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Signs Your Foundation Needs Work


Everyone is different, but there are some common symptoms of depression: 

I stopped: sleeping well; going out; calling anyone or answering the phone; going to the gym; baking (which I love) and reading.  

I started: eating poorly; listening to people who were trying to help (my boss, my family doctor, my therapist, my spouse); getting excruciating phantom nerve pain and feeling helpless and stuck; jumping from one thing to the next and finding easy tasks overwhelming; crying and feeling hopeless and all the time wondering how everyone else seemed to have it all together.

I finally ended up in the adult mental health ward of the hospital--after my spouse pleaded with the ER doctor to send in a crisis worker instead of sending me home.  I stayed for 18 days-- surrounded by people who wanted to help and support me. They removed some of the weight I was carrying and launched a lifeline of support to shore me up and keep me safe---from hurting myself, or anyone else. 

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  1. Sunflower26 April 2013 at 17:44

    Everyone is different, but the symptoms of depression make some dealing with the illness very simular, and that was such a releif when I too ended up in the mental health ward the lifeline of support was incredible and it also shored me up and made me feel safe..anyone dealing with this silent and dark illness shouldn't have any hesitation in reaching for this lifeline! It changed my life!

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  2. Kristen28 April 2013 at 18:31


    Thanks for sharing! There is such a stigma attached to mental illness--it is important to speak up so people who are out there feeling these things know they are not alone...they are not losing their mind...at things will get better.

    For the first few days all I wanted to do was get out of the hospital....and then...over the next few days of quiet....routine....having all the decision making taken out of my hands (like when to wake up, what to eat, when to go for tests, see doctors, attend group lessons and the gym...) I began to focus entirely on myself. I felt safe and cared for--something I had not felt in a long long time. I gave up trying to be tough and carry the world on my shoulders and start to look back over how I got so far off centre. I am still a work in progress...hard hats on everyone!

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