Friday, November 1, 2013

depression

I am depressed. I have major depression disorder.  I am not writing this for sympathy or attention.  I am writing it because maybe if I admit it, I'll actually get up and do something about it.
I have been in a slump since the beginning of the school year, when I panicked and thought I would have to leave my major due to something careless I did when I was younger.  From that point on, anxiety has been taking over my life.  I've been worried about everything, especially disappointing my parents again.  I started having panic attacks about once a week, typically in class.  It would start by the professor saying some kind of trigger word that would cause my heart to start beating really fast, and then I would get sweaty and nauseous.  My vision would get blurry and I would start getting fidgety.  The symptoms wouldn't go away until I eventually left the classroom.
Finally I was tired of worrying all the time, so my boyfriend convinced me to talk to my adviser and tell him what had happened so he could assure me I could stay in my major.  He did, and I thought I would start feeling better.  I didn't.  Instead of feeling constantly anxious, I felt tired and defeated and I didn't want to do anything.  I thought I was just feeling burnout.  I had midterms, sorority stuff, theater stuff, work, and a lot of personal issues back home.  I thought once I went home for fall break and relaxed a little I would go back to normal.  Unfortunately, over break I had 2 exams to study for, crafts to make for my Little, people to visit in the hospital, and my boyfriend came home with me so I had to entertain him.  When I came back from school, I was even more unhappy.  My anxiety got out of hand.  I don't eat anymore. My sleeping patterns are all messed up, I either nap for 6 hours or wake up several times in the middle of the night.. I don't like going out, or going to sorority events with my sisters.  I stopped caring about my appearance.  I can't motivate myself to study and do work, and even though my grades are slipping, I still can't study.  Even things like meeting friends for lunch feels like a burden.  All I want to do is sit on the computer.  I lash out on my friends and boyfriend, and I'm afraid they're going to leave me.  I think everybody hates me all of the time.  I don't feel valuable.  It just feels like there's no way out.  I don't think I've had a day where I don't feel like this since August.
I don't know what to do. I'm scared to talk to somebody at school. I'm afraid of people judging me.  I'm afraid of even scheduling an appointment with the counseling center.  I don't want to tell my parents because they have enough to deal with at home and I'm worried they won't believe me.  I can't just turn a switch and change my thinking patterns.  I'm hoping if I can at least write down what I'm feeling, I might feel a bit better, but deep down I know the only way I'll get better is if I talk to a professional.
I know this is way different from feeling sad.  When I'm sad, I typically feel better in a few days, and I get over it by talking to people, going out, watching movies. I don't want to do any of those things. This feeling hasn't gone away for weeks.  It feel like there is a little rain cloud over my head all the time. People are starting to notice I'm not the same, but I blame it on tiredness.  This isn't me being an attention-seeking girl.  This is me being really scared and hopeless and unhappy.

1 comment:

  1. MK, I promise you will feel better if you talk to someone. It's scary and even once you start it won't be a miracle cure and you'll still feel sad and scared and won't know what to do. But I promise, it will get better. And in the meantime, you have so many people that love you more than anything and would do anything for you and want you to feel better and are rooting for you and are here for you 100 percent (me! ME!) and will be there for you the whole time. <3

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