Depression Help Requested, Please...

I've struggled with Depression since I was a teen. As an adult, I've gotten help for it during the worst bits. At the moment I'm in a fairly good place, and am off meds. But I still have the occasional day where I can't reign in it, and just come completely unglued. Today is that day.

After 30 minutes into my work day this morning, my boss got angry with me and sent me home, barking at me that she can't have me there if all I'm going to do is sit there and cry. Which, of course, only made it more difficult to stop crying and pull myself together. So I left.

This only happens to me maybe once or twice a year where I can't get it under control enough to get through my day at the office.

Those of you who battle Depression but also have to work for a living, how do you cope with these situations?

Thanks in advance.

If you don't want to be on meds, have you tried therapy?

Also look into SAD, I find a sunlamp specifically for SAD helps a lot in winter.

I'm so sorry that happened to you! When you feel up to it, you might try speaking to someone in your HR dept (if there is one). You have a legitimate health issue and that is supposed to be respected on the job--it's ok to use your sick time for your depression. I have had to do this and I don't make excuses for it.

As said above, a sun lamp might help. You might also ask your doctor to check your vitamin D and B levels. They do tend to drop in winter, especially for women, and I have found that having those levels off brings on fatigue and dips in my mood.

Most of all, let yourself love yourself. Take the best care of yourself that you can today. Let someone who loves you know how you feel or just call to ask about how they're doing to take you mind off your mood for a while if you can. People care about you. You are not alone. Depression sucks, but you are worthy and loveable.

Thanks for reaching out. Best of luck.

Giant hugs to you.. You must definitely are not alone,

You have received some wonderful advice above.. Winter is so difficult for most of us, harder even when we are missing crucial sunlight, vitamins etc..

Looking into HR is a good idea..

I know this isn't "ideal", but what I do for myself is tan indoors in the winter. I do this 2x a week, and when I feel myself starting to slide I will go an extra time.. That 15 minutes is just my time, and I lie there honestly believing it is my therapy.
I am on sick leave, so don't work presently, I can't voice an opinion there.. I have been doing this 20 years, it is my escape.. I love sun, and it makes me happy..

LizEN said:

I'm so sorry that happened to you! When you feel up to it, you might try speaking to someone in your HR dept (if there is one). You have a legitimate health issue and that is supposed to be respected on the job--it's ok to use your sick time for your depression. I have had to do this and I don't make excuses for it.

As said above, a sun lamp might help. You might also ask your doctor to check your vitamin D and B levels. They do tend to drop in winter, especially for women, and I have found that having those levels off brings on fatigue and dips in my mood.

Most of all, let yourself love yourself. Take the best care of yourself that you can today. Let someone who loves you know how you feel or just call to ask about how they're doing to take you mind off your mood for a while if you can. People care about you. You are not alone. Depression sucks, but you are worthy and loveable.

Thanks for reaching out. Best of luck.

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Please take this advice - use whatever time off you have. I mean this as kindly as possible, but it's a bit unreasonable to expect that your workplace would not be negatively impacted by you being so overwrought. As compassionate as I'm sure your colleagues would want to be, it's very difficult to overlook or compensate for in a professional setting. I've just recently had a key employee take a mental-health related medical leave. We all look forward to her getting well and returning bUt having her present and clearly unable to cope was doing none of us any good. I wish you well and hope you get all the medical, emotional and spiritual help you need to feel better.

I know this is an old thread, but depression has no expiration date (unfortunately), so I figured I would chime in.

I was put on several medications at the age of 13 and was able to manage my depression and anxiety fairly well until about age 19. My second year of college I had a massive depressive breakdown, had to drop out of university and move back home, attempted suicide, was hospitalized twice, and spent the better half of a year in a fetal position in my bed. My doctor increased my medication to a massive amount in order to basically save my life. 7 years later and there are still days that I simply feel too much. Sometimes coping is so hard that it physically hurts, although those days have gotten less and less frequent in the past year or two.

I put on 170 lbs due to my depression and my inability to care about, well, anything. I was taking 10 pills a day. I have now lost over 100 lbs and am completely off of every form of medication. It's an incredible feeling. The weight loss has really given me my life back and taught me that I can do hard things. I can lose weight; I can manage my depression; I can choose to fight the sadness. Some days it doesn't work. But more and more often now, I am finding that if I can speak to myself positively and get outside in the sunshine, it makes a world of difference. I know that sounds cheesy. 6 months ago I would say the same thing. But it is actually really making a difference.

I agree with what others have said about the light - I have a light that puts out UV rays and I use it every rainy/cold morning we have here. The weather REALLY does impact my depression, it's incredible. I also suggest exercise - just a walk or something light. I know it sucks, but afterwards I always feel happier.

There are still days very occasionally when I have to call my boss and say "I am so sorry. I'm really struggling mentally today, it's just not a good day." I am lucky to have a really understanding boss, but I agree with what others said - absolutely use your sick time. I wouldn't hesitate to do that at all. Like I said...some days, we just feel too much.

Best wishes and prayers coming your way

I have battled depression most of my life but have been in a good place for a long time. Key for me is to always have something fun to look forward to. For me it is Disney and Universal in July. But also know when to ask for help

Elevationist said:

I've struggled with Depression since I was a teen. As an adult, I've gotten help for it during the worst bits. At the moment I'm in a fairly good place, and am off meds. But I still have the occasional day where I can't reign in it, and just come completely unglued. Today is that day.

After 30 minutes into my work day this morning, my boss got angry with me and sent me home, barking at me that she can't have me there if all I'm going to do is sit there and cry. Which, of course, only made it more difficult to stop crying and pull myself together. So I left.

This only happens to me maybe once or twice a year where I can't get it under control enough to get through my day at the office.

Those of you who battle Depression but also have to work for a living, how do you cope with these situations?

Thanks in advance.

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I have been so depressed for months now just finally admitted it to myself. I work for walmart and have had to take a couple of short term leaves. They are tough when it comes to being out sick. I went to dr. Today for some help. I had walked into a wall and not sure how to get around it. I have no enjoyment in anything anymore. Please tell me it gets better

pawn626 said:

I have been so depressed for months now just finally admitted it to myself. I work for walmart and have had to take a couple of short term leaves. They are tough when it comes to being out sick. I went to dr. Today for some help. I had walked into a wall and not sure how to get around it. I have no enjoyment in anything anymore. Please tell me it gets better

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It will get better. Depression isn't something that just goes away, though. You will hit walls of different sizes and importance for the rest of your life - some are easier to manage than others. It really helps if you do everything you can to come out of it - even on the days when it hurts to move and you think you're dying - force yourself to get up and sit in the sunshine. It took me YEARS to realize that I just have to do it, no matter how much I hate it, because in the end it always helps. Take your meds (I'm assuming/hoping the doctor prescribed you some); they DO help, at least for most people. I remember during my really bad depression spell, I didn't listen to music for months. The radio in my car was completely turned off for half a year. I'm a singer, have been since I was very small, and even music brought me no joy. I promise you - things will bring you joy again. You will get there. Keep pushing for happiness. You were right to go to the doctor and take off work for a few days. Getting help is a step that many people never reach, and they suffer greatly. You're in my thoughts and prayers please know that your story is important, and you are not alone.

Sadly depression is very difficult to treat - I know myself how I struggle with it. I do two things: 1) I write in my happiness journal every single day - just something small like the dog that looked vicious didn't bite me (or was really friendly), the baby smiled at me in the line, the sun came out for 10 minutes. It forces me to be aware of the good in every day and tries to remind me that the sun is shining just above those clouds and it WILL come through again ... I always think back to the worst times when I thought I could never get through the next day and remind myself I HAVE laughed, sometimes until my sides hurt, since then. The other, like someone else said, is look forward and plan for my next trip - even if, as is usual, it's 5 years away!

Good luck and remember, it will get better. {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Strut your stuff and if they say it ain't good enough . Remember try to follow the golden rule but sometimes you got to kick that mule. Life is a tool that teaches you what you can't learn in school .So sing your song and if they say your off pitch keep singing your song and you will find that key again . Soon everybody will join right in and sing your song with you . Then chase those blues away and if your stuck on 3rd with nobody to bring you in , just steal on home . Then when they ask you what you took in the book , just turn and give them a smile . You made your own music in your life which has no room for the blues or depression . That's what I do every day now and my health is bad I make up my own music and dance my problems away and will do that until I'm gone. I hope you can do same, tomorrow my song will be for you .

I know this thread is pretty old, but I definitely can relate. I have depression/PTSD/social anxiety, and being in the workplace or an area surrounded by people for very long is extremely hard for me (unless it's Disney World, go figure). I have had psychiatrists try to prescribe medication for me, and I've fought that whole thing for a while, but feel like now it might be time to go ahead and give into it just so I can be a better person. I'm so sorry that your day was so bad - one thing that helps for me is I have my own private blog where I post things that will inspire me. Whether it's a quote from a book I like, a picture of something at Disney World, or a movie clip. Journaling helps too, getting my thoughts out on paper. What works for everyone is different though. I truly hope things are going better now than they were when you wrote this!

I have had depression since 2001. I was having bad mood swings and my DH told me to go see someone. I was on Celexa for many years. It got to where it really wasn't doing anything. I was put on a low dose of Effexor. This can be started very low and increased gradually. I was on 75 mg to start and over the past couple years have increased to 225 mg and that is no where near the highest dosage that you can be on. My psychiatrist has also put me on an anti anxiety med. I saw one doctor in 2014 and the put me on Buspar and I had every side effect it listed. I was going absolutely NUTS!!!!! The person I was seeing then was just controlling my meds and not a doctor. She put me on the dosage she wanted to get me too instead of slowly increasing it. She lowered the dose and I still had problems. This med increased my anxiety 100% instead of reducing it. I was chewing the inside of my mouth and could not stop. My mood swings were off the chart. I had to go to the base hospital and they took me off, gave me a new doctor to try and put me on the anti anxiety. They also gave me names of therapists to talk to. I am going to one that I really like.

I had tried another and she was a bit whacked. I was talking about things that my mother was telling me about her and my dad and this woman came off with this off the wall thing about "well in the 50's things were different and women were supposed to cater to their husbands". I told her that my dad's mother was a very strong willed woman and ran the household and my mother was very similar. Her mother went deaf at 20 and developed parkinson's disease. She took care of her mother and her 3 brothers from the time she was 12. When I called to get another appointment, she didn't even remember seeing me the first time.

I am now going back to the first person. I know he is not going to come up with some off the wall idea about what happened between my parents and why they did the things that they did during their marriage and my dad's term in the service.

It is an illness and some can manage it without medication, but there are different types of medication and Celexa is a very mild anti-depressant that really helped my mood swings. What ever you do, DO NOT get on Buspar. Not only did it increase my anxiety, but it changed my personality while I was on it. I actually felt like I had PTSD because certain sounds would just freak me out. It took months for this drug to get out of my system and I will never go on it ever again. Worse reaction to any medication I have ever had.

I go through the same things as everyone else on here. It isn't easy, but you can learn to deal with some of it in different ways. I do a "jar of Joy" where each day you write something on a slip of paper and put it in a jar. It can be something pretty you saw like a rainbow, flower, sunset etc. OR you can write something good that happened that day. Your kid passed a test, your dog learned a new trick, you got happy mail, etc. Then at the end of the year on New Years Eve, sit and read them all. You will see how many "good" things happened. It's slow but it gives you something to look for each day. Also, do fun things, do things you enjoy, have a "me" day. you are special and make yourself feel that way. There are lots of us around, talk to us, chat with us, PM us. We are all in this together!

What a great idea. When you are the parent of a teen who suffers from anxiety and depression you try everything you can think of to help them including medical help. Sometimes you get to the stage where you are running on empty and can't think of any different ideas and some how you end up on this thread and an idea pops up. Thank you.

I suffer with PTSD. My heart goes out to you.

Elevationist said:

I've struggled with Depression since I was a teen. As an adult, I've gotten help for it during the worst bits. At the moment I'm in a fairly good place, and am off meds. But I still have the occasional day where I can't reign in it, and just come completely unglued. Today is that day.

After 30 minutes into my work day this morning, my boss got angry with me and sent me home, barking at me that she can't have me there if all I'm going to do is sit there and cry. Which, of course, only made it more difficult to stop crying and pull myself together. So I left.

This only happens to me maybe once or twice a year where I can't get it under control enough to get through my day at the office.

Those of you who battle Depression but also have to work for a living, how do you cope with these situations?

Thanks in advance.

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I do not suffer depression however my Vitamin D deficiency definitely can make me feel like I can't be happy sometimes.

I hate to suggest calling out but since you said it only happens once or twice a year... maybe call out of work to avoid being further stressed & spend the day doing something you know you enjoy.

Even if you do feel like just do it. I have left work early to spend time at the movies, park, six flags, or shopping just because I needed something to boost my mood.

PrincessNelly said:

I do not suffer depression however my Vitamin D deficiency definitely can make me feel like I can't be happy sometimes.

I hate to suggest calling out but since you said it only happens once or twice a year... maybe call out of work to avoid being further stressed & spend the day doing something you know you enjoy.

Even if you do feel like just do it. I have left work early to spend time at the movies, park, six flags, or shopping just because I needed something to boost my mood.

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I agree with this. When I was working and knew it wasn't going to be a good day, I would call in sick. It was very rare for me, but when you have a jerk for a boss, then you do what you have to do.

My depression got worse after I was laid off and couldn't get another job. Then I got a job with a real witch of a boss. She was the 2nd worst woman boss that I have had. I was glad to leave that position.

I still have my "blue" days, but I know I can get through them.