Simplest Tasks Are The Hardest

[JaySee3579]

It's been 4 years I've been struggling with depression&anxiety...but I didn't realize this till less than a year ago. The biggest struggle for me at this point in my life is finding the strength to get out of bed and go to school. I cry and panic and feel sick...I feel so alone in this because all my family and friends tell me to just deal with it and buckle down...but somehow I feel like I can't. I'm spiraling fast and I don't want to keep going like this but I don't know how to turn it all around...

[angeleswings]

I feel your pain and I understand it too. I'm not sure what to say right now because I just had a massive blow to my ego and I'm really struggling myself. I know if the feelings are persistent for me then I try to get myself some professional help.

[JD4010]

Yep. There are days when cleaning the cat litter box seems like a climb up Mt. Everest.

[LegoLady]

Tell your family that you are sick and need help and that you're not going to get better without their support. Don't torture yourself about what you are getting done day in and day out even if they criticize you - focus instead on getting the help that you need. If you can get help that works for you, then you will eventually have the energy to do the regular things that you need to do. If you were functioning normally, it wouldn't be that hard.

If you can get to a doctor or a psychologist and get a diagnosis of depression or a prescription for an anti-depressant or something like that, it may help convince your family that you truly have a mental illness that is making things difficult for you. Support will help make it easier for you to do things and recover from your depression, not criticism, and sometimes it is really hard to explain that to people. If you have a family that doesn't get it and doesn't believe you when you say you have a problem, you aren't going to get anywhere, but it's harder for people to argue with a doctor. You can even take them to a therapy session with you and that might help.

What helped me explain my condition to my family was I had them read the comic Hyperbole and a Half "Adventures in Depression". Strangely enough, that comic sums everything up so well and explains it in a way that is easier for people who haven't experienced it to understand. Depression is one of the most misunderstood illnesses in the world because everyone thinks they get it because they were sad for a while one time and that it's the same thing when it isn't. Most people don't know what anhedonia is and have never experienced feeling like a robot or not being able to eat because you are so apathetic you don't see the point of eating.

When I finally got through to my mom about it, she was going on and on about how I should do things that I enjoy to make me feel better, and finally I just said "I CAN'T enjoy the things I used to enjoy. Brains work by sending chemical signals, and my brain is not sending the enjoyment signal anymore."

[bigmike092]

yea it makes a lot harder to feel motivation to do things, i think everyone(or at least most people) can relate to that while dealing with this stuff. as for your family they're probably well meaning and still care, but its not at all as simple as buckling down and dealing with it.

with good treatment it can get better though.

Edited September 10, 2014 by bigmike092

[Phantastic Mirage]

Pfft. Don't even. School's pretty damn hard so don't feel bad about not being able to make it most days, let alone getting out of bed. Lego had a good suggestion for you though. I hope it all works out! *thumbs up*

Edited September 10, 2014 by Phantastic Mirage

[TiffanyC]

Agree 100%. Most people feel this way when depressed. Sometimes what helped me was to just force myself to do one small task. Believe it or not, once I did the one small task, I could usually complete 1 or 2 more tasks...kind of like the way inertia works....a body in motion stays in motion.