Pt 2..Help for Bipolar Depression: Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

Thanks for all of the great comments on the post below. It’s obvious that getting out of bed (and not getting on the couch) is 100% essential for people with depression. We just can’t lie there.  We just can’t. Or the day will get away from us.  I have a motto.

Beds are for sleeping.

And I stick to it.

Here is a great comment from Rebecca:

” I have learned that the best thing I can do for myself is to get up immediately out of bed, the minute my eyes open…if I stay in bed one more second I become depressed.  This may sound so simple, but it works for me…I get up and make myself a good cup of coffee and then begin my day…I’m on disability, so I have to create my days.  I try to make each day productive in some way…just going to the store is a major event [ Read More ]





Posted on April 30th, 2011 | Tags: , , | Category: Depression

Help for Bipolar Depression: Getting out of Bed in the Morning

Here is a comment I just received from a blog reader.

Hi Julie,

Thanks for all that you do. I have to be honest- I’m not like you. I read what you write and see what you do and know it’s not possible for me. I do spend hours in bed and sometimes on the couch. I watch dumb TV and don’t make good food for myself. I’ve read Get it Done and I love it- but on some days I can’t do it. I woke up down this morning and see no point in even trying to make today different. I got on the blog and at least know that there are readers like Sandra who keep going even when things get tough. But I don’t feel I will ever be that way.

Manuel

Hi Manuel,

People often tell me that they aren’t like me. I hear it a lot. My first reaction is [ Read More ]





Posted on April 29th, 2011 | Tags: , , | Category: Depression

DEPRESSION TAKETH! It Knocks on Your Door!

 Yikes!!!

From 1995-1998, depression (especially depression with psychosis) took away everything that I loved – everything- my health, my relationships with friends and loved ones, my ability to work.

It still tries to do this today, but now it only gets a small section of my life instead of years. I hate depression so much that even a few hours of depression are too much for me now.

When I get depressed, I go into fight mode and I simply don’t stop working on it until the depression is gone. (I use the tips in my book ‘Get it Done When You’re Depressed’ daily.)

Depression doesn’t even get one minute of my life without a huge fight. At first it took months to get better, then weeks then days – now I can get better in one day if I really work hard.

My bipolar [ Read More ]





Posted on April 10th, 2011 | Tags: , , , | Category: Depression

Play with your animals! Even when you’re depressed.

                         I have a cat named BiBi:

      She is a very lively kitty.  

        When I’m depressed, it’s hard for me to do many things. Work- karaoke with friends, work, creative endeavors. Lots of things. Another problem I have is that it’s very hard for me to play with BiBi. She needs attention, but it just seems like so much work when I’m depressed. It’s easier to just pet her a bit and then do my own thing. When you’re depressed, animals can be a great comfort.  I call then depression companions. The problem is that we can get really passive and forget to actually play with them. They need exercise and lively interaction, even when we feel too depressed to do anything.

I now give BiBi my undivided attention when I get home at night.  She is so happy [ Read More ]





Posted on March 19th, 2011 | Category: Depression

Depression and Getting too Skinny! from Guest Blogger Sheri Joi

After my divorce I fell into a depression.  There were many harmful things about this state of mind for me but one of these was lack of eating.  Some people use food for comfort when they are depressed, I am the opposite.  When I am depressed I don’t eat.  I share custody of my children and the weeks that they were not with me I would literally lay in bed all week and not eat.  Sometimes I would get up and look in the fridge but nothing looked good, nothing sounded good and it all seemed like way to much work just to eat.  Even pouring a bowl of cereal seemed like too much work, I literally thought lifting the spoon to my mouth and having to chew was too much effort. It took me a long time to realize that I was sick [ Read More ]





Is it normal to be restless when you are depressed?

A relaxing picture for when we are restless!

Here is a reader question:

Hi Julie-

When you feel a down swing coming on what does it feel like for you?  Yesterday when I started feeling “the great sadness” start to creep up on me, at first I could just feel my mood start to sink a little but then I found myself getting extremely fidgety.  I started going a little crazy in my head saying things like “what is going on? I need to figure out what has triggered this.  Is it this?  Was it this?  Did this have anything to do with it?”  and the more I tried to ‘figure it out’ the more fidgety I was getting.  I told myself to go read a chapter of Get it Done or listen to some music that brings my mood up or sit [ Read More ]





Posted on February 10th, 2011 | Category: Depression
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