The Exhausting Feeling Of Depression

[sun seeker]

I have plenty of real-life reasons to be depressed. But that's not what I'm looking at at the moment. They need addressing, but they'll take time. It's more the physical part that I'm concerned about. There is nothing I feel like doing, quite a few things I really should be doing... but it's such an effort to move at all, to get the basics done, to get moving.

Remind me, how do you get going when it's like this? I'm looking for simple tips to get this exhausted, blah-feeling body back in motion. What am I forgetting?

 

[Esterio]

I have plenty of real-life reasons to be depressed. But that's not what I'm looking at at the momen...

Thanks for the post sun seeker. Not sure what you are missing but I sure am going to watch here to get some of them tips. I need them bad I don't do anything much any more. i used to be active all the time, worked 16-18 hours a day 7 days a week for months in a row. then the dr. told me to learn how to put my body in neutral to deal with pain and I found it to easy and comfortable no pain.
Thanks again
Peace be safe

 

[digger]

For me, often the hardest part is getting started.

If something feels like it's too big, going to take too much effort, going to take too much energy - I don't expect myself to do the whole thing, I'll ask myself to do five minutes of it, or one small part of it instead. Because five minutes or one small part is more than none of it.

Quite often I'll find that once I've got started I can go on longer with it, but removing the expectation that I need to do the whole thing tends to help.

 

[sun seeker]

i used to be active all the time, worked 16-18 hours a day 7 days a week for months in a row

Maybe that was the problem? You wore your body out?

Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear, but even an athlete in training needs more rest than that!

 

[sun seeker]

I'll ask myself to do five minutes of it, or one small part of it instead.

Good point. So I could make lists of both things that need doing, and self-care stuff, and break it into small chunks. Like for instance, get some fruit out of the freezer now so I have something healthy for breakfast in the morning.

 

[sun seeker]

Okay, I did that. It only took a minute, so I'll go find something to take the other four.

 

[Esterio]

Maybe that was the problem? You wore your body out?

Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear, b...

How true and what do I have to show for it. Not much. Sleep has always been over rated for me i have not slept well most of my life 4 or 5 hours a night and they say you need 7or 8 anyway

 

[sun seeker]

Poor you. I hate not sleeping!

 

[Esterio]

Poor you. I hate not sleeping!

Me to but it goes with the territory. if i get 2 or 3 hours am ok. One of my friends has been trying to give me some of his sleep but i don't ever get it. He sleeps 10 or 11 hours every day. I wish.

 

[Sideways]

Little bite size chunks.

Personally, with my depression, my head turns ordinary tasks into gigantic epic tasks, and I have zero energy. Physically, just standing up feels impossible.

It comes down to standing up anyway, in spite of what my head is telling me. If I know it's depression and not a physiological health issue, even when (or more accurately, especially when) my head tells me "I can't", I remind myself that's the depression, it's not the truth.

I also tick things off my list as I do them. It's like a visible reminder that actually I can, and I did. Yesterday's list with items ticked off is then sitting there for the next day: I know in advance that I will wake up with a fresh barrage of "I can't"s, and I have documented proof that I can, I did, so I can do it again.

It's a self-perpetuating spiral downwards once we stop moving, so hopefully you find something that gives you the upper hand @sun seeker :)

 

[Rag doll]

I have plenty of real-life reasons to be depressed. But that's not what I'm looking at at the momen...

I have had problem with depression for many years....early chilhood sexual abuse/ complex Ptsd . Often the depression can get to the point you can not willyourself out of bed....definitely relate, but many physical illnesses cause the same level of depression. Would like to suggest you see your MD, than you might consider seeing psychiatrist .......do not mean to so pushy with suggestions ....if you can overlook that....still good ideas hope you get to feeling better

 

[erigby]

Little bite size chunks.

Personally, with my depression, my head turns ordinary tasks into giga...

yes...thank you...right now just making a phone call seems like a giant epic task...and my arms feel like they weigh a thousand pounds when I try to lift them...even my fingers feel heavy on this keyboard.
Why do I feel like I can be here on this forum and type...but typing an e-mail reply at work feels insurmountable?