'RELAPSE' is #8 Keyword for Depression Recovery
Relapse is a dirty word for me. It is dreaded, negative, unwanted, undeserved, well, you get the picture. But just like death is part of life, relapse is part of depression recovery. Do you have the courage to read on?
Relapse. Relapse? Relapse!
If you attended Weight Watchers you would not only learn how to lose the weight, you would learn how to maintain that weight as well. If you don't maintain it, you will gain it back. Maintenance is part of the program. You will even learn what to do if you start gaining the weight back.
Mental illness is not as easy to control or maintain as weight. Many will recover from depression but some of those will relapse. What are you going to do if you have a relapse?
Well, first of all you will fall apart for a little bit, feel sorry for yourself and say 'what happened? I was doing so well?' You will grieve over the loss of feeling well. And then what?
Hopefully you will go right back to all of the things you have learned. You will start your depression review all over again. Maybe you will have to look at your diagnosis once again and make sure you have been diagnosed correctly.
You might have to consider changing medications or adding another med to the one you are taking. Possibly you could pick up your favourite book about depression and read it over again to see if there is something you missed last time which might help this time.
Or maybe you will just go to bed and weather the storm. But you need to decide while you are feeling well, how you will respond if and when depression returns.
Sure, relapse is a dirty word, but relapse simply means going back to the way you were before but not permanently, just for a little while. The key to surviving relapse is to tell yourself that it is not permanent. It is just a temporary setback. No need to sink right back into a deep dark depression if you can help it.
Relapse is temporary and if you think of it that way it doesn't have to blow you over and take you deep down to that dark place.
Accepting that relapse is possible, even likely, is a step toward being prepared for it when it happens.
For further reading:
Preventing Relapse of Depression
Recogizing and Managing a Depression Relapse
The important thing is NOT TO GIVE UP. You survived before and you will survive again. There is always something more you can do, some other strategies you can try. It is a gradual process but worth the effort.
Next week I am going to share the results of my own depression recovery review.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Have you been doing the review? It's never too late, start now. Being vigilante with depression is your most powerful tool.
Don't give up! There is hope for depression.
