Siggy’s Blurbs

Black moods often follow when you have slept badly.  Not all the time for peoples’ constitutions differ.  There is nothing like a solid good night sleep to restore your mood and dispel depression due to fatigue.  Your emotions sometimes are deceivers.  You can’t always rely on them to be accurate.  If you are eating correctly (yes, a poor diet heavy on sugar can exacerbate depression) and sleeping well and you are often depressed, there is another reason you are depressed and you have to look at that.  In any case, realize a bad night sleep can darken your moods and all it takes is a good night sleep to brighten your day.  Depression can be solely physiological due to a bad night sleep.  Sleep is restorative.  When you sleep, your body purges itself of poisons.

Tags: black mood, depression, eating right, emotions, fatigue, good night sleep, sleep
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Sometimes I do not know how to get past my depression.  Sure I can view my life and give all kind of reasons why but that does not help me.  Somehow I need to chip away at it.  I just don’t know where to start.  I know things don’t make me happy.  It is not possessions that keep me going.  The things that are wrong in my life money can’t change.  It is hard listening to your ‘”tiny voice” when it is being drowned out by depression.  I just don’t know where to start.  Somehow I need to figure out what I really have any control of.  And start there.  Working on at those things.  One by one.  That is all I can do.  And in the process accept the things that are out of my control.  I have a plan.  I just don’t know when the depression will start to lift.  It is just painful enduring it.

Tags: accept, depression, enduring, happiness, have a plan, have control, money can't change, possessions, where to start, your tiny voice
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Sometimes you need to get physically moving to dispel your depression.  I woke up depressed.  I found out after moving around and doing chores most of the depression lifted.  It helps when you do not stay in one spot too long and face your day.  It is too easy to give in to your depressed thoughts.  Thank God for routine.  It does not give you the privilege of bemoaning your fate.  There are always tasks that need to be done.  And you have to focus on that.  It gets you out of yourself.  And that is a good thing.

Tags: bemoaning your fate, depression, doing chores, face your day, get physically moving, God, routine, tasks
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Depression is not necessarily a bad thing.  Depression and despair are companions.  It simply may be telling you it is time to reexamine your value system.  What else is there to life?  Maybe I need to make some changes in my life.  This process does not occur without some pain.  Psychic pain translated in depression (and despair) is trying to get your attention.  There is no easy way out.  It has to be worked through.  Your depression is not the “enemy.”  Everything God has created is there for a reason.  Now is the time to evaluate how you spend your time.  This is a transition period so learn from it.  Depression is not necessarily a bad thing.  Your mind and body are connected.  Listen to what it is telling you.  Life is a journey.  There is an endpoint.  And that is not a bad thing.  It lends urgency to your life.  And there will always be loose ends.  You just want to minimize them so listen to your mind and body.  Everything is connected.

Tags: created, depression, depression not the enemy, despair, endpoint, everything is connected, God, learn from it, life, life is a journey, listen, loose ends, make changes, mind and body connected, no easy way out, psychic pain, reexamine, spend your time, transition period, value system, worked through
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The worse thing about depression is you isolate yourself.  Staying in the house reinforces your isolation.  Going out in the sunlight is therapeutic.  All of a sudden you are exposed to different and other worlds.

Even if you do not talk to others (and this is hard not to do), you realize your world is not the only world.  There are multiple universes around you evolving.  A simple thing like going to the post office or the local supermarket can make a difference in your life.  You rub elbows with other people.

You hear snatches of conversations even if it is not directed at you.  It makes a difference.  Others have struggles in their life.  It is so easy to magnify your problems.  Going out exposes you to other peoples’ lives.

And there are those who have fractured relationships–marriages that are breaking up or simply for one reason or another are presently under a lot of stress.  And you overhear conversations that reflect this.

You are not alone.  You may find yourself reaching out to others.  And none of this would have happened if you continued to isolate yourself.  Go out.  It matters.  And reach out to others.  Your problems may shrink in proportion to others.  Isolation is never good.

Tags: conversation, depression, go out, isolate yourself, magnify your problems, marriage, other people, post office, reach out to others, relationships, stay in the house, stress, struggles in life, sunlight, supermarket, talk to others, therapeutic, you are not alone, your problems, your world
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Sometimes it helps to have a plan of attack (regarding the realization I had become depressed).  Sure I have to now do the “work” but I can chip away at the different reasons I had become depressed.  It always helps to have a plan.  All I have to do is execute it and with time my depression will lift.  My plan is to deal with one thing at a time.  I can’t predict when but I can say with certainly, at some point, most of my depression will evaporate.  It is the helpless feelings accompanying the depression that indicate I have work to do and this gives me hope.  What, also, gives me hope is the realization that every depression will end.  It is not forever.  I have some control.  I have to exert it.  Your depression lifts one degree at a time.

Tags: chip away, depression, depression will end, depression will lift, do the work, exert control, have a plan, helpless feelings, hope, one thing at a time, plan of attack
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My depression was due to an accumulation of things not from any major event.  I realized that today.  I had to work on one thing at a time and eventually the depression would lift.  I had to look at my life and exert control on the matters that were bothering me.  There were things that were out of my control but nevertheless I could correct some things that had me depressed and were in my control.  I had to exert the power I had and eventually my depression would lift.  One thing at a time.

Tags: control, depression, my life, one thing at a time
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It was just one more thing:  the thermostat appeared to stop working in the kitchen.  I really did not know even how to take it off the wall.  I was depressed for the second day in a row.  There were too many things in my life I felt I had no control of.  It is not necessary to list them but depression was a result.  If I could work on some of those things maybe my depression would lift.  I will start with what I could change even a little bit.  We will see what will happen.

Tags: depressed, depression, felt I had no control, kitchen, one more thing, start with what I could change, thermostat
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Nothing extraordinary happened yet a series of events followed.  And they all mattered.  I was depressed.  I did not know why but I got my body moving and focused on things outside of me.

I did mundane things like feeding our dogs and cats and filling their water bowls.  I stepped out of the house briefly and realized it was an absolutely gorgeous day in January–forty- four degrees and I wanted to spend part of the day outside.

I scattered sunflower seed and regular bird seed on the ground.  I filled one bird feeder with sunflower seed.  I know I will stare out my living window and watch the antics of the birds during the day.

I did other tasks like taking out the trash.  The discovery of my new mittens which I had misplaced brought a smile to my face.  I reminded myself we had dinner in the refrigerator.  I made a pot roast last night and there was still plenty left over.

I was still depressed but I was physically moving which was a good thing.  Sometimes you just don’t know exactly why you are depressed but I know it will end.  I did not give in to it.  That was the important thing.  I don’t always understand my moods.

Tags: bird feeder, bird feeding, bird seed, depressed, depression, depression will end, dinner, don't give in to depression, feed the cats, feed the dogs, fill the animals' water bowls, focus on things outside yourself, get your body moving, go outside, gorgeous day, January, leftovers, living room window, mundate things, my moods, new mittens, outside the house, pot roast, sunflower seed, take out the trash, watch the birds
Posted in animals, balance, beauty, health, knowledge&learning, life, local, mental health, nature, seasons, time, wisdom | 1 Comment »

I could not understand why I did not want to go to church.  Today I did.  It has been going on for two months.  Today it hit me.  I did not know how to discuss the prognosis of my doctor.

For a long time I assumed I might live somewhere to the ripe old age of maybe eighty or ninety (that is how long my mother and father lived respectively) but now I am not sure I will make it to sixty-five.  I am now sixty one now.

I did not know how to openly discuss my fears on death.  Or at least I was afraid to.  I did fall into a depression.  I realized my staying away was a a way I had of indicating in a passive way there was something seriously wrong with me.  I had been going regularly –every Sunday morning to my little church.

Tags: church, depression, doctor, fear of death, my father, my little church, my mother, old age, prognosis, something wrong with me, Sunday morning
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All I could do was ride out it out–my depression that is.  I knew why.  My wife reminded me it was a bad time.  The “holidays” were coming up.  That was always a hard time for me.

The holidays reminded me, particularly, I was separated from my kids.  It reminded me of my divorce.  I was always glad when Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year were over.

There are such high expectations during the Christmas season.  I could never meet them.  I was, also, afraid of disappointing people around me.

Of course, this year I had health concerns and was trying to figure out what control I could exert in that area.  My depression was an accumulation of many things–a lot of which was not in my control.

I was not going to do any thing rash.  I was just going to ride it out.  I know most of the depression would lift when the new year came.  That was comforting to know.  And that was all I needed to know.  My depression would end.

Tags: Christmas, Christmas season, comforting, depression, depression would lift, divorce, health concerns, high expectations, holidays, my depression would end, my kids, my wife, New Year, not in my control, ride it out, separation, thanksgiving
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The right word spoken to you can be like honey:  It soothes the throat right away.  Bless the people who have the wisdom to utter to you just the right words  at the right time.

I walked into his office flustered, stating “My wife is driving me crazy “!  And my doctor immediately retorted, “Isn’t that what all wives do?”  I felt like he gave me back my life.  I was not that unusual.

I have been dealing with depression after meeting with my nephrologist several weeks ago.  I mentioned that to the other doctor and he said, “That seems perfectly normal considering the life changes the other doctor was contemplating you undergoing.”

I felt better after his statement.  It did not take away my depression but at least I felt it was normal being depressed under those circumstances.  And I just had to work through it.

That is why it is so important not to isolate yourself.  When you talk to others outside the home you often find out other people are experiencing the same thing or what you are going through is perfectly normal.

You never find out those things out if you stay in your house and do not talk to others.  An apt word spoken just at the right time can soothe your fears which often run wild if kept to themselves.

Remember, ‘No man is an island’.  These words of John Donne have calmed many a person when they decided to stop isolating themselves.  It is amazing how many times the right advice can soothe yours fears that have run wild in the confines of your home.

We are really wired to be social “animals” and have much more in common with one another than we realize but we have to take a chance and reach out to others.  Then we find that out.  It is not necessary to do it alone.

Tags: a lot in common, apt word, calm, depression, doctor, don't do it alone, don't isolate yourself, fears run wild, John Donne, life changes, like honey, nephrologist, no man is an island, normal, reach out to others, right advice, social animals, soothe your fears, stay in your house, talk to others, the right word, wife, wisdom, work through it
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