anyone recognise these feelings

[niz]

This may seem odd but i want to see if anyone else feels like me at times.I can go for a couple of weeks being ok then out of the blue i feel low,sad,anxious,angry,short tempered and my head feels heavy,dull thudding headache and very drained.It happens in a matter of minutes ans lasts for few days.Is this common for deppresion or is it me?

[Sweetpea]

I think you will find this is quite common, I know I get like this and I can normally never find an explanation for it.

S x x x x

[Pip]

I can go from a few weeks to a few months then feel like that, it's horrible.

[Catbrian]

I'm afraid to say it is the cycle of depression.  I think when you are generally going through a bad time, those swings are all the more severe.  With time, you learn to recognise the signs, sometimes you might find some coping mechanisms you can use to help you from sinking too low.  It all comes in time, Niz. 

[niz]

Thanks everyone,It is good to have this site in times like this and all the comments that people give back,woke up today not as bad but very groggy,I am learning coping mechanisms at the minute and they have been really successfull of late but once in a while the moods and feelings just really over power my head and I dont stand a chance of stopping them.Hopefully after the next 3 weeks I can drop my work to 5 days a week,but then that will mean less money which could cause another stressfull stuation,I hope everyone including myself have a good day  0158  *() 

[mar42]

Hi Niz,sounds typical of depression,i had similar symptoms in 2002,i had a 4 year period of constant anxiety,i was having problems with neighbors directly above me,i was working,i was doing the knowledge & my dad died,then after 4 years of trying to cope,it all hit me like a ton of bricks,i felt flu like,my brain felt it had been dipped in glue,a permanent tension,pressure feeling in back of head & feeling drained,i thought i had ME,but was diagnosed with depression. I was put on anti depressants and that helped my physical problems. It's a tough time Niz,things do get better. When i look back i didn't have a clue,what was going on,i thought i was going insane. I started drinking too much when my wife left,which brought a whole new load of problems. I have been tea-total for 3 years now,it's a road many people go down with depression,i wouldn't recommend it. Depression is dealt with individually,you have to go on your own journey & find out what is right or wrong for you. Just remember niz,even though it feels like it,you are not alone,give yourself a pat on the back for sharing it,because we are all starting,going or have been on a very similar journey.

[captainkeefy]

Hi Niz,

That's what been happening to me. I get a pain in the back of my head and sometimes one in my temples. I can get a pain on the right side of my chest too and one in my right leg. I've noticed since starting my anti depressants that these pains went quite quickly, within weeks. But I started to notice my moods more. I've always been the type to keep my mouth shut and worry about other people's problems because their problems are always bigger and more important than mine. It's like part of me is programmed to so I'm not allowed to be depressed, I'm not allowed to show negativity, always got to be optimistic until I hit the self destruct button. Then everyone tells me I'm doing it for attention.

Have you been to see your doctor? I would recommend it.

[stewart]

Hi Niz, the symptoms you describe are indeed those of depression, talking to your doctor about them is a good idea, as some have said to me a while ago keeping a diary may be of help, writing down how you feel and what is going on around you at the time.

[niz]

hi everyone,I can relate to lots of the symptoms,temple pain,shoulder and neck ache.I have been under the doc since aug last year and he prescribed me 40mg cilitrpram a day,have been to counciling for about 6 sessions so far and that has helped me talk about my past.Also i have been trying cbt and I know I have to recognise the symptoms and alter my thinking to try and aviod the depression taking over,I have been doing this well but sometimes in a split second it just overwhelmes me and I just dont stand a chance.At the moment I'm ok but I have this feeling that its going to keep coming back.

[Catbrian]

Hi Niz... it takes time to change our long-standing habits.  I suppose, the more we practice trying to control our emotions, the easier it will become.  Some days I can see the danger signs and apply all the tactics I know to avoid the depression taking over.  I've had depression 20+ years and still get days/weeks when I completely forget any reasoning and, before I know it, I am up to my neck in anxiety and depression.

When a downer hits me - which can be on a daily basis - recently I have tried to recognise it as a symptom of my mental health and not really who I am.  Somehow it seems to devalue the mood and I am able to see past it rather than become overwhelmed. I'm not sure if I explain that very well, it's still very new on me

It sounds like you have a good 'recovery programme' going with your counselling sessions and CBT

[niz]

Makes sense to me Cat,I just need to learn to see through it and not listen to what my mind is thinking if its negative.Realise that I need to  look at coping with deppression rather than trying to beat it or hope it will just go away.Thanks for shedding some light on this for me and I hope you are in a good place at the moment x

[Catbrian]

It is very true what you have said.  And, yes, I am in a reasonable place at the moment, thanks.  Unfortunately, it's not always like this, the bad days are usually lurking around the corner but I believe with each difficult experience, we learn how to cope more.  Change comes, but it takes time, in some situations, it can take a lifetime.

I hope the weekend is kind to you