A note to your future self: Handling Newfound Happiness

Finally!

Lessons to learn during your rise from depression #1: PACE YOURSELF

Some may experience this a lot more noticeably than others, depending on how severe your depression, but it seems to be a common occurrence to those who find that they're experiencing more and more days where they are actually getting high on life, instead of fighting the urge to spend the day in bed.


Looking back on a depressive part of one's life varies hugely from one person to the next. Clinical depression, or major depressive disorder, is defined as lasting anywhere from two weeks to as long as the majority of someone's adolescent and adult life. Major depressive disorder can consist of (1) depressed mood, most days and for most of the day, (2) loss of interest or pleasure in most activities and interests, (3) sleeping too much or not sleeping enough, most days, sometimes back and forth between the two, (4) fatigue nearly every day, and (5) feelings of worthlessness and unfounded guilt, among other symptoms. Suddenly finding that, after weeks, months, or even years that these symptoms are occurring less and less each day, or no longer occurring at all, can be an drastic and maybe even overwhelming experience.


So, the lesson to be learned to those finding this happening to them would be to not try and do too much. Suddenly having more than 2 or 3 days a month where you are excited about life and want to do and experience EVERYTHING that is finally exciting about your life again can actually overwhelm you.
Some good advice would be to structure yourself and your days. Living in depression usually has no structure because it is very difficult to set and achieve goals that consist of more than just surviving the day, so structure may be something that we are really not used to. Set your morning alarm, plan your day's meals and when to eat those meals, plan a realistic amount of activities that will actually fit into a 24 hour day, leave plenty of room in those plans for that extra time you find you are using to enjoy these activities, and finally, go to bed at a decent and consistent time each night.


Don't be that crazy last shopper at the grocery store while they're trying to close for the night, like me. Do you know how great grocery shopping is to the newly happy person? :)