I'm a woman with a job at a bookstore, a person with interests and hobbies, and (when the mood allows) dreams and goals. I have an amazing husband and four beautiful children. I have a life. And sometimes that is hard to remember, hard to even accept, and especially hard to maintain while I'm sick.
And that's what I'm doing. I'm fighting it - fighting myself by engaging first and foremost in self care, and in sticking as much to routine as is possible with four kids jumbling things up. Secondly, I'm challenging myself. It's not much but instead of giving in to the need to crumble, to fall apart and let depression win, I'm setting daily challenges. On Monday I couldn't quite make it. So we had a quiet day, filled with movies and video games and more self care - tea and writing and reading. Tuesday went a little better and I successfully completed my goal for the day - getting out of the house with the kids and doing something fun by going swimming at the YMCA. Wednesday was a quiet morning because I did have to work all afternoon/evening and that was my simple goal - not to overdo it so that today I could complete more 'mom' oriented goals. I'm happy to report that it was successful, that I dropped my #2 child off at a friends house (sometimes even that is a huge goal in itself!) and the three others and I went to the park with a friend. It doesn't sound like much. But each challenge I've set for myself, each day that I have fought back against the depression is a huge victory.
It means I can do this.
I can be the same things I always was - wife, mom, creative mind, hard worker, etc... I might even end up stronger, better than I was. Like any illness it won't happen overnight, recovery is a process, but I can get there. I will get there.
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