i feel silly....
jean
the summer. i've been trying to get over some pretty painful
loneliness and depression for a while, but i feel kind of silly trying
to address these "problems". i'm very blessed, with a loving, kind
family, a good life, a roof over my head.... with all these things and
people to be grateful for i feel silly admitting to depression. why am
i deperessed? life's been very good to me, and considering the crap
that most people in the world have to deal with, what excuse do i have
to feel down? there seems to be no real reason behind it, and i'm wary
of getting "treatment" or seeing a therapist, though my mom's been
recommending both for a while. should i do what i've been doing and
just suck it up? most days are manageable, and i expect that once i
find a summer job i'll feel more useful and less anxious, to an
extent. hopefully.
best,
jean
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Gerg
Sorry to read that you are feeling down. Perhaps I can help you a
little. First, I am 52 and have a couple of daughters your age. I
have been taking anti-depressants and had counseling and therapy for
chronic depression over the past 10 years so I have a little bit of
experience that might apply.
I think that some depression is a normal, particularly if there are
significant changes in your life going on (which is endemic in college
life) such as separation from friends, moving back home with family
after having a new and exciting time living away, post vacation
letdown, etc. There is nothing silly about it, it just exists; it
happens at some point to everyone. It does help a lot if you have
someone you trust that you can talk to about it so that you can better
understand where it is coming from. It provides a way for you to
bounce thoughts and feelings off of someone else; providing a mirror
of sorts for you to see into your heart and mind. Counselling is one
good option; friends (phone, email or IM), sisters or brothers,
understanding parents, ex-teachers or clergy are others. The important
parts of it are trust and a non-judgemental time to just explore your
feelings.
Depression that is interfering in some way with your life such as lack
of sleep, chronic lack of appetite or energy, or self-destructive
things like drugs or abusive relationships are a strong warning that
the problem is not being addressed and you need someone to help. The
myth is that we can fix everything ourselves and if we can't we are
somehow weak; that is pure BS. The strong ones are those that
recognise they are human and work with others to solve problems--both
their own and other's.
Hope you feel better soon.
G
