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Old 05-15-2007, 03:00 PM
  #15  
patricej
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Southeast Georgia, USA
Posts: 9,093
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Girrrrrrl, pleeeze. there is definitely nothing wrong with you. a person would have to be heartless to not get a case of the blues in your situation.

So! Your first order of business is to stop kicking yourself for being normal. feeling guilty and "wrong" about feeling bad is only going to make you feel worse. it's a vicious circle.

i get serious bouts of depression at least a few times a year. i take my daily dose of what a friend of mine calls "pretty pills", but it isn't always enough. i've developed a system that i'll admit is pretty wierd but it works for me most of the time.

i assess the situation. if i have a logical reason for being depressed, i give it a little thought then "allow" myself a specific amount of time to wallow, whine, moan, and lay around all i want. this almost always includes making mental or actual lists of all the things i think i should be doing or really should be doing. when i've "spent my allowance" i force myself to pick something from the list and just do it. doesn't matter if i do it quickly, if i do it well, or if i enjoy doing it. i just drag myself kicking and screaming into the task. (and the work i get paid to do doesn't count. it has to be something in my personal life.) for me, being able to accomplish even one little thing again is like breaking out of prison and sets me free to get back to the rest of it.

(if i don't have a logical reason i'm allowed no more than 1.5 more days.)

you have ongoing things to cope with. i'd say ... hmmm ... allow yourself another specific number of days to not do nuthin' if'n ya don't wants to. then pick something. like the apron. or a little blankie for your granddaughter's hospital stay. when you've done the first little something, and if you still need it, give yourself a certain number of minutes each day to just sit still and be blah. set the timer. but each day, you require yourself to work on something from your list for at least a little while. you may start feeling productive again, which will make you feel a little better, which will inspire you to do more. a much better circle to be running in.

i can't promise it'll work. just something to consider and maybe try.

and - of course - stick with us. like everybody else has said, we're here for you. we understand. and we loves ya whether you're as busy as a bee or have taken root to the couch.

;-)
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