Dealing with lots of hypo depression at the moment

Hi Missy, hang in there. Remember the depression isn't real. Its just the brainfog clouding your perception. 

Do whatever it is that makes you feel most like you, do the thing that helps you find your bliss! I love dance, swimming, music, and painting. Put your favorite song on and sing ‘til you find yourself and  your joy! You’re in there, that brilliant sparkling spirit of life! Remember? That’s you!

See if you can get into any kind of group activity. Plan a trip if you can. Find something challenging to get into, or maybe volunteer if you can spare the time. The world looks very scary when you’re depressed but the sun does come out from behind the clouds. Be well.

Hello Missy

My name is Michelle & I live in Qld,  Australia. I mean no disrespect to the people who have reached out to you for support however it is my opinion that the depression IS very real. I believe it is different to the brain fog symptoms we experience.

Depression is a whole different ball game. It robs you of any motivation to do the things we used to enjoy. Even though we know how exercise has so many benefits Depression makes it extremely difficult to get going. 

All the suggestions such as eating right & socialising with friends are all excellent ideas but unless you have someone to help you make that happen Depression will keep people withdrawing into the black hole & our energy to fight it is like expecting us to take flight and travel through the clouds above as free as a bird.  It’s just not going to happen without a change. That change could be a change in medication or having a loving person provide non judgemental encouragement & be with you. For me the motivation comes from having a Border Collie who gives me unconditional love. His health & happiness is important to me. When the ‘black dog’ is pulling me down my dog Joey won’t take no for an answer. He practically pulls me up by the sleeve & says “okay let’s get going for a walk”’ lol. Many times it’s the last thing I feel like doing but looking in to those big brown eyes & feeling his excited energy is enough to get me to do the right thing. When we sit around & wait for the motivation to come it just doesn’t happen. Our ‘Care Factor’ = Zero as if some alien has robbed us of the ability to look after ourself. It’s not until we force ourself to get going that the Dopamine levels in our brain start to kick in & we feel a little better. It can take 10 to 15 minutes for that to start happening & before then it is really hard. Even painful.

So Missy my advice to you is to try & find that help whether from a dog or a person & hopefully you will find the will power to fight. Remember though - If it doesn’t happen it’s not your fault & not an indication that you are a failure. Depression is a debilitating illness & it likes to mess with your head. 

If you need any help or encouragement at all you are welcome to email me anytime & I will reply. I know what you are going through & please be kind to yourself & know that there IS hope for recovery. When that black dog tries to tell you all hope is lost know that’s the depression talking & the truth will be found because you deserve to be happy.

Best wishes to you

Michelle 

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Sorry to hear you are feeling this way. I'm the same at the moment. Tried to increase my meds but heart couldn't tolerate it, so back to original dose which is too low and I feel down and exhausted. Like catherine says it's not the real you but its hard to think that way when you are in the middle of it all. As much as you would like to go out and do stuff, take care of yourself and rest as that's what our bodies need at the moment. Maybe read a book, call a friend, watch a good series on TV or something that doesn't take up too much energy. It will get better, don't lose hope

Try sitting in the sunlite for awhile.

Or a short walk in the sun if you can?

Hi Missy, you’re doing great. You’re recognizing the depression while its happening. That’s a huge accomplishment!

I’m not sure if the best way to word this, but we forget that attitude is such a big part of health: both in how we approach healing and how we feel. 

Thyroid disease can change our whole personality because it can affect the entire endocrine system- metabolism, energy and sex hormones, as well as the immune system. 

It doesn’t help that people don’t understand thyroid disease. Even the best intending friends can say ridiculous things to try and be helpful. (A couple of weeks ago an old friend actually went to great lengths to gently approach the subject of why I’m not my fun and enthusiastic self. She was saying, all via text, that we weren't connecting.  She thought it was me who didn't understand her, but really, she can’t  come  close to wrapping her head around the whole thyroid devestation. Of course I’m not fun! I feel like crap, everything hurts, I’m carrying 30% more weight, I can’t plan for anything because I never know when I’m going to feel crappiest... seriously, my bff doesn’t get it.) This adds to isolation, lack of support, and yes, depression.

While you’re down, you can still use your time. Read as much as you can.  Okay, nobody wants to read a book on hormones, but I found this surprisingly helpful when coping with thyroid disease.

You aren’t alone. I was so bad off for months that I was bedridden and had to order all my food online and have it delivered. Had to have someone cook it, do laundry. I couldn't do anything for months. A friend was kind enough to buy me a small laptop so I could research and order food from bed.

The other thing I managed was to get some on the phone counseling while I was down. It wasn’t the best resource (our insurance doesn’t include counseling or mental health care) but a little  bit of counseling was better than nothing. 

Focus on the things you are able to do. Keep your goals in focus. Stay on track with the steps you need to take to accomplish your goals. Even if you’re taking tiny steps or one step forward, two streps back, keep your focus on your goals. There are so many things you can do to help yourself even while you’re down. They seem horribly inefficient, but we have to work with where we’re at.

The other thing I’ve done that I feel is a big factor in health, is I’ve really looked at my family relationships. I guess that seems a little weird, but when an opportunity to heal my family relationships presented itself, I took it. Its very rare that we get this sort if opportunity, so mostly we have to go to years of counseling, read self-help books on family dynamics and addiction, whatever it takes to get some sort if resolution of the pain from the family dynamic. 

When we aren't able to do what we want to do, we have to do what we can do.

I totally agree with HelloKitty11 Depression is very real Many things cause it including Thyroid issues I   am so very sorry you're dealing it My crime is not dealing with my thyroid So since 2005 i have been up and down The downs are awful The emotional pain hurts so bad you can't breathe Having medication helps I found a couple that help alot But before that I was pretty much dead Because I found out I had an enlarged thyroid by way of MRI for something different in 2004 I felt great I was having a perfect  life and ignored it Now I'm so weak walking is a challenge I have been laying on the couch since 2011 I have so many other health issues I just didn't care anymore But then my daughter 28 got thyroid cancer and I thought I have to make sure she gets better before me My wise daughters one a doctor looked at me and said You take care of you Then worry about us So I have appt now Not for my thyroid I will get to that I need 4 surgeries first My point is Having someone to care about you is half the battle then comes the work Like HelloKitty11 I have a kitty His name is Skittles I'd be lost without him Id be lost without my kids Don't ever think what your feeling is not real Trying to do stuff that cheers you right up is unrealistic Just a simple phone call or a simple anything is where u start I made a horrible mistake taking health and mental health for granted I'm 49 and can't move But when I'm 60 I'll be running on the beach Take your time and know derepression can be helped with medication if it does not clear up I will be thinking of you Missy Take care of you