Anybody ever feel profound depression for no real reason?

[Metalhead]

That is me now. I have countless things to be thankful for and countless parts of my life to appreciate. Yet I feel depressed and unmotivated. I work my ass off at the job but do nothing productive really when I get home. I just feel like sleeping instead.

This can’t be healthy.

 

[Judge]

From my own perspective clinical depression has a mind of its own, and doesn't require any particular trigger unlike other comorbid conditions. It just ebbs and flows like the tide for weeks or even months.

Work your ass of at work, but rest when you get home. Ration that energy that depression may rob you of.

It's allowed.

 

[Gerontius]

I used to do that a lot. This is depression. Depression at its usual and worst, is not always going to have A Big Reason to make you feel like there's a justifiable reason to be sad.
And you're right. It's not healthy! It is not good for you at all.
I do not know if you are talking to a psychologist about this.

 

[Luca]

Yes. I am currently in a state of existential despair.

 

[Metalhead]

I wish my job would allow me to hibernate through the winter months.

 

[Jordy]

Yeah often. Well not for no reason.

 

[Rodafina]

I wish my job would allow me to hibernate through the winter months.

I know we wish for this, but hibernation is not good for us. Forcing ourselves out into the world is one of the things that can curb depression. I definitely understand the ebb and flow idea and I am currently in an ebb. I am feeling feisty against depression and I am angry at it for robbing so many of us of pleasant moments and simple contentment.

Remember too, (I got this from Thinx) that a certain amount of recovery time is understandable after a lot of social expenditure (i.e.work). We only have so much energy to spend each day and we can spend it all in one place and then need significant downtime, or spend it slowly throughout the day, perhaps needing less of a long recovery. Either way, some rest is perfectly reasonable.

But with depression, everything you do will feel wrong. Pushing yourself to be active and motivated feels very wrong, but hiding in darkened sadness doesn’t feel right either. Depression will tell you everything you feel is wrong and bad, but it is a liar. It is the great liar, with sneaky skills. We should get angry at it. Not at ourselves, but at the sneaky sadness that lies to us and somehow negates all that is good and precious to us.

There must be balance. We will always have sadness, but I wish for some semblance of balance for all of us and that none of us get stuck for too long in the tidal flow of terrible depression.

 

[GrownupGirl]

How can anyone not be profoundly depressed in this day and age? Every other day there's yet another world crisis and humanity is doomed. How do people not go insane, let alone fall into depression? I hate this world.

 

[Gracey]

intermittent previous experiences of the range or spectrum of low mood all the way through to suicidal ideation over 30 plus years led me to one conclusion of a life hack or tweak being in order.

As if recognising 'the lows' as signalling that something wasn't working for me. Perhaps requiring a change in belief (core or otherwise) or perception or environment etc. A life tweak so to speak.

What may have got me through the first 15 yrs of my life didn't work over the next 10 yrs. Adaptation was required for following 5 yrs and then again for the following 10 and so on and so on.
Constantly changing and adapting, learning and growing. Challenging and changing long standing beliefs.

One 'dip' remains constant. It coincides with the shorter days and less light over winter. But that's okay.
I'm aware of why it happens and it doesn't last forever. I could get me one of them there light therapy lights but am too lazy and the logistics involved in taking it to work with me blows my mind so I don't bother

In answer to your question of profound lows outta nowhere,
I used to.
Now I appear to have assigned some sort of rationale explanation and a method to 'fix' so that now, at the very least,
it no longer appears outta nowhere.

 

[Slime_Punk]

Thankfully no, but admittedly I've been very blessed in this life. It seems like everybody I know has a tendency to slip into depression, but for me it has always been anxiety and worry instead, because I'm a high-energy person.

Finding love and meaning helps in my case, as does practicing healthy physical habits and finding a discipline. Pretty much the opposite of hedonism is where my happiness tends to lie these days, if that makes any sense.

 

[Fino]

Yes, that's how depression is for countless people.

 

[Raggamuffin]

You work hard and then you're burnt out in your free time. Quite common on the spectrum it seems.

Spend all day masking, focusing, getting stuff done. Free time you just need to wind down, hibernate, sleep. Do the bare minimum. Weekends you probably end up doing the same.

You used substances to help tide you over, or maybe to help your past times and free time feel a bit more enjoyable. You used it to take the edge off the stress, the worries and life itself.

But now you're sober. People claim sobriety helps. They paint a picture like you'll be less anxious or depressed.

Codswallop.

I also entered sobriety with a salvation fantasy. The reality is, without a chemical mask - your anxiety and depression has no filter.

How does it improve? Not sure. Talk therapy has it's place. Lifestyle choices are all well and good, but after work fatigue and lack of free time, how do you integrate all these new things?

Sure, I'd love to eat healthy, sleep 8 hours a night, moderate my screen time, reduce social media use, not eat bad food all the time, socialise more, do this, that and the other.

Reality is I don't. I try things, but they tend to fall by the wayside. I can maintain a few bits of self-care or routines, but other stuff slips. Then I improve in other areas where I failed, and then others start to fail.

Can't consistently do everything. I was better at it when I wasn't working. Self care and life improved in some areas, but I still messed up bad in others.

It sucks.

Ed

 

[Metalhead]

Yeah, I need something better than movies and console games to fill up the time I used to spend drowning myself in hoppy brews. The fact that I have gout now is further proof that I cannot go back to alcohol as a possible solution. Maybe I should be like Snoop Dogg and smoke 150 joints a day (according to a now disputed as wrong Facebook rumor).