Dipsy Doodling Around Depression

New Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:42:00 +0000

Come and visit me at my new blog "Depression Getaway" for more inspiration and encouragement!

New Blog Launch!

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0000

You are invited to come on over to the launch of my new blog called "Depression Getaway". I will continue to blog there about some positive ideas for coping with depression. The official launch party is on Monday, April 19th. See you there!

I have enjoyed posting here and getting to know all of you. I do hope you will join me at Depression Getaway and we can continue with more ways to get away from depression.

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Can Depression Be Managed?

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0000

If you know me by now, you already know how I would answer this question. Yes, depression not only CAN be managed, it SHOULD be managed, it MUST be managed. Like this classroom corner, depression CAN BE MANAGED.

That is why I write about depression: to encourage all of you to manage depression and to help you to find ways to do it. When one thing doesn't work, try something else.

With that in mind, I would like to share a terrific article called "10 Ways to Manage Your Depression Treatment" by Deborah Gray. Keep these kinds of articles handy and the next time you hit a low point, refer to them and find out if there is something you could try that might make a wee bit of difference.

Don't forget to laugh today!

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I 'm praying for you!

Oh, and I have a special announcement next time!

Wendy Love

Grieving...

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0000

As I shared with you last time, our family is grieving. My ex-husband, father of my grown daughters, died in an accident at the age of 61. It is hard to tell the difference between depression and grief isn't it?

Somehow with depression it seems like we are all grieving in some way or another. Maybe we are just plain sad. Maybe we are grieving over the life we wish we could live.

But with death there is concrete reason for grieving. And with this kind of sudden unexpected loss, there is the challenge of our emotions. We are doing fine and holding each other up in love. It is good to be a close family at a time like this.

But what about depression during these times? Who can tell the difference? Many are asking me how I am doing, knowing that I can be in pretty bad shape when nothing terrible has even happened. It is only natural for people to think that when tragedy comes along the depression sufferer suffers more than the rest of us. But that is not true and I don't know why.

It is all a mystery to me, but I feel no worse and no better than my normally challenged self. However, I do feel encouraged and surrounded by old friends and good memories. And I have had a chance to watch my own daughters, who I am already so proud of, give their dad a send-off that honoured him in every possible way.

It has been a bittersweet time. I want to share with you the name of a book that was given to me by a dear friend this week. It is called "Letter to a Grieving Heart" by Billy Sprague. It is a wonderful book and I would recommend it to anyone who is grieving and I plan to buy a few copies to give to friends.

And you know what? I am recommending it to you! Any of us who live with depression, lives with constant grief and this book may be a great comfort to you!

Don't forget to laugh today.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Death and Depression and Holidays?

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 17:02:00 +0000

Depression does actually take a holiday. There are times in our lives when life is so surreal that we forget we even have depression. We are so not ourselves, that depression does not enter the picture...for awhile. For me that time is now.

My ex-husband died this past week in an accident. Our marriage was ended by him fourteen years ago, not by me. I never stopped loving him and so his death has hit me hard. But I have already grieved over the loss of so much of him way back then and oftentimes since, that I didn't think I would have that many tears left in me. Grief is grief, it has an agenda of its own. We were a family with my daughters and my daughters and I now grieve together and remember the good times and there were a lot of good times. It sure is easier to remember the good and forget the bad when someone is gone.

And depression really does take a rest when really big stuff like this happens. Somehow we are able to cope with big huge things, when on a regular day we can barely sort laundry. Don't ask me to explain such an illness, I only know that it is true. It would be easy to say, 'God, if you can give me a break from this illness right now, when I obviously need the break, then why can't you just heal me of the thing and rid me of it altogether?' It is a good question. I have no answers. I do know though that God is giving me the strength right now to get me through this challenging time.

My depression did not become a full-blown illness until I experienced divorced. Maybe with the closure that I am now experiencing the depression may ebb. I admit that I am hoping it will.

So, my friend, whoever you are...what kind of day are you having? What sort of depression are you experiencing these days? Are you getting the help you need? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you getting fresh air and exercise and spending time only with people who are good for you?

Not sure if I will keep posting this week or not...might need to take a break.

Don't give up, I'm praying for you, I really am!

Wendy Love

Hope for the Hopeless?

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

The conference I attended this past weekend was called "Caring for One Another" put on by Faith and Hope Ministries. The keynote speaker was Dr. Grant Mullen.

It was inspiring, encouraging, informing, affirming and the food was great!

So let me tell you what gives me hope. The very things that I just mentioned: inspiration, encouragement, information and feeling connected. Those things give me hope. They give me new ideas to keep going.

I could not begin to tell you all that I learned this weekend. It will come out in time as I digest it and prepare to write about some of it. But I can tell you that while I was there I felt a renewed sense of hope. Just taking the step to go made me feel better...for awhile.

For me however, a big day out like that, travelling, spending a whole day in a room full of people, listening to new ideas all day long... all of that is exhausting. It is a big risk for me to sign up for something like this. For starters I have to hope I will feel well enough to go and thankfully I did.

But then the next day comes and I will always feel like I have been run over by a truck. It will take me at least one day and maybe more to recover from the outing. Was it worth it? Yes, because it gave me some new hope.

Hope is absolutely essential if you want to survive this illness of depression. You cannot stay hopeless ALL the time. You have to have breaks from it, hopeful breaks!

Next time I will share with you some more little things that give me hope? How about you? Do you have any 'hope ideas' you would like to share?

Don't forget your dose of laughter medicine.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Hope for Me

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:21:00 +0000

We have been chatting about hope this week. Depression is an illness that seems most of the times, hopeless. But it doesn't have to be.

If you are going to get some hope you need to identify just exactly what would give YOU hope. It is probably a little different for each of us.

I will share with you some of the things that give me hope. Maybe that will give you some ideas of your own.

Every so once in a while, I will get new resolve to talk to my doctor (again!) about my situation. Maybe I feel the need to try a new drug, or maybe I have read something that questions my diagnosis. Just having the NEW RESOLVE to talk to the doctor (again!) gives me hope. So, new resolve, gives me hope. The hope is also related to the possibility that maybe as a result of a new discussion with the doctor we may together come up with a new idea that may make ALL of the difference.

Thinking about something I did well gives me hope. For instance, this week my grown up daughters took me out for a special lunch for my birthday. They took time away from their busy lives to honour me this way. Since I just turned 60 it is a milestone birthday. When I am with those two fine women, I must say to myself "you did something right Wendy if these two fine women think enough of you to do this for you. And you must have done something right, because look how well they turned out!" Thinking this way gives me hope, hope that my life has not been a complete waste. Hope that my life was once productive and happy and may once again be productive and happy. So, thinking about something good that I did gives me hope that I really am not a complete loser even though this illness at times makes me feel like I am.

How about you? Can you identify the kinds of thoughts and situations that might bring you hope?

Don't forget to laugh today.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Hope and Depression

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:47:00 +0000

Hope and depression - do they go together? What do you think?

It's hard to have hope when you are depressed. After all, 'hopeless' is one of the strong voices of depression.

However, hope is the antedote to depression. So... we have to find some.

How do you find hope? Do you just reach up into the sky and grab some? Do you make it up like some fantasy? Do you base it on some tangible thing?

I am asking that question of YOU? How do YOU find hope?

We will chat a bit more about this next week. I am attending a mental health conference on Saturday in Cobourg, Ontario. The keynote speaker is Grant Mullen. I look forward to telling you all about it.

For your a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Faith and Depression

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Do you remember the song:

"Love and marriage, love and marriage,
Go together like a horse and carriage?"

Cute song. Love and marriage going together is a wonderful thought and makes perfect sense.

But what about faith and depression, do they go together as well? Many would say no. Some would say that it is impossible to have any faith at all when you are depressed.

I can see why they would say that. It is hard to imagine that there is a God when you suffer so much. But that all depends on your idea of who God is and what he is like.

If you imagine that God is a gentle loving God who only wants good things for you, then it would be impossible to believe in him when he lets you suffer.

Depression is one illness that very much affects your faith life. Faith is difficult to maintain when you are depressed. How about you? Do you have a faith? Do you have a hard time holding onto that faith when you are really depressed?

My faith is in a God who never changes. He can't. He's God. I am so thankful that I can cling to that even when I am at my lowest. I do however, have a hard time praying when I am really down. So what do I do?

I ask someone to pray for me. I have a handful of friends who I know won't judge, or ask questions, they will just pray. What they pray or how they pray is up to them, but they do. When I hit a really dark spot, if I can remember, I will email those dear people and just say "needing prayer".

What happens next? Something changes. Does everything change and I am instantly healed? No. But something changes. Either I have a good sleep, or something nice happens or .... lots of different things. Prayer changes things. It doesn't necessarily change the thing you want to change, but it changes something.

What about you? Would you like someone to reach out to that would pray for you when you are at your worst? I would be honoured to do that for you! Just an email "needing prayer" is all I need. Even when I am depressed I can pray for others, it is just myself I have a hard time praying for.

I guess I sometimes think that I, and I alone, am a hopeless case. What a silly thought.

But I am not hopeless and neither are you. I think we should chat about hope next time. What about you? Does your faith suffer when you are depressed?

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Does Illness Depress You?

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Do you get depressed when you are sick?

I find sickness hard to deal with. I can think of nothing else but my symptoms when I am ill. And in a very short time I get depressed! Does that happen to you?

And the trouble is that when I am sick, I am too sick to do all of my self-talk strategies. The illness becomes all-consuming. I become obsessed. I imagine that I am even sicker than I really am. Do you do that?

Let's face it. With mental illness comes irrational thinking and lopsided perspective. You can't trust your thoughts.

I have been sick this past week with acid reflux. This has been my first time to experience this unpleasant condition. I am relieved that is all it is. I had imagined gall bladder and surgery, or worse.

The only thing that works for me when I get sick this way is to get to the doctor before I have a chance to get ridiculously obsessed about it all. Of course I always wait a couple of days in hopes that the symptoms will go away as mysteriously as they came. But oh the relief when I get a simple diagnosis with simple solution.

So, the next time I am sick, I hope I can remember this and get to the doctor quickly.

How about you? How do you handle illness?

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Up Up and Away!

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:33:00 +0000

Do you remember the song "Up Up and Away"? It was just a cute song from my time but immediate images come to mind when I think of those words "up, up and away in my beautiful balloon...". One of the lines from the song is "the world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon".... Wouldn't we all just love to be up there for a moment or two? It does look rather magical, and so pretty. Can't you just imagine that if you were up there you would forget your problems, at least for a little while?

This is the very image, a hot air balloon, on the new blog I have discovered this weekend. Check it out: Lift My Depression. This is a new blog so there is not a lot to read...yet. But stick with this gal, her name is Kat, because she has a lot to offer.

One of the things I like about this blog is the positive approach she takes to depression. The subtitle: information, inspiration, determination. You can just tell that she will not be dwelling on how awful this illness is but instead she will be emphasizing strategies for recovery. That is my kind of thinking so I liked her right away. I have already learned a few things from her.

What about you? Have you found any new uplifting blogs lately that you would like to tell us about?

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I am praying for you....

Wendy Love

They Agree With Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Don't you just love it when you read or hear something that totally agrees with the way you think? It is an affirming experience.

My husband loves trivia. He finds EVERYTHING interesting. I don't love trivia. I don't find everything interesting.

I am okay if I am talking to maybe one person, someone I like, about something that I find worthwhile talking about. Does that make me snobby and picky as I have sometimes wondered?

According to this article - NO! The article is called 'Happy People Talk More Seriously'. I found a referral to it from a health site I read. The caption on their most recent newsletter which caught my attention was 'Too Much Small Talk Linked to Unhappiness'.

Oh I was so affirmed. Too much small talk certainly makes me unhappy. I want to yawn, or escape when I hear small talk. Socializing usually drains me. I wish I weren't like that but I am. But reading this article makes me feel that it is not only okay to be like me, but it may even be better!

Who knew?

What about you? Do you enjoy small talk at social gatherings? Does anybody out there?

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression
be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Medication Update

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:04:00 +0000

Awhile ago I shared with all of you my need to remove myself from my only medication, a mood stabilizer. I was having headaches and for me that usually is caused by the medication. I have had to change medications more times than I care to remember...because of headaches.

Going off of any medication can be a miserable chore. At first I usually don't mind going off of the medication because my headache is so bad all I can think about is getting relief. This time I did not mind because I had become convinced that the medication really wasn't helping me that much. I had actually started to believe that some of my negative symptoms were caused by the medication and not helped by it. I would dream about going off of it and being free for awhile. I even imagine that I would probably feel a lot better if it weren't for this stupid old med.

This is the dream of many of us who live with depression. Bipolar people in particular are inclined to stop taking medication as soon as they feel better. In my case, I wasn't feeling much better anyways and so saying goodbye to that med did not seem risky to me.

Well, I was wrong. I have been off of this med for awhile now and the symptoms I was blaming on the med are still there! So much for that theory. The amount of support I was getting with that medication was small, but now that I am off of it I realize that it was definitely a bit of help.

As it is, I am managing without it for now, but when I get a bad day or two or three, it hits me like an oncoming vehicle hitting me in my blindspot.... I don't see it coming. So, what was that med doing for me? It was stabilizing me, not much, but it was.

And guess what? For the first time the headache did not seem to be caused by the medication (because I still have it) and so I am faced with the decision of whether to go back on it or not. I am waiting on that one. I am hoping to tame this headache before I do anything.

Why am I sharing this boring information with you? Because what I am going through may help you to figure out some things that you have been struggling with. Maybe you struggle with your medication. Maybe the side effects are horrible. Maybe you do not think your med is making much difference because you still experience some depression.

I can't tell you what to do. But I can say this - keep a journal! Make notes about everything! Record all of the side effects of every medication. Record how you felt before taking it and how you feel taking it. When you hit a low mood you will not be rational enough to make a good decision, but if you have notes to rely on, you will be able to figure things out more rationally.

Depression is hard. Medication can help. But medication isn't the total answer. What is the moral of my little rant today? Have strategies in place in case, like me, you are forced to go off of your medication for awhile.

What about you? Is your medication making a difference? Are the side effects managable?

Next time I am going to talk about 'small talk' so I guess that means it should be a small post?

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression

be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Exercising for Depression

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:09:00 +0000

Did you know that some experts now say that they think that exercise helps depression more than medication?

You may want to read this article from 'depression-guide.com' and see for yourself.

But just in case you can't be bothered reading the whole article, let me just list some of the benefits that were mentioned by those who participated in the exercise program:

*could think more clearly, feel happy, feel better about themselves, lose weight, develop strength and enjoy a sense of well-being
*increased positive mood
*slept better
*had less nervousness and anxiety
*decreased negative mood
*improved vigor
*reduced stress, anger, fatigue
*improved motivation and self-esteem

Would you like to experience any of those benefits?

Next time I am going to tell you about the cheapest exercise you can get and the one that works best for me.

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

"Things I Learned from My Dog"

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:18:00 +0000

I borrowed these cute ideas from "Just Clean Jokes". I thought we could have a little fun with it. I already had my fun finding the pictures to go along with the cute sayings. A dog can be a great example for finding joy in life. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.

When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

Take naps and stretch before rising.

Run, romp and play daily.

Thrive on attention, and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout...run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you've had enough.

Be loyal.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Depression and Some Hard Questions:Part Four

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I am asking some hard questions. My intention is to help you know yourself better. In order to set up strategies to help you recover from depression, you need to know yourself. We have discussed your social, physical and emotional tendencies. Today I would like to ask you about your recreational life. In other words, what do you do for fun?

Okay, I know. Depression is NOT fun. But I am still going to ask you some questions.

When you want to have fun, what sorts of things do you enjoy doing? Don't rush into this answer. Take your time and make a list of the things you enjoy now, the things you used to enjoy before you suffered from depression and the things you would like to enjoy if you were totally well all the time.

Are you having any fun? Is there a possibility that doing something you used to love to do would add a little joy to your life?

How about some of your favourite childhood activities such as building a snowfort, or climbing a tree? Or dancing like you did when you were a teenager? Maybe you took up tennis as a young adult and haven't tried it for years.

Is there some activity you could try again that might make a difference? What have you got to lose?

For the last four posts I have been asking you some questions. I hope you have tried to answer them.

Now take your list of answers and see if you can circle some of the ideas that you might be able to use as one of your depression coping strategies.

A popular craft these days is scrapbooking. I have a theory why it is so popular. It take woman back to their childhood. Little girls love making scrapbooks, I know I did. Women who scrapbook can feel like little girls again.

One of my favourite childhood activities was swinging. Even now, if I take a walk in a public park, I will swing for awhile on the swings. For the few moments that I am swinging, I feel great. I love swinging. It is a little depression getaway for me.

How about you? If you have come up with something helpful, I would love you to share it if you can. We all need some encourgement.

Depression is hard. When you are truly in the lowest depths of depression you wouldn't be able to do any of these questions, let alone the strategies I am encouraging you to come up with. But when you are feeling okay, but not great, these strategies can make a lot of difference. And if you don't have strategies in place when you are well, then you will have nothing to fall back on when you are not well.

I have a silly post for you tomorrow.

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Depression and Some Hard Questions:Part Three

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

In an attempt to help you to develop some personal coping strategies for your own depression, I am asking some hard questions. We have done questions about your social and your physical life. Today's questions have to do with your emotional/intellectual life. Here are the questions.

How much do you like to think? When you daydream, what do you daydream most about?

Do you like to read? If yes, what do you like to read about?

What kind of activity would you find intellectually stimulating?

Do you like movies? What kinds of stories appeal to you?

Do you enjoy learning new information? If yes, when was the last time you enjoyed learning something new?

Are you an emotional person? Do you emote easily? Do you laugh and cry and share from your heart easily, or are you all bottled up inside?

Are you comfortable talking about your feelings?

Even though I have asked less questions in this section it is one of the hardest areas of depression. This one, our intellectual/emotional life is the one that is negatively affected by depression in an obvious way.

How does this apply to you? Are these questions of any use to you at all? Are you taking time to answer these questions and think about how the answers will tell you some things about yourself that you need to pay attention to?

Next time we will have some questions about your spiritual life.

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Depression and Some Hard Questions:Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

In an attempt to encourage you to develop some of your very own personal coping strategies for depression, I am asking some hard questions. Your answers to these questions will be the basis for your strategy. The last set of questions had to do with your social self, they were questions about people.

Today's questions have to do with your physical self. How well do you know what you need and what you don't need?

Do you like touching? Do you get enough touching?

What kind of touching do you like? A quick hug? A good rub? Constant physical connection with something living? Lots of touching? Sexual interaction?

Are you a little touchy about your touching? Are you only able to touch and be touched at certain times? Are your touch boundaries being respected by your loved ones?

Are you able to communicate with your loved one(s) the truth about your need or lack of need of touching?

What about exercise? Do you enjoy doing physical things? Do you feel better after engaging in physcial activity?

What about food? Everyone enjoys food? What kinds of food do you enjoy? Do you take care of your food needs? Does what you do or do not eat affect your moods? Is there some way you could change the way you eat in order to feel even better?

Is there something that makes you feel good when you touch it? For instance, a cat's fur, a teddy bear, holding a child's hand, rubbing a smooth stone? Does touch matter to you? Do you get enough touch therapy?

Take some time with these questions. I hope they can get you closer to creating some physcial strategies that are helpful to your depression recovery.

Let me share just a wee bit of my own physical strategy (without embarrassing you or me). I am not an overly touchy person. Sure I will give you a hug when you visit, I can easily reach out to pat someone on the back, but I don't need to do this all the time. The touch that means the most to me is my husband's hand. I love holding his hand. Friends have commented that we look so cute because we are often holding hands... if they only knew... the handholding is sometimes, on certain days, my only link to life. When we are out in public, and I am feeling vulnerable and fragile, holding his hand is a lifeboat to me. I do get a professional massage sometimes. But one time, when I was not well, not only did it not help me, I couldn't wait for it to be over. There are times when I simply would prefer not to be touched. Knowing these things about myself helps a lot.

How about you? Are you learning anything new about yourself by asking these questions? Can you put together a physical strategy plan for yourself?

We have talked about your social and your physical life preferences. Next time we will ask some hard questions about your emotional/intellectual life.

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Attention! Depression!

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I was raised to think about others before I think about myself. I was raised to believe thinking about yourself and your own life too much will make you a dull, self-centred, boring person. I was raised to believe that too much introspection was unhealthy (and unattractive).

When I first met with the challenge of depressed thoughts and I talked to a counsellor about it, I was forced to unlearn everything I had learned.

I simply HAD to think about me, I HAD to talk about me. I HAD to look inside and give a lot of attention to my thoughts.

Guilt! I already felt guilty enough about the depression, now I had to feel guilty about thinking about myself too much too.

This was a tough but necessary adjustment. I am glad I learned to think about myself. It has been a necessary step on the road of recovery.

Depression requires your attention if you have hopes of recovery.

You are not pampering yourself when you take a nap. You are not being thoughtless when you cancel a social engagement. You are not unloving, when you go to your bedroom door and close it to the rest of the family, for awhile. You are doing what you have to do in order to survive this illness.

And you know what? We who are living with the challenges of depression are no different from anyone else in a lot of ways. We have things about us that make us unique. We have challenges that make our life choices different from others. We are just trying to carve out a lifestyle for ourselves within our limitations.

But if you are not willing to pay attention to those limitations, you will not enjoy life at all. You may even get sicker.

Anyone out there want to be even more depressed? I didn't think so.

Next week I am going to ask you all some hard questions. If you are able to answer those questions, you will have the beginning of a list of survival strategies designed just for you.

So, come on back on Monday and we will do some hard thinking - together!

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Depression on Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:51:00 +0000

Oops! I am on holiday for the month and forgot to post on Monday! Being out of routine can be such a nice thing...sometimes.

What effect does routine (or lack of it) have on your experience with depression?

My depression does not take a holiday. I would love to leave it at home, but it comes along whereever I go. I am not the best traveller and so it is risky to take me places. However, we have figured out a few things that make it all more manageable for me.

How about you? Do you travel well?

The reason this particular holiday suits me is that we stay in one place for a whole month and we try to stay in the same place every year. My brain likes that!

How about your brain? Does it know what it likes? Does it know what it needs? In your depression journey have you figured out at least a few things so far that help you to cope with this illness? Do you know what those things are or do you have to check a list? Do you even have a list?

The thing is that depression is kind of like having a child. You can't ignore a child! It doesn't work. Of course you would love to ignore your depression and just hope that it will go away. But that doesn't work.

Travelling with depression is just as challenging, maybe more so, than living with depression. Most people don't even consider travelling when they are sick because they know it wouldn't be much fun.

As much as I would rather not have to think about it so much of the time, it is worth it in the long run. If I give this illness the attention it requires, then like a child who needs attention, it will need less attention once I have everything in place.

So what I am saying in a roundabout way is that the only way you will have some good breaks from your depression is to give it the attention it needs.

Just in case you have NO idea what I am trying to say, I will try and say it better next time! Bear with me!

For a dose of laughter medicine, click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Depression and Gratitude

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

This morning had not started off well. As many of you who experience depression know, mornings can be challenging but sometimes the day improves as it progresses. The challenge of course is not to get locked into those depressive thoughts so that hopefully the day does not stay absolutely awful. The trick is to get out of it somehow, even a little bit.

I have several things I do in the morning in hopes of getting off to a good start. The first order of the day is usually a hot bath. Next a cup of tea and my bible and my journal. Then to my computer where I will read my Daily Motivator.

That's about it for the very first things. But after that I will check my other email. I delete a lot, depending on my mood.

But there is another newsletter I get, Beliefnet, that really touched me this morning, at a moment when I was feeling challenged to find anything to be thankful for. Here it is, a gratitude list. Maybe you will enjoy it like I did.

I have included this picture of a sunrise because I am experiencing an exquisite sunrise right now. For the month of February I am in a lovely condo in Myrtle Beach and this is what I get to see most mornings. Even through the eyes of depression, there is wonder and awe in such a sight.

May you find many things to be grateful for today. Maybe you could make your own list.

May dipsy doodling around depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you....

Wendy Love

Winning!

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I'm a winner! I won a cake from my blogging friend Lynnda from New Orleans. The fun thing was that I wasn't even trying to win anything. Anticipating the arrival of this cake was as much fun as tasting it. The special box arrived in the mail today.

Here it is! It is called a "King's Cake" and is apparently an essential part of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

What a treat for the senses when I opened the box. Not only was there this amazingly colourful cake, but also a Mardi Gras magazine, some special coffee and a package of colourful beads and fake coins which I assume are also part of the Mardi Gras tradition.

Here I am getting ready to take my first bite. It was delicious!

And these beads were too pretty to toss aside. I am sure my granddaughters will love playing with them.

And so that was the best part of my day. Something free, tasty, and pretty arrived in the mail. I got to anticipate it, taste it and there is still lots left over to look forward to in the days ahead.

Blogging has all sorts of perks and this is one of them. Somebody had to win, I am glad it was me!

For a dose of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Drug Free! But Is This a Good Thing?

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Thank you for the comments and prayers and hugs sent my way during my little break.

I have struggled with most of the depression medications I have tried. Some have not worked at all, some have such disastrous side effects that I couldn't continue. But occasionally one will work, for awhile, and then.... the headaches start. This has been a pattern for me. This is what has been happening to me recently.

So I go off of that medication and try another one. At this point I have just about run out of meds to try and so instead of risking yet another medication that brings more misery than help, for now I am going to go med free. It does have a nice ring to it doesn't it?

The truth is that bipolar people should stay on medication if they possibly can. But it would seem that I can't, for now. And so here I am.

Now, all of those neat strategies that I keep talking about are all I have got. I am going to have to use them even more than ever. I am going to have to prove that they have some real value and not just as a back-up plan.

You might be wondering how I am feeling. I don't blame you for being curious. I have spent so many miserable days with a headache, then with medications to help me deal with the pain of the headache, then with the constipation which accompanied those medications, then with the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms of the medication I have been taking for three years.

However, right this moment I feel quite well. The headache is gone. I have finished withdrawing off of my mood stabilizer that was causing the headache. I seem to be feeling okay. Maybe it will last for awhile. I will keep you posted. In the meantime I am going to enjoy feeling 'not medicated'. For now I don't feel depressed and I don't feel manic. But I realize that anything, good or bad, is quite possible and I will remain vigilant.

If you are reading this and have been wondering about quitting your medication too, don't rush into it. I am not advising anyone to go off of their medications. If you are not experiencing negative side effects and if your medication is helping even a little bit, stick to it. If I could find something that worked for me, I would be happy to take it.

I have been working on a new blog, a continuation of this one. It is not ready for launch yet, but I will let you know when it is. It is also about depression. I have a question for you. If you could read a really good blog about depression, what would you want to read about?

Any tips?

Any questions?

Any ideas?

For a dose of of laughter medicine click here.

May Dipsy Doodling Around Depression be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up, I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love

Taking a Break

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:07:00 +0000

I have to take a break for a couple of weeks.

I am experiencing yet another drug reaction, a headache that won`t quit for ten days or so.... So I have to go off of this drug and try something else. This is always a difficult process.

Say a little prayer for me. I will look forward to getting back to you with renewed enthusiasm in time.

Wendy Love

The Icarus Project

noreply@blogger.com (Wendy Love) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:59:00 +0000

I just can't resist sharing one more inspiring project. Is there no end to the creativity of man? Here is how this group describe themselves:

"The Icarus Project envisions a new culture and language that resonates with our actual experiences of 'mental illness' rather than trying to fit our lives into a conventional framework.The Icarus Project envisions a new culture and language that resonates with our actual experiences of 'mental illness' rather than trying to fit our lives into a conventional framework."

Those of us who live with a mental illness can certainly understand the idea of feeling like they do not fit in anywhere. Mental illness is isolating among other things. Here is a group attempting to make it less so.

You may want to check it out and find out how you can get involved. This list is long, from receiving emails to taking part in forums.

'Friends Make the Best Medicine' is a good idea they have initiated encouraging us to start a group in our area. I am thinking about this one....

I am doing so much research for my new blog 'Depression Getaway' which I hope to get underway sometime in February. I cannot resist sharing some of the neat things I have discovered. Let me know if any of them interest you!

May dipsy doodling around depression

be better than a therapy session!

Don't give up,

I'm praying for you!

Wendy Love