This depression pulls at me.
I sink down, I suck in.
I hold everything till my arms ach.
I hold the pain, the shame.
I hold my pride, close to my sides.
I try to keep it tight, the weight I can not fight.
I have no strength to hold these things.
I have no arms to keep it.
I progress when I let it go,
but my arms are cramped, they do not move.
Lord release my grip.
Release my sorrow,
Come close to my heart, so to go on with tomorrow.
Feeling a bit better today. Back at work after a quiet weekend. Managed to get a lot of work done around the house and in the yard. I spent most of Sunday gathering all our camping stuff for our yearly week-long camping trip. I look forward to it every year. I spent a lot of time sitting with my husband this weekend , around campfires in our back yard discussing; of all things, my illness– again. I am so lucky to have an understanding supportive husband, who loves me to death. He is my rock, my friend, my love. We put into place some fail safes for me. That sounds weird, but if you suffer from depression you need to set up some rules and guidelines. Depression is a mix up of chemicals in my brain. So to put it into common terms, sometimes I don’t think straight and get emotional and confused and need to have rules to rely on to help me. For instance, I have had a number of panic attacks in stores. or when I am on my own, I seem to get overwhelmed when by myself in public. I don’t shop by myself, kids or husband or friends are always with me. If I am panicking at work. I call my husband he talks me down. If I am taking my “incase of emergency drugs” (anti anxiety pills) I have to let my husband know, to monitor me, as they are super strong and addictive. I feel like a little kid under supervision but the alternative ???!!!. Having a freak out in a store by myself is worse than being chaperoned . Having my bosses find out I am having an anxiety attack at work, is worse than making an emergency phone call from the bathroom to my husband. I will be done work soon for the next 4 and half weeks for summer and I am nervous about having time on my hands. I have volunteered to assist my church as a secretary if there is holiday coverage needed. I am planning to paint the house, and then I will start my summer cleaning, rearranging furniture, cleaning out closets. The bottom line. This is effecting all aspects of my life even though I am trying not to. I feel like I am living in someone elses body, like some weird movie but the body just doesn’t fit right. Somedays I feel like checking into a hospital and staring at the walls for weeks on end, I am worn out. Sometimes I almost feel like me – (but never really back to it). We shall see what vacation does for me. A chance to run more, maybe sleep more, more time with family. On the good side of the vacation I will be vacationing with some good friends and one of them a pastor. He married us and baptized our kids. I am looking forward to catching up with them and I have some things I need to discuss with him. In my pondering, and readings, I have come to some cross roads in my thinking, in my faith. I am having problem reconciling a couple of bible concepts with how some writers have interpreted them. Maybe while away my friend can help me settle it. So I leave you this week with more questions and statements than directions. But remember God is faithful the sun always rises and the moon is always there at night. I hope if you are suffering you continue to read, I hope you continue to trust God, or try to, I hope you find some peace, rest, and comfort. Bless you on your journey.
Feeling down today. Feeling like what is the use, friends must be feeling like not again! I am suffering in silence. I contacted EAP got a busy signal, (can you believe it!) When one does get through they can make an apt for you for an assessment in 2 to 3 weeks. I emailed another counciller and made contact I just have to get up the nerve to actually call make an appointment and speak to someone. That is the hardest thing to do — three days not haven’t mustered up the nerve. It all makes no sence and I don’t know what to do with myself, cause even the kids don’t want to hear about it. So I take my emergency meds., they help but the lonelyness hangs on. Being sad is one thing but the lonelyness is relatively new. I understand my friends son’s suicide, cause it was all our fault. No one has time to look after our mentally ill. No one has the care or love; that is the bottom line we communicate through computers, texting, email. You see the words in print but not the passion or desperation in their voice. That is the honest truth. Darkness became his companion, and when that happens the loving words of the parents can’t penitrate- I know they tried. The dark voices do not relent.
But people just don’t care for people. That is a really negative attitude. I know that it is the darkness talking, but it is not so much a lie. When the lie of darkness talks to me I can see it most times, cause God‘s light shows it for what it is. But today. I am hurting deep in my soul, and we are supposed to persevere. Struggle on. Climb the mountain. Fight the good fight. Follow through. Carry on. Go the distance. Its just that sometimes I forget why. Mostly I forget who God is. And frequently, I forget who I am in Him. and now I hardly remember the me I used to be.
My husband talks a good fight. But to be honest, I am tired, and could care less about fighting this. I am not suicidal, but I understand how someone gets there, I can see the path traveled. I am worn out. We as a society must take the brunt of the responsibility. If we truly loved people and cared we would be there for those who are really hurting. We need to be a society that does not spend its time keeping busy, or playing but a society that cares for the young, the old, the ill. We need to talk to them, love them, and be there to talk them down.
So I am sure for all my good talk of God in previous posts you are wondering where is God in this? I always have to bring it back to Him. He is always there. He is with me in this down period. But how does that help ? I pray. I feel him here. But I am still depressed. God is holding me, but the chemicals in my brain are still messed up. I do not feel evil around me God is protecting me from that, I just feel sadness, lonelyness and disappointment. As a society our cup does not overflow. We are like dry bones.
Another week in June has just about gone by. I am tired today. I got up early and ran 6km, then showered and off to work. Work has been really busy, half of the staff are sick and I got left holding the bag. I am still trying to figure out things but as acting Office Manager I have been trying to get it all done. I have been feeling good. A little shaky today which always makes me nervous cause I am never sure where it will lead to. I have been telling myself it’s just your tired. So tonight I will sleep and sleep in no running tomorrow, (hopefully I sleep) just relax and see what the day holds at the office. Its fathers day this weekend and I am lucky on two accounts. First I have a great Father to my two kids – my husband of 20 years, and I had the greatest Dad as a father. Gone now almost 15 years. It’s hard to lose someone so wonderful and major influence in my life. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if he was here. Sometimes I wonder if he would think badly about me and my meds and my depression. I am still trying to get it through my head depression isn`t my fault. That is not an easy thing to do. Why! it’s the way people look at you if they know. It’s the comments people make about people with depression. I had a comment made by a friend about my friend’s son who committed suicide, because he suffered sever depression. He said that boy was a “realy different sort of guy” He was creative, friendly, loving. he suffered from something he could not control. And that is the rub of it all. Its something I can’t control. That should let me of the hook right? No it never does. I am on the hook. Control freak here– who feels like a freak cause she can’t control her emotions. I am raising two teens, how do I guide them on how to live; how wonderful our Lord is and how to depend on God if I can’t depend on him myself sometimes cause I am too afraid and depressed and feeling betrayed by my mind and my body. So I have my triggers. I still suffer from panic attacks that the meds are suppost to help with, the problem with meds are they need to take effect and they take a while to really work. So I wait in shame in silence except for one or two friends I say nothing to anyone. Not even my Mother. I love my Mom she is wonderful, and my best friend too. My mother comes from a time when if a woman was suffering form panic attacks and depression they would put her in to the hospital. Mom decided she “just wasn’t going to let it get her down” Depression doesn’t work that way, and she and I even though we look alike we are not build the same and my chemicals in my body have always had a mind of their own. When I was 28 and had my first child, after a preplanned C section, I started the night sweats and hot flashes. After my second child some thing only worse, and she was another C section, preplanned. So I never had labour, and wonder if I had the natural birth experience, if chemicaly, I would be better off. A wonderment that I will always wonder. My kids had to be C sections, I couldn’t have them natural so no choice in the matter. I have been having the physical side effects of menopause for almost 18 years. So I always figured , Hey when it gets here it will be a snap at handling all of this. I never figured in the emotional side of things. I never knew there was a depression side of things. An anger side of things, A desperation side of things. A losing control of things and feeling like you have gone crazy. Those women in my mothers time that were sent to the mental hospital, maybe it wasn’t so bad, Yes you had to leave your family, but the husband would say “my wife is helping a family member recover and will be back” it was never talked about and the women got really good drugs to come “around” Mind you there was also shock therapy, so maybe a padded room isn’t the best thing. But there are times I want to run a way for some quiet time. To distract me from the voices of depression and rest and have no responsibility. But that isn’t life. So the reality is cope the best you can. I have made some changes in my life. I don’t shop alone, I’m not allowed, I seem to become panicky when I am out by myself so one of the kids or my husband come with me which is difficult sometimes cause my boy and husband hate to shop. So I buy a lot of stuff at Costco, cause my hubby will go there, and Canadian Tire. I Pray. God loves you He created you, he knows the hairs on my head and has them numbered and how many will and are turning gray, and for some of you what your natural colour was! Jesus walked this earth and delt with depression too. He saw first hand how hard we struggle as humans on this earth. He was full of compassion for us, he wept with us when his friends passed. Jesus was distressed in the moments before he was taken to be crucified. He was distressed to the point of depression because of the things he had to do to make things right between God and us. He paid the ultimate price for us to come to God and for the forgiveness of our sins. He leads us to greater joy and love through God. Pray that God leads you to the light and away from the darkness. God is Good he will look after you. I cling to him in my darkness. He holds me when I am desperate. I will pray for you all. till next time
January leads into Feb and then MarchThen what—I started medication for my depression in Feb. I thought it would be the cure all. That isn’t what happens with depression but I didn’t know. It is sneaky. The thing the doctor didn’t tell me – my wonderful doctor who a have always trusted for over 20+ years. There are side effects. I had shaky hands I was up I was down- I didn’t sleep, I didn’t eat, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I lost 15 lbs and blamed it on a exercise program I was on in fact I just didn’t eat much for weeks . I wasn’t hungary.
In the midst of this I did write some an extensive amount of poetry, to help my heart mind soul. Some heartfelt but there was also the heartbroken poetry too- see below:
It came upon me slowly seductively it whispered lies
When I didn’t know I was listening
It attacked my God
It attacked my faith
It took my emotions and squeezed them
I panic
A God who loves us should protect us from ourselves There should not be death suffering in silence
Our minds should not betray us – The lies continue
The dark smoulders around, frightening my heart, cooling it to make it cold
Pushing to keep it off balance
My hands shake, my heart cold, I can not cry anymore
I am not losing my mind
I am not losing myself
I am not losing my love
I keep telling me these things
Murky gray keeps licking the heels of my mind
The lie takes more, but I see it. I separate if from my faith. I separate it from my God.
It lets go, but it did not leave
But I fight and fight fight
I am Broken the light gathers
I am Hurt the light heals
I am ashamed the light forgive
Its grace covers me and the love comes through
I give up the familiar robe of
darkness for a garmet of Joy – I try
I feel raw but safe
less shaky But shaken
Peace but disturbed
Forgive my tormented heart
Forgive my troubled mind
Thank you for your Grace and Love
For God is in Control
God holds me true
God is the Way Truth Light
God is my Father, and his Grace and Love never ends Amen
Needless to say I was in a state, but this is what i have discovered depression does; it turns you upside down. If you have or are going through depression you know what it can do. If you have never been through it this is how powerful it is. It takes all that we hold dear and messes it up.
So now what???? you go to sleep- you get up you try again, and try not to be a pest to your friends but if anything see your doctor, seek people who can help, friends, family, professionals,
God.
I pray that all who read this will be Blessed by God to gain understanding, help and guidance and most of all peace.
Please come back again and read more.
I was feeling better, it seem to be over, the darkness, the hole seemed to dry up and all was ok, for a while. Jan came and was almost over I thought, wow I must have just had a bad season, The death of my friend’s son maybe over showed Christmas or something, but I was ok. Then the darkness came back. It was different this time it didn’t swallow me, it slithered around my ankles and attempted to pull at my pant legs to pull me in. I didn’t fall into a hole, it came upon me like a smoky fog. The depth of the darkness wanted to drown out the light.
Here is an excerpt from my journal Jan 12 2011
“It’s a sad day, not sure if its hormones though I suspect they are, or its that devil
of depression sneaking around me. It is seductive depression, it’s a itchy coat
that completely envelops you. Joy on the other hand is a fancy
dress. You wear it on special occasions not wanting to get it dirty or messy,
always aware that you are in it for a short time, never really believing that a
fancy dress could be worn always. Why can’t joy be like a comfortable pair of
jeans always ready to wear no matter what you are doing, where you are going,
always feeling good. Never worrying it will end, or never come again.
The darkness of depression swallows like pin the tail on the donkey it binds you,
spins you ‘round, and you can’t remember where the light is.
I am fighting. It sneaks around me but I fight. I cannot reconcile things in my
mind. The devil confuses me. I know God is powerful, creator, my heavenly
father, my source of love, my savior, the I am- God! But What about those who do
not find God. What about my friend’s son who took his life? What about my
brother, who turns his back on God, thinking me a freak for loving the creator
of the earth. We pray for these people, we pray for their souls their minds
their hearts. But the son is dead, the brother unchanged. Did we pray wrongly,
or is free will stronger than prayer, than God. Right now this is the thing I
cannot reconcile. This is what haunts me and keeps me up at night; I think this
is what is at the heart of my depression. Maybe I believe in a touch by an
angle type of God or magic God. One that saves in the nick of time and in an
hours time with commercials. “
God is not that way. What the devil likes to do is confuse you. Depression is caused;
for me anyways, by a biological chemical reaction in my hormones. When you are
not at your best the devil prowls around like a lion seeking to devour you.
What I learned through this bout of depression, my grief was not the source of
my depression, my sorrow added to my sadness, but when I could separate that I
felt sad, and confused from my faith. I soon realized I was not having a crises
of faith, it was a distraction, I could separate faith from sadness and I was
lifted up. God rescued me. I saw that faith did not cause depression and faith
helped me ’cause I could give my grief to God, he reconciled it for me in the
poem I wrote in the previous blog. I felt better and I thought Great making progress
I should have this thing licked! No God had other plans for me. In the mean
time, I went to my Doctor. Even though I figured things out as to what my
depression was not, I still could not function in the state I was in. One
Saturday I had a break down. Full on my face stretched out on the floor break
down. In front of my kids, in front of my husband, and totally freaked them out.
Then I went to my doctor. She is Great! She put me on meds to help. And they
did help keep me from the extreme but they did not stop the depression and here
is where the rub is. You will not cure it by meds they help but there is a
lot of stuff you have to do to help yourself, to heal yourself. But with God’s
help I am getting stronger. With some amazing friends I am coping and that is
how I am handling it for now. More on my journey next time. Come back and read
more. GW
godlywomengettheblues 