Posted by BarbaraCat on August 25, 2003, at 13:47:32
In reply to I I don't know if I can keep waiting, posted by lesliekay on August 25, 2003, at 4:03:52
**Be thankful you're sleeping so much. No, really! You probably need the rest after being under a depressive siege. It's hard on the body. Make yourself comfy and give in to the rest and sleep and take extra good care of yourself. Don't beat yourself up because you're not 'accomplishing' anything right now. There are too many people on the planet, most are accomplishing too many things, and right now it's your turn to take care of you.
If you ever wake up in the middle of a fright, go into the bathroom and wash your face with warm water and rinse with cool water and run cool water on your wrists for half a minute or so, breathing longer and slower from the belly with each breath. Works every time for me. Crying helps and is very healing. The only bad thing about crying is it gives me a headache and makes my face looks like a donut, but who cares when you're tucked into bed?
You'll eventually come out of this, you know it. We all do, although we always forget every time. Try not to give in to the fear of what might happen because it's just your mind and your mind is amplifying every worrisome thought right now. It ain't necessarily thinking very accurately right now. Remember to breathe slowly and from the belly whenever you think about it. This is so important that you might consider putting little sticky notes around the house simply saying 'BREATHE!' on them. Disordered breathing is a HUGE contributor to depression and anxiety.
If you start to get panicky, breathe into a paper bag for a minute or so. It really helps to normalize the blood pH into a calm state. Sometimes anxiety can accompany depression so we must be prepared for all permutations, but luckily, it sounds like you're more on the other end of the spectrum with the sleepies.
I know it's useless to suggest taking a walk during these bad states, but as soon as you can force yourself to move your energy, it will help tremendously. Keep in mind that Lexapro may not be the end all and perhaps there's a better med out there for you, but it will definitely shift things for the better. All things in good time and this too shall pass. We're with you. BarbaraCat
> I keep waiting for Lexapro to kick in, granted it has only been 4 days or so, I am falling down a tunnel. I don't know if I can make it back up. I don't know what to do, I can barely get out of bed right now. I slept for 29 hours. I know I am going to end up in the hospital again.
poster:BarbaraCat
thread:253796
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030823/msgs/253905.html