Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

Sometimes I have to focus on something else other than me. I was depressed and made a list of what was getting me down and shared it with my wife. Top of my list was sorting through several hundred records, determining what to keep and then organizing and storing them in some fashion so I could find them. For months I was looking at several piles of them that were placed on top of the bookcase and other places and the clutter had me depressed. I did not know what to do with them. My wife and I discussed places where we could store them in an organized way if we just cleared these spots in the living room. I was thrilled: now I had a way to organize the LP’s I wanted to keep. Yesterday I spent several hours going through these albums. Later on I realized my depression had left. I had focused on something other than me. And another benefit of the list was my wife worked on one thing that was also depressing me. It was a room we had once called the junk room and was now mostly empty. There was no progress being made there. She starting chipping away at it. It looks like that one day we might have a guest room. Once it is completely empty we will paint and furnish it. I was thrilled at the progress she had made in a few days. These were two majors things that had been bothering me. All of a sudden I had hope. And most of my depression left.

Tags: clutter, depression, focus on something else, guest room, hope, junk room, LP's, made a list, making progress, my wife, record albums, several hundred records
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Depression can easily become a pity party.  Our lives are always imperfect.  Things don’t always go our way.  We have expectations that fail.  It is so easy to slide into depression.  I just took a shower and reflected before I married my wife I only had a tub.  For fifteen years I had no shower.  It is all too easily to forget that and the many reasons I have to thank the Almighty for his many blessings.  And I have to reflect on that and count them.  The list is long.  Ingratitude is very easy to go to.  Our lives never go exactly as we we want them to.  Our lives are always a series of problems and only some get solved to our satisfaction.  That is life!  If we can go back and count our blessings and learn to do it routinely depression is less likely to set in.  God does not promise us anything beyond food and shelter and usually His blessings are abundant.  It is too easy to center on what we don’t have.  Our unmet expectations can easily turn into depression if you are not careful.  And then it becomes a pity party.  It is, though, hard to be positive when we don’t feel good.  Good health is a blessing.

Tags: count our blessings, depression, expectations, food and shelter, God, good health is a blessing, His blessings are abundant, ingratitude, life, many blessings, pity party, slide into depression, take a shower, thank the Almighty
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I knew why I was depressed but that was not enough.  There were too many things I had no control of.  My life felt out of control and somehow I had to grab some control back or things would not change.  I would remain depressed.

There were too many things.  I did not know where to start or begin.  There is somewhere to start.  The present.  Somehow you have to listen to what your current concerns are saying.  That is always a beginning.  And then move on to your next set of concerns after you deal with them.  Nothing occurs in a vacuum.

There is a reason the bible says, ‘Do not worry about tomorrow but focus on today.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.’  A slight paraphrase but it is the essence.  Take care of what is more pressing each day.

As far as depression, take care of the major things one by one–the things you have some control of.  It is like peeling an onion:  there is always another layer.  Gradually the depression will lift.  Depression is an indicator something needs to be dealt with.  One by one.

Tags: Bible, depression, do not worry about tomorrow, God, life felt out of control, like peeling an onion, start somewhere, take control
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I was depressed about the clutter in this house.  There were too many books, VCRs and LPs and I did not know where to start.  I know we have made some headway but not enough.  I can’t just get rid of stuff:  I have to run it by my “other”.  I really do not know where to start.  I was down to begin with and when I look around at the clutter I just got more depressed.  The house is out of control.  I don’t know where to start or do this mutually.  I need someone to come in and aid us in this process.  We have had one room we call a junk room.  We want it to be a guest room but it feels like it will never be cleared.  I step in it and I just shake my head.  I just don’t know what to do any longer.

Tags: clutter, depressed about clutter, depression, don't know what to do, don't know where to start, get rid of stuff, guest room, house is out of control, junk room, LP's, my wife, too many books, VCRs
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Feelings can be somewhat deceiving.  I wake up every morning depressed–at least it seems that way.  I don’t take too much stock in it.  I’ve learned, as a rule, the first hour I am awake I don’t feel good.  It usually lifts after I am up for awhile and I had my morning coffee.  That is just par for the course.  It has something to do with my metabolism.  I only get concerned if my depression lasts beyond the first waking hour.  Feelings can be deceitful.  Sometimes they are totally due to physical reasons.  And I always look at that explanation first.  I am also careful how I eat.  After a certain point in the morning, I make sure I eat something substantial and keep away from sugar.  Your diet can matter.

Tags: depression, eat right, feelings can be deceiving, metabolism, morning coffee, mornings, sugar, wake up depressed, your diet, your feelings
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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, depression can be physiological, dispel depression, eating right, emotions, fatigue, good night sleep, sleep, sleep is restorative
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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, chip away at depression, depression, don't know where to start, enduring, happiness, have a plan, money can't change, possessions, take control of what you can, things don't make me happy, view my life, 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, depressed thoughts, depression, doing chores, face your day, get physically moving, God, routine, tasks, thank God
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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 your value system, spend your time, transition period, 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, God, 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: depression, depression will lift, in my control, my life, one thing at a time
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