"putting the SPRING back in our step - village support for depression and anxiety"

[LEMmingaround]

Heres the new thread guys. What is this, thread 9?

This is a thread that is situated in a virtual village of support for those suffering from mental health issues, or just those struggling with what life throws at them.

Please feel free to join in.

Thanks for all the welcomes and apologies if my name offends anyone, I can change it.

Nana - Kay Redfield Jameson is a bit of a star although she's a psychologist, not a psychiatrist. An Unquiet Mind is a truly excellent book, I recommend it to patients all the time. Have you read Touched with Fire about madness and genius? We'll worth it.

Snowy - sorry to hear you've lost your career. I have an NHS clinic once a week and spend the rest of my time in the pharma industry. I was a consultant in the NHS for a while but it wasn't working for me and my illness. I know how hard it is to have to leave something you love.

Hi all,

welcome mentalpsychiatrist this is a lovely thread for having a rant, asking advice or just talking about your day, and if you're able supporting each other.

lem that sounds stressful! But I know exactly what you mean about anxiety impinging on your life. I've not had a great day anxiety-wise which has completely buried the excitement of the fact that we are probably having a garden room built!!! Am working hard to remind myself and not get sucked into everything else that's been going on. My dm has been completely rubbish to my dsis, and it does remind me of part of why I am how I am.

nana and kerngow sounds like you're reading some really interesting books

I am reading A Game of Thrones! (and am gripped).

Have a very busy weekend and week ahead which is making me feel overwhelmed at the moment. I have a thing at church tomorrow I'm responsible for so will be glad when that's done as again its stressing me out hey ho. One day at a time I guess...

hello everyone else

Thanks mentalpsychiatrist Sounds like you have a good balance.

One day/hour at a time sounds good, CIQ I'm hoping for a quiet weekend.

Wishing you a quiet weekend snowy! And hope all goes well tomorrow ciq

I've had a message from a friend asking me out to dinner. Don't know if I should accept or not.DH will not be amused (I've ended up cancelling the last 3 times I was supposed to go out because he doesn't want me to go) especially as it's a week day. I was thinking of asking MIL to babysit but don't know if I should go ahead and ask her without mentioning it to DH or tell him first. I can't decide anything at the moment. I can't focus on anything at the moment, it all seems a bit weird, like my eyes are out of sync with each other! I must go to sleep now, hope I don't get a worked by DD deciding to throw up on me again tonight...

Good weekend all.

Hello you lovely lot, I'm ok, work crisis averted, four horsemen of the apocalypse stood down
I'm so thin skinned, and have lots of triggers

DS has just been put on 20mg citalopram. He is 17 I blame myself for the lousy MH genes that I've passed down. That's my third child that has been on A/D's On the plus side we now talk freely about MH.

Thanks Nana for wise advice.

Hello to Mental and Leech good to read your posts.

Gosh, Ciq I read game of thrones too, it's really gripping..hope church goes ok too.

Hugs to you snowy, are you having an ok day?

How are you Lem? Sorry to hear about the anxiety.

I'm ok thanks, hoochy I've just ordered pizza for lunch...

Yum, need to get some lunch myself. I forget to eat sometimes..

Hoochymama that's interesting about the MH genes - I think it runs in my family too, down both sides (paternal grandmother committed suicide, maternal grandmother has paranoid schizophrenia now intermingled with dementia, father has made three suicide attempts; both my brother and I have suffered with depression). I wish there was more acknowledgement of this and any research into it because I think it would remove a lot of the stigma.

My family have never been ones to talk about MH; in fact we don't talk about any touchy subjects, they are just avoided. My mum clams up or brushes me off when I say I am feeling low and so I don't broach the subject any more.

There is definitely a genetic component to a number of mental health disorders and this has been widely published. I certainly think I acquired my illness genetically as bipolar disorder runs in my maternal family like a wooden leg. I worked through my family history with my mother before she died and it was horrifying. There were fewer relations without either unipolar depression or bipolar disorder than with.

Gosh, Kernowgal and Mental I think there has been such stigma about MH too, that it has been hushed up in families, also meds are so much better these days, not brilliant, but better.

Cold here, just off to church, if I'm feeling ok, I'll go for coffee after, but I don't usually

I hope everyone has a peaceful and happy day. Lots of (((hugs))) if your not feeling so good.

Woke today feeling crap after 7 blissful good days. I am meant to be going to a mindfulness/meditation class this afternoon for the first time and no idea what it will be like, but I know it's meant to be good for depression and anxiety. Stupid thing is I'm feeling anxious about going and not sure if I'm safe to drive, although it's only about 15 min drive. It starts at 3.00 so I've got a bit of time yet..............HOW can I got to bed feeling fine and wake up feeling shite??

If only we knew the answer to that one ...........sorry can't really reach out to anyone other than to say hello and sending warm wishes to all.

Hi I'm feeling crap too, so exhausted I feel I'm walking through treacle . Worried I'm ill with something else and been misdiagnosed . Is this level of fatigue normal?! I should know really but can't remember

Hoping you managed to make the class, NN and sorry you're feeling so crap.

And sorry you're feeling so crap, net. This kind of fatigue does go with some sorts of depression . And if it's the sort where your limbs feel physically heavy, then it's called leaden paralysis.

With me, although I don't get depressed these days, I do still have a tendency to crash and burn, which I am working on by trying to have a better schedule for the day (I daren't call it a routine, or I won't do it )

Thanks pussycat , I am prone to feeling this way when depressed. I kind of feel that the knackered feeling gets in the way of me getting myself better Iykwim?

Just wanted to say I hope everyone has a good start to the week!

You too snowy

Morning all,

Welcome to all the newbies :) (sorry not caught up with thread so no individual welcome)

Sorry been away for a few days been too out of it thanks to DD and her all day crying (separate thread for that issue) I've been pretty much exhausted all day everyday.

Diazepam is now finished so no more of taking the edge off things anymore. My cpn wasn't very convinced that I needed anymore intervention with it. I'm feeling very odd today but that could be the no diazepam effect!

Hope everyone has been doing ok

Hello all - my headmonster is taking a sleep today (I wish the bugger would go into a coma and die...!) I did go to the Buddhist meeting yesterday - it was all a bit strange - far too much praying and chanting for my liking, but the Buddhist Monk who did the "teaching" was very nice and we had a brief chat at the end and he seemed interested in talking to me. I am an atheist and so found the praying difficult. Mind I did almost fall asleep in the meditation (I almost fell off the chair!)

There is a session on Thursday evening for 1.5 hours which is just Mindfulness and Meditation so I will try that, as it is meant to be very good for depression and anxiety. Has anyone else tried it?

net I think as SPC says sometimes depression can make us really tired and this could be the reason or a side effect of the meds. Are you prone to general health anxiety? This has had me in its grip a few times over the years and it's awful because you go down and down in a never ending spiral. Mindfulness I think could help with this.

DD so sorry you have the additional worry of your DD crying - is she poorly?

Hello Hoochy CIQ net MPsych TUL SPC and Snowy (glad to read your post on Sat to say you were ok) and where is Lem - sorry I can only mention posters on the last page.

Nana my cousin took me to a Buddist temple last year, it had lovely grounds, and we sat in the temple at the back of the congregation for a few minutes. The priest was talking in Thai, and some of the congregation were laughing and contibuting a word or two. It was strange, peaceful and welcoming. I am an atheist, and so I believe is my cousin, but just visiting this place has helped them with a fairly recent bereavement.

I may be an atheist, but I am a thankful atheist nevertheless, so have no problem praying (very) occasionally.

I am sending your headmonster a kiss, to be given gently so as not to wake him up. No wonder he's depressed as you hate him so much

(feel free to ignore my ramblings )

Good luck for coping without the diazepam, DD32 You can do it! I hope your headmonster stays well and truly out of it, NN The mindfulness and meditation sounds interesting. Hi Shimmering

How's everyone feeling today? I got into town earlier, did some errands.

Hi all
snowy good stuff. get some sun too?

nana I did a bit of mindfulness for a while - it was helpful. I still use a couple of techniques - would be worth going back to it tbh. Really glad to hear th hm is sleeping today.

dd hope you're managing today.

I am beyond worn out. Physically and mentally. Have had a good but busy 5 days, but today is like walking through treacle - and haven't had that for a bit. Frustrating, and in a worse moment, feel like breaking down but I'm too tired to even do that! Try and get an early night....

Yes thanks, feels chilly now though, brrr.
Sorry you're feeling so worn out, CIQ, I hope you get the early night and it helps.

yes v chilly here snowy

thanks. Was looking up leaden paralysis that I think shimmery mentioned up thread. Rang bells. Part of "atypical depression"?? which some people also think has connections to thyroid issues which I can well believe...

That's interesting, CIQ I find it helpful to hear what other people have picked up on. Depression is definitely a spectrum rather than one discrete condition.

CIQ after 5 good but busy days I would be exhausted too - and have been in the past. (These days I can manage about 2 or 3 busy days in a row, am lucky to be retired and kids grown.)

After Christmas, or after parents or PILs had visited, I would take to my bed for a day or two, to recover partly from frenzied cleaning beforehand, without help from then H. I still need to after DM or DF has visited, though only for a day now, and after a holiday away, no matter how restful, I need extra sleep for a few days.