Depression Getaway with Wendy Love

Depression Recovery Report Card? Is there such a thing? Well there is now and I am going to share mine with you. A depression recovery report card helps us measure progress, even if that progress is backwards. Being aware and staying vigilant are key to handling mental illness. I am sharing my own depression recovery report card because I have also shared, several weeks ago, that I hit a really low patch of depression in 'Help, I'm Hitting a Brick Wall' . If you've read the downside, you deserve to read the upside. 

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! Relapse is a dirty word, for me and probably for you too. Relapse is a word you don't want to even consider when working toward depression recovery. Relapse is a dirty word, right? But guess what? You absolutely must factor it in to your review.

Depression recovery strategies can only be discovered through some good detective work. And guess who the detective is - you! What does a monopoly game have to do with depression? Nothing really, but it has a lot ot do with strategy and if you want to win this battle with depression you are going to need some game strategies .

Depression recovery lifestyle changes - ouch! Changes! I know too well that just dealing with mental illness is enough change right? But what if there were some LITTLE changes that would make a BIG difference How are you coming along with our depression review? Are you learning something new? We have covered the first four important items: diagnosis, medication, therapy and research . Are you on track so far? Well, there is more to do if you really want to recover from this old depression. Like it or not you may have to make some depression recovery lifestyle changes. Try to think of it as if you were picking out a whole new wardrobe.

Researching depression - sound depressing? Not to me. - I grew up in a family where the World Book Encyclopedias were often brought to the dinner table.  We used them to settle arguments or satisfy someone's curiosity. Not that we were so intellectual, we just liked finding out stuff. So to me research is fun. Research is something that few people are indifferent to. You either love it or you hate it. No matter how you feel about it, no one will do this part for you. A little research is key to giving you a good foundation about this life-threatening disease.

Depression therapy is SUPPOSED to help. I just haven't experienced that personally yet. However, having said that, and having 'hit a brick wall' with another dip into depression, I have decided to give it another try. I will catch you up to date on how effective that was in a few weeks. It would be a shame if your doctor gave you a diagnosis, prescribed some medication and then sent you home to work things out on your own. However, that is exactly what happens for many of us. It may not be until your symptoms persist that your doctor will suggest some sort of therapy. Everyone can benefit from therapy, even if they aren't depressed, but if you are depressed it could be another useful tool in your get well kit.

Medication - finding one that works - is one aspect of depression recovery that I have had the least success with. Maybe that is why I emphasize lifestyle changes so much. I have had to make many changes to accomodate this illness. Oh how I wish there was a pill that would do the job! Medication is our #2 Keyword for Depression . Let's continue our depression review. Medication makes you strong - not weak. Seeking any kind of help for depression is the smart thing to do. Medication might make a little difference. Wouldn't that be worth it? And what if it makes a big difference? Better still!

Depression recovery diagnosis. It took me eight depressing years before I was accurately diagnosed with bipolar disorder. We won't experience recovery until we know what we need to recover from. Getting the right diagnosis is the #1 keyword in our depression review. For the next 8 posts, we are going to review some of the basics in depression recovery . Yes, I said recovery! Lots of people recover from depression. You may as well be one of them! But it isn't easy and you will need to work as hard as your doctors to even get the right diagnosis.

As I write this I am once again 'hitting a brick wall' with depression. I would rather call it 'hitting a brick wall' than use the dreaded word 'relapse'. That's just too depressing! To me 'hitting a brick wall' implies that I have done everything I know to do even though I am once again depressed. I do realize that there is power in acceptance . I understand the benefits of 'rest and relaxation'. But there is something in me that finds it hard to just lay back and accept this as normal. Maybe it is part of my rebellious nature. Maybe it is just my way to want to research further and see what I can find. 

Sabotaging depression recovery - are you sabotaging your own depression recovery? One of the ways I do is to get too busy, spending energy  I don't have, which leads to fatigue and then depression. Here is a fun joke about someone who sabotages.

I have the thrill of living across from our local firestation. The workers are all volunteer except for the chief. It's inspiring, even entertaining on practise night and gives me something extra to pray about every time they leave the station. They have practise on Wednesday night and as many volunteers as can make it come along and clean and repair equipment. It looks like they even have a little fun while they are doing it. I live in a small town and sometimes people stop by and chat. Children love to do that.

Here they are!  #5 and #6 are twin grandbabies! And boy can they communicate. They are eleven months old. I will call them 'Pounder' and 'Shrieker' . An example of their skills is shown here. They are in position. Mommy is giving them cheerios which they love. And when they are done and want more, one of them simply pounds on his tray until more appear, the other one shrieks at the top of her lungs. And guess what? It works!

Depression is an emotional illness but sometimes we're too numb or weak to even engage in emotion. Grandchild #4 is two years old in this picture. She is still able to find a lot of joy in every little thing. She emotes easily, especially happy emotions. I will call her 'Emoticon'. In this picture she didn't even understand the victory that was being won on the TV but everyone else in the room was happy and so she was happy too!

Depression is difficult. Depression recovery is challenging. But we could soften the pain and increase changes of recovery with a little snuggling.

Does depression really have a conscience? Meet #2 grandchild who I will call 'Reticence' , almost sounds like a real name doesn't it? Such a pensive little girl in this picture. She was born in 2007. Last week I suggested that we could all take a lesson from a granddaughter who refuses to consider herself 'limited'. Good idea and sometimes we need a little inspiration like that.

Depression is limiting. I know that full well. As I begin the series 'Lessons for Depression from the Grandchildren' , let me introduce you to #1 grandchild. I will call her 'Limitless' . She was born in 2005 but at the time this winning photo was taken she was 7 years old and winning her first contest ever for her speech. Look how proud she is. She had never won anything before this.

Would you say that these athletes are experiencing 'cumulative stress'? How long does stress have to occur to call it 'cumulative'? I am referring to the difference between a stressful situation that starts and finishes in a short time, and a stressful situation that goes on and on and on.... I am pretty sure these athletes were not just running the 100 yard dash, but more likely a marathon of some kind? I had never even heard of the expression 'cumulative stress' until I came across  'The Theory of Cumulative Stress'  by James Clear. But oops! I forgot the best part of that title, the tagline 'How to Recover when Stress Builds Up' . It's a simple theory really. He talks about an 'energy bucket'. Well, you really must read it for yourself!'

How is it possible for someone who writes books titled  ' Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top: Sweet, Funny Reminders of God’s Heart for You'    or  'The Heart of Humor '  to be battling depression? With Jeanette Levellie it is totally possible. Check out her dynamic blog 'Hope Splashes'  and see for yourself. She is one of many 'victorious sufferers'.

One of the best blogs about depression out there is Storied Mind. Recently, the author, John, wrote a post that got a lot of reactions, very detailed reactions.  It was called '13 Ways of Defining Depression'. In this well-written article he reviews the many different ways that he has defined depression over the years. His view has changed and that made me, and clearly several others think about their own journey. And so I thought that I would review my journey here in hopes that it may inspire you to take a second look at your own condition in a different way. Maybe you will see how you have progressed.

As a teacher, when a new report card format came out, like many of my colleagues, I was not thrilled. It meant once again learning an entirely new way of evaluating each child and then having to explain the changes to parents.  'How much farther from the truth were we going to go in reporting on our students?'  I wondered as I puzzled over the new report cards. You couldn't fail anyone, you couldn't come right out and say they were doing poorly or that they were not trying hard enough. The report card, like so many other aspects of life, was forced to become 'politically correct'. Having said all of that, there was one new term that was adopted at that time which I found ludicrous then, but useful now. The term was 'next steps' .  After reporting in words, not numbers or grades, on the child's progress or lack thereof, you then had to write, in words, what their 'next steps' should be in order to bring about improvement. Even if ...