. He wouldn’t give a shit if I went home. I know he wouldn’t give a shit if I went home. But, in my head, him knowing that I didn’t go would confirm that I’m a quitter, and THAT’S the feeling that I want to avoid. Does that make sense to anyone other than me? So to avoid that feeling, I go to the gym. And then I get the good endorphins. And my brain is happy. So I go home and take a shower. And I feel soft and curly and clean. And my brain is happy. So I eat breakfast and lunch and dinner. And I feel full and sated and satisfied. And my brain is happy. So I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep through the night. And I feel refreshed when I awaken. And my brain is happy.
But what do I do if this happens again? How do I recognize that I’m drowning before I drown? I don’t think I know the answer to that; I may not know what to do until it happens. I’m hopeful that I will recognize it next time, since I know what to look for now, but spiraling is a horrible thing, and I know that I could very easily spiral right back down to where I was earlier before I see a problem. I guess I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it. Until then, I’ll stay positive and try to keep my routines. They seem to be my Constant, what keeps me tethered to real life (IYKYK).
If you, or someone you know, is struggling or in crisis, help is available. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available for those facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, substance use concerns, or those who just need someone to talk to. You can call or text 988, chat at 988lifeline.org (deaf/HoH here). You will be able to speak with a trained Crisis Counselor any time day or night. All conversations are free and confidential. 988 is driven by area codes, so you’ll be routed to a Counselor in the location of your area code, no matter where you are geographically (this means that if you live in NYC but you have a 305 area code, you’ll speak to a counselor in Miami); if you would prefer to speak to someone local, you can request to be transferred to a local Counselor.
Take care of yourself, my lovelies. Life is hard. Sometimes you just need some extra help to get through it.