BST... and Robbo!

I was just thinking about you Sunshine, and wondering how you were doing. That's wonderful you're feeling so much better, I know how much difficulty you were having here. How is the job?

We have not heard from Robbo in quite some time. You probably saw her last posts, which said that she was still experiencing depression. Maybe she would respond to a PM?

Tell us all about lovely Oz when you get a chance :)

Best wishes,
Linda.

Hi Robbo,

It's wonderful to hear from you. I was worried when you said you still had depression there, because the main reason you moved seemed to be to try to escape SAD. It's good to hear that you're still glad you are there. Are you still working as a nurse?

If it's not too personal a question, can I ask about how you are dealing with your troubles? Have you found a good therapist? I think it would help a lot of people on the forum to hear your story. I think a lot of people who believe they have SAD dream of moving someplace sunny to be rid of it, without realising that their situation may be more complex. It's great if someone really can feel better by making such a move, but not everyone does, and it can perhaps be a gamble.

As for me, this may sound strange but I think I'm lucky that the 101-cures-for-SAD that I tried didn't work, or else I would have stopped there in my search for answers. I've discovered how to use diet and supplements to heal; I've discovered some intriguing spiritual paths; and, most importantly of all, I've found that I will be stuck in unrelenting depression until I change my life circumstances and get a job I enjoy. I'm working on finding a part-time teaching job for next autumn; and if it doesn't happen, I'm going to go on a return-to-teaching course sponsored by the city council. It's a matter of keeping an eye out and biding my time, more or less, until then.

Thanks for coming back on, it's good to hear from you Robbo :) I'd love to give Brisbane a visit right now; I'm a bit sick of the cloud here. We had a week of spring, and two or three weeks of winter; I think it must be about time things started warming up again.

Best wishes,
Linda.

Hi Robbo,

I agree totally with your attitude toward therapy. I do wish it were more widely available. I've seen counsellors in the past but was always lucky enough not to have to foot the bill. When I developed the clinical depression, the local NHS offered me nothing, and the doctors seemed strangely surprised when I kept saying I wanted counselling. Of course all you have to do is ask yourself what costs more, counselling or a pill.

I wish more people were open to it too, in the way that you and I are. Talking to someone in that way can be very helpful, yet there is often still a stigma attached. Some people seem to think it automatically labels them as crazy.

I'm not sure what to say about the spirituality at the moment. It's an individual journey for me; I don't think I'd ever be happy joining an organised religion. However, a friend recommended a book to me written by an American psychotherapist who is also a Buddhist meditation master, and it affected me deeply. In a way it resonated with what I knew I already believed. One of the basic ideas of Buddhism is that life involves suffering, life is painful. In our modern Western society we are taught to avoid pain. Many seem to think that life "ought" to be easy and that because it isn't, something is wrong, or isn't fair. Buddhism teaches you how to deal with everything that life offers, the suffering and the joy.

I'm keen to work on the techniques that my book describes and gave it a try, then went through a bad spell for a couple of weeks. I'm starting to feel better now and will probably re-read the book and get back into the techniques soon. Sometimes the depression just steamrollers everything I attempt, but I see that as a reminder from my body that I must keep working to change my life circumstances, get that job for the autumn. Last autumn when I had a job for 6 weeks, I found myself saying I didn't feel depressed anymore, and was looking at re-instating some hobbies I'd left by the wayside for a couple of years. Then a couple of days after quitting the job (which regretfully was a necessity), bang, the yuck came back in all its force.

So that's how things are right now. I'm in the typical springtime "sun out -- feel good; cloudy day -- feel rotten" swing at the moment. Like I said, I could do with a trip to Brisbane I think!

Thanks for writing Robbo, and I hope things keep looking up for you :)

Linda.

I'm here! I e-mailed you! :D