depression chatter

What is in your wardrobe ?
Are you happy when you look inside your wardrobe ?
(wardrobe is referring to your closets, drawers, cupboards, cabinets, shoe boxes, hat boxes, tops of furniture...anywhere you keep your clothes, jewelry, accessories, shoes, socks, stockings, hair accessories & ornaments,... anything that you use to get dressed).

I'll just speak for myself of course, although I suspect that many other people who battle w/ depression and its episodes might be similar...

Depressed people are often ashamed of themselves, their lives, their illness, just about everything at times. So getting them to speak about themselves (& their depression) wouldn't probably be an easy task.

I walk around feeling guilty, ashamed, awkward, ...certainly not in the mood to open up and share anything that I may be going through at the time.

It depends on the moment, and there can certainly be triggers to my moods of depression. Yes, depression has moods, moments, waves of feelings, ...it's not static.

It's possible to do something completely different and without precedent for a brand new holiday experience. It could be quite refreshing and exciting.

But...if you do something new, maybe you should be prepared for your family to try and make you feel a little bit guilty for "abandoning" them during the normal holiday celebration.

Maybe plan ahead and try to think of what you might say if and when they do complain...because many families will want to try and give you grief for making an original plan that doesn't involve them (if that is what you normally do).

Just an idea...

I enjoy sewing and even mending or altering clothes, so I want to suggest the idea of talking yourself into doing something (starting very small of course) that you used to appreciate doing.

For me, it can sound almost laughable to try to engage in an activity, even though I have liked doing it (in the past). When I feel especially down, I have a difficult time "doing" even though I feel anxious, nervous, antsy, agitated, and rather bored.

Sometimes when I do stuff, even in spite of feeling like not doing anything at first, I can then at least begin to feel a little bit better (believe it or not).

The most difficult part of this entire exercise is initiating the "doing".

There is a certain stigma in having to deal with chronic depression (or any form of "mental/emotional illness". Like it's disgraceful.

What.

I'm not sure about that even making sense.

Well maybe it does make sense. Those with learning disabilities &/or challenges that are obvious (physical), are also looked upon as being inferior. How sad.

Before we are born, we do not get to stand in front of an expansive glass case & choose everything about ourselves...what we look like, our heritage, strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, vulnerabilities, predispositions, etc... No one does.

Why do we judge so quickly and easily.