Creeping Depression & Giving Yourself A Break

Hey y'all! I'll be honest: I think my depression is coming back. Depression never really hits you like a tidal wave, it's more subtle, like a creeping cloak of darkness gently unfolding itself over you. So, it's hard for me to tell when it's really here or not. Mental illness is just hard to decipher all around, especially if you live with it constantly and it becomes the new normal for you. But the tell tale signs are here for my depression: sleeping 16-18 hours a day, eating tons of carbs and sugar, feeling apathetic and useless, fearing the future, just feeling miserable in general. Depression is different for everyone but these are my signs for it. You learn after awhile how it shows up and you come to dread seeing anything similar pop up. "Is it my depression again? Crap!" I think mine is situational however, things haven't been the greatest for my family, but we're hanging in there. However, depressive slumps will pop up at least for me, so I've been expecting this. 

So, what am I going to do whilst being depressed? I am going to GIVE MYSELF A BREAK! And I'm telling y'all to give yourselves a break too. I think as a societal whole, but especially women, we're very hard on ourselves. Way too hard. So try and be gentler with yourselves, especially if you're struggling like me. I'm going to let myself sleep, because sleep helps the brain heal. I'm going to try and limit the carbs, but if I eat too much in one day, I'm not going to kick my own butt. I'm going to try and find a show on Netflix to hold my interest or maybe watch some YouTube. I'm going to keep coloring because it makes me feel better and productive. And I'll keep being honest with y'all because I want to show what depression looks and feels like. It doesn't look pretty that's for sure, I haven't washed my hair in almost a week and I've been living in old pajamas. Gross I know, but that's the reality. If anyone else is going through this right now, here's a hug and some cookies, be gentle with yourself, and keep chugging along. Things will get better. 

Alette