how to cope when a problem arrives

[zeemiller]

for the past few weeks ive been doing well mentally for the 1st time in a while two weeks in a row which was from a combination of the c.b.t therapy, the homewrk they set and self help books and of course the fluoxitine etc.
however.....
i got back from visiting my mum on monday and my best friend who has a key to my flat and had had his tea there as planned was sitting on the sofa watching tv he said when i got in oh i think your freezer is broken i made my tea and the chips were soft etc, i went in the kitchen and there was water all over the floor i then opened the freezer and all the food had defrosted and he just sat there i was upset at the loss of all the food and angry that id just got in and was faced with the mess and also the lack of help from my friend etc. after changing the fuse it was clear the freezer had gone and needed replacing or repair etc.

i wont go on and on with the details the reason im posting this is because i real real struggled to cope i got upset , angry and then the scary thought depression was setting in worried me i just couldnt cope and that made me realise the two weeks of feeling normal and better mentally was gone and i know problems come up out of the blue and we never know but...
i would like to cope better in future and know what to do to stay on track mentally etc, how do others cope in times of things happening out of the blue and the feeling of aaaaah cant cope etc starting etc????

thanks for reading this message 8-)

[Zaf]

I think that hapens to most of us, despire making huge progress since my breakdown last year I still find it difficult to cope with unexpected events

Z xx

[Sweetpea]

I too understand, I have also recovered very well from my breakdown but things that happen unexpectably - like yesterday send me into a right panic, which does frighten me.

S x x x x

[zeemiller]

just wish could cope better at times know aint easy and can see many others suffer when things come up out of blue. if could predict it in advance would be more prepared etc. just at the time its like aaaaah loosing it cant cope , life eh!

[Catbrian]

I know what you mean, zee.  The thing is, most of us would feel annoyed if we were experiencing what you did...I'd have chucked the mate out and took my key back.

But, when we're living with depression, little things like this are always blown out of proportion and can see our moods plummet.

It sounds like you've been doing really well.  Taking on the CBT and homework requires an enormous amount of self discipline.  I guess you need to try apply this to lifting your mood

Hope you're doin ok

[zeemiller]

guess at times just want a magic wand to make all problems go away etc. the above was my 1st what i call slip up in a while all that home work n ideas went out the window as at that time dont think anything would have stoped me loosing it etc.
just guess its the cant cope and the scary thought of depression starting and setting in that i still cant handle to this day the home work has real helped on the simple day to day things but guess the unexpected things that happen in life cant plan for and thats what i struggle with and know many others do. just seems as soon as leave home life hits u and its such fast paced and unpredictable as not just events but ppl vary as well such as nice ones and horrible ones etc.

[Catbrian]

I think sometimes these "unexpected things" can take us by surprise and, everything we thought we had learned, goes out the window.  There's always a danger of viewing a minor "slip" as a step backwards, when it is usually just a little mishap, which we can learn from.  I'm sure all the CBT and homework, as well as the self-help books, have all been worthwhile and you can continue your recovery from where you left off.

[zeemiller]

have taken a slow read thu stuff and blocked out the issues that came up and managed to salvage myself just the feeling of i aint as stable as thought still there but..... am working on it 8-)