Some of you know – some of you don’t, but I’ve been struggling
with depression lately. Not diagnosed
by a doctor, but just a feeling of lethargy, a desire to do nothing. I’m not sad – I’m not anything. And that ladies and gents is the problem.
I’ve spoken to trusted advisers and was told basically – just
do. Do it, even when you don’t feel like
it, just do. My question was how? I’m not writing this as a sob story – I’m not
writing this for attention. I’m writing
this, because I’m struggling, and I know I’m not the only one. I’ve had no earth-shattering event in my life,
my marriage is rock solid, my husband incredible, I’m not stressed, I’m blessed
to not have to work, I’m the picture of what a pretty, happy life should look
like and yet… I struggle. I assume I’m not the only one. So, what am I going to do about it?
I’ve been thinking about this. I’d like to say I’ve been praying, but let’s
be honest – that desire to nothing extends to prayer. I’ve come up with a game plan that I tried
last week… it worked for a couple of days and then nada. The problem I think – or at least my new
rational of thinking is that I get these plans, things I want to do and when I
don’t do one of them I figure ah well, screw it all, start over another
day. When in reality I should just
continue as if I didn’t miss. But
again, how? How do you break the cycle? I don’t know the answers … I do know I’ll
keep trying.
A friend posted something today about routines and app she
uses - > FlyLadyPlus Maybe it’s the
answer? Maybe it’s just another thing I’ll
try and give up on. I don’t know, but I’d
love to hear how you break yourselves out of the cycle. How do you take the “just do it” and actually
execute on that?
I’m also thinking a lot about, when I do break the cycle, how
do I want to live my life? I have tried
different food/exercise plans, different prayer techniques, different
things. I tend to be a binge person – I’m
all about an activity for a bit then drop it like a hot penny, normally because
I enter a state of lethargy and just don’t want to deal anymore. Its not a healthy cycle – this much I
know. I also know that the medical professions
answer is drugs of some type which I’d prefer to avoid. I’ve tried in the past
and I didn’t care for the side effects and the addictive qualities, not to mention
I don’t feel they helped, just put me in a fog.
I’m hoping to avoid them and find another way out.
I’m rambling at this point, but here are some of the things
I’m thinking about in my lifestyle – Routines/Things I want to do – Does your
mind circle like this? What are you
doing to make your family healthy? I
know I feel like sometimes I bite off more than I can chew, but hey right now I
don’t feel like chewing anything so maybe that is it?
·
Exercise:
o
Walk with Mama
o
21DF of equally strenuous program with Jack 5
days a week.
·
Bible Study
o
Really far behind on the Roman’s study –
struggling to dig in and do the homework or even to care.
o
Why does everyone seem to feel something about
God but me? I know he’s real – I know he
loves me – So why don’t I feel anything?
·
Prayer
o
I have a prayer journal with specific prayers
for specific days, but I find it gets stale and begins to feel like it is routine
vs. honest.
o
Hard to pray for people in your circle when you
don’t even know what is really going on with them – only so much “your will be
done in their life” prayers you can say.
o
Need to recommit to a concentrated prayer time
though
o
Without structure it ends up being nap time
o
How do I update prayer journal? How do I keep it fresh and honest?
o
How do I make myself pray?
o
How do I not rush time with God?
·
Friends/Family
o
How do people have that circle of friends that
is more like family – the family you make someone said recently? How do you have friends that when something happens
in your life your first instinct is to call them?
o
How do you deepen family relationships?
o
How do you really do life together?
o
I hate chitchat – can you do life without
chitchat? Conversation with a purpose - sure, but sit around and talk just to hear yourself talk - NO
·
Food
o
Redo 21 Day Sugar Detox?
o
Move over to a Keto Diet without pushing the
fats/monitoring the numbers given it’s not weight loss for me but health?
o
Help Jack with his low-calorie diet which is
what he needs with traveling – try to keep it low carb/low sugar as well.
o
Prep – this is what kills me on all of
this! I don’t mind cooking. But planning the menu and grocery shopping,
ugh. I HATE IT. How do I make this fun? How do I push myself to do this in a timely
basis so it’s not always just ugh?
o
Should I keep a food journal of what I eat and
how it makes me feel ? Is my diet really
what’s causing the depression?
·
Oils / Chemicals
o
Do the Young Living Oils work? Will we use them
if I buy them?
o
Do I really need to stop using chemicals when I
clean? I like some of my cleaners- alot of
my cleaners. They make it easier – am I
killing us?
·
House Cleaning
o
Every Tuesday we clean – One Tuesday is Mama’s
side, one is mine.
o
This Tuesday we didn’t do mine – just couldn’t
make myself do it. Why? Why can’t I just do it…?
·
Volunteer
o
Help others with various task through Journey –
I’m signed up, it’s something I know I can do and yet there is no joy.
o
Isn’t volunteering supposed to bring joy?
·
Work
o
Need some surplus income.
o
Really don’t want to go back to an 8-5 job –
will if I have to but I really don’t want to.
o
How can I make income and actually enjoy
it?
As you can see – I have ideas, I have things I’m questioning,
things I want to do, things I know will be good for me and for my family. My
point in typing all of this out? Not
sure I know – just felt I needed to. So
here – My brain dump online for all to see.
Hope it helps someone know they aren’t alone. Hope we can figure out how to move – one step
– one moment – one choice at a time.
