Sometimes when I get crappy news, am devastated about something, etc. I literally can't function for a day or two. I waste a day or two just sleeping, reading, lying and staring at the ceiling, or answering people's questions here all day (LOL). Sometimes I have to take a day off work. But it almost always passes after 48 hours, and although I've wasted a couple of days of life, it seems better to me than spending time/money going to a doctor/therapist, getting drunk or doing drugs, etc.
2006-10-08 17:25:10 · 4 answers · asked by barbiesmokescrack 1 in Health ➔ Mental Health
I have trouble with that and it's because I have Depression. I suspect you have the same problem. A person normally has an emotional reserve so that they can deal with disappointments in life and still function normally.
You say you get devastated at times. Me too. But a person that isn't Depressed doesn't get "devastated" unless someone like a child, parent, brother, or spouse die.
I am taking anti-depressants and they have helped a lot. Before that I couldn't function at all. Counseling might help, if you can find a good one. It might be worth it for you to see your family doctor and ask about a trial on an anti-depressant.
One of the things you can do for your self is take a look at your life and ask if it is the kind of life you want. Once, I started to have symptoms of my legs getting wobbly when I walked over a bridge near home. I looked at my life and saw that I hated my job, my relationship with my g/f was terrible, and I lived in a dingy 1 room apartment. One by one I changed those things and I no longer had trouble walking over bridges.
What kind of self talk is going on in your head? We all talk to ourselves, mentally. What are you telling yourself? Are you thinking negative things? Both the glass 1/2 empty and 1/2 full are true. If we think about the former we feel sad, looking at the latter produses happy feelings. We can change how we talk to ourselves and change how we feel.
A counselor may be expensive if you have no insurance but there are some good self help books in the bookstores. If you are a Christian I would reccomend, "Telling Yourself The Truth", by Dr.William Backus. Also good, but without the Christian orientation are; "I'm OK Your OK", by Thomas A. Harris, M.D.; "Alive and Aware", by Sherod Miller; "Feeling Good, The New Mood Therapy", I believe by Dr Burns; and "Self-Esteem", by Matthew McKay, Ph.D.
You have to realize, though, that the books by Dr. Burns and Dr. McKay are from a Secular Humanist viewpoint. They talk about eliminating the word "should" from our self talk, and say "there are no shoulds". Obviously, parents "should" take care of their children. Where we get into trouble, is "shoulds" like, "I should be nice to everyone.". If we try to life by that, we will get depressed. Otherwise, their books are excellant.
One of the reasons I'm still depressed is because there are things in my life I can't change. I became physically handicapped to the point my wife divorced me and no other woman would want me. I am 63 y/o. I am in constant pain that is not relieved by medication. Still, I have made slow progress in becoming less depressed over the past 6 years.
It sounds as if you are still relatively young in life. I think you could become much happier in life if you read the books I mentioned I would start with "Self Esteem", if you are not a Christian.
I hope I have helped.
2006-10-08 19:23:56 · answer #1 · answered by Smartassawhip 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hey, if the news is the sort that would bum out most, then I'd say you've already got yourself an okay way to cope. It's based on distraction, tho, which is almost setting yourself up for real problems in the future. The healthiest is to fully process your feelings, understand them, and accept them. At least that's what I'm told. :)
If you're talking about the more minor downs in life (the car doesn't work, the boss was a jerk, etc), then it'd be worth it to see a therapist and learn some other coping skills.
The thing about depression is that it can start slow and slowly build. If you're totally relying on distraction to get thru stuff, then your basically burying away the bad stuff. If it stays buryied and you perpetually bury more negative experiences on top, you're setting yourself up for depression in the future.
Based on your description, tho, it sounds like you just basically normal, but if you're starting to ask yourself about your coping skills, burn a little cash and get an experts opinion. Ha, it'd be a lot cheaper to unnecessarily burn a few bucks now than to find out later that you've ended up with a serious problem that could have been averted.
2006-10-09 00:50:26 · answer #2 · answered by Alex62 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If this helps you to cope and deal with stress without drugs or alcohol that's great for you. Everyone handles stressful situations differently, I try to keep myself so busy until it passes or I get so exhausted that I fall asleep. You're so right about being on here , helps get your mind off yourself for hours on end. LOL Good luck.
2006-10-09 00:46:11 · answer #3 · answered by Mrs. Fuzzy Bottoms 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you are wasting a couple of days of life....by sleeping or drugging or whatever, WHY NOT LIVE LIFE SOBER and not WASTE ANY MORE DAYS?
2006-10-09 00:37:03 · answer #4 · answered by Kitty L 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋