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 disorder is always around, but I have changed.
There is no room for depression in my life and I make that very clear to the big monster when it knocks on my door.
Julie
Hi Julie, I just want to let you know that your book “get it done when you’re depressed’ is the single most useful book about depression I’ve read (and I’ve read a few!). It’s incredibly practical and it’s also a relief to find a book about how to live WITH it, instead of ‘how to make it go away’ when in practice there’s a lot of people out there for whom depression will always be part of their life. I’m showing it to various psychiatrists, GPs and therapists I know, in the hope they’ll give it to their clients.
The strategies in “how to get it done..” work for chronic fatigue, too, by the way.
so..Thanks! and good luck
Karla
Good on you!
I too have learned to go into fight mode, altho I admit sometimes my fLight mode kicks in too where I just don’t want to deal with any of it, but usually within the day I get myself out of it, doing things and keeping busy, so it never lasts long.
I applaud you for doing this, its so important to not give into the worse parts of Bipolar!
Hi Julie. Just read your interview with Linda on the Renegade Writer blog. Came at the perfect time – having the rainy Monday blues. Just ordered you book about working while depressed from Amazon. Can’t wait to read it and keep up with you on FB. Thanks for giving me hope and inspiration. Warm regards, Dindy
I too am bipolar. My sister recently sent me your site and my diagnosis, though hard to accept, is becoming clearer to me. In the past couple weeks I took myself off work due to the fact that my brain couldn’t function. I call it going from point A to point B and the back to A meaning – my impaired thinking process would begin, I’d have a thought (A) then try to get to doing the task (B) have a,what I call a brainfade, so then I would find myself stuggling to remember point A. This wasn’t a one time thing either. It was contant that day. In hindsight now my Psychiatrist, Ed, asked me when I lost my sleep pattern “months ago”, I said. He requested I get right in to see him at first noticing my sleep patter is off. This must be one of the triggers.
People noticed I had more “energy” as my daughter put it, but they didn’t approach me, until after I went back to treatment. I am just beginning this tme to encourage people close to me…giving them the o.k. to approach meon the subject. I am fortunate to have a strong support system on my job. I was out for 8 days and returned to work last week.
As with most people I’m sure I have several diagnosis going on – the one I question is if my seizure disorder coupled w/ my bipolar…well the question is – are they tied together (as some of the same meds have been prescribed for family members as I have had prescribed for me for the seizure disorder – which BTW is extremely manageable on Pheonobarbitol.)
So I guess that’s my question for you, Julie. It’s good to “meet” you, hear the pods and comment too.
Thank you,
Joyce