A Good Day

Today has been a fairly good day, and for that I am extremely grateful.

During the past month or so since I last posted, I’ve been having a very rough time staying positive. My depression has been so dark and suffocating that I’ve wanted to give up on numerous occasions. Also, my OCD has come back with a vengeance. My mind has been bombarded with thoughts that I don’t want, but that I tend to latch onto…and extreme anxiety rears its ugly head.

But I’ve still been fighting.

Fighting to stay out of my bed, which is my normal escape. Fighting to do everyday tasks that I have no energy or motivation for. Fighting to let the distressing thoughts pass without assigning them value.

And what’s more important, God has been fighting for me. I know He’s there, helping me, even thought it’s often difficult to see.

So what is it exactly that enabled me to have a better day today? Well, I think there are a number of factors involved. I saw my psychiatrist recently and he increased the dosage of one of my medications along with adding a new med. I’m hoping that the meds are starting to kick in and help me feel better. Also, I didn’t sleep as much during the day today as I normally do. This kept me from beating myself up for wasting the day. I also got out of the house several times, which helped me feel less lonely and isolated.

Whatever the case may be, I’m grateful to God for a day when I actually smiled and laughed. It’s been a long time coming.

The plan is to faithfully take my meds, to possibly search for a work-from-home job that I can handle, to make a daily schedule for myself that will hopefully keep me out of bed, to find a new therapist with whom I can discuss my struggles, and to look into getting TMS – Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, which is a type of treatment that can help with severe depression.

Continued thoughts and prayers are much appreciated! And please let me know if there is anything you’d like me to pray for. ❤

Photo by: Samantha Lynch

On the Upswing

The past several days have been a little better for me. I’m still struggling with the depression and anxiety, but it hasn’t felt as oppressive. Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers!

The weekend was a good opportunity to spend time with my Hubby, Roy. We did things around the house, ran errands, and just enjoyed each other’s company. We were also able to share some time with Roy’s parents, which was very nice. Then last night we had a delicious glass of wine with our leftovers. 🙂

This morning I actually stayed awake after helping the Hubby get off to work, instead of just crawling back into bed. It was difficult, but God helped me to get a shopping list together and run out to the grocery store before the day got too hot.

It may not seem like much improvement, but for me it is! So thank you again for the thoughts and prayers – I really appreciate them. Hopefully this upward trend will continue. ❤

Spiraling Downward

The past several days my mood has spiraled downward. There have been pockets of light in the darkness – but not many. I find myself wanting to sleep constantly…and a lot of times I give in to the desire. How do I get out of this horrible pit?

My psychiatrist wants me to increase the dosage of one of my medications, but I’m still waiting to receive the meds in the mail. I’m hoping that this dosage change is going to help stabilize my mood. If it doesn’t, I’m not sure what the next step should be.

My work-from-home job has ended for the school season (I graded student essays), and I really need to find something else to do to help bring in money…and to keep me on a schedule. Without the need to get up for work, I tend to just stay in bed. And I can’t keep doing this – I’ve got to break out of this cycle!

Unfortunately sleep is my coping mechanism. When I feel deeply depressed, or face a task that is overwhelming, or just want to give up…I turn to sleep. I know that this isn’t pleasing to the Lord, and that it’s not a good use of the time He’s given me. But it’s a moment-by-moment struggle for which I need all of the prayers that I can get.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for praying. I really appreciate it. ❤