Depression is a Lying Bastard Fest

[untonuggan]

It has come to my attention that it is That Time of Year again for most people with SAD in the Northern Hemisphere, and that for many other folks Bad Things and/or Anniversaries seem to be piling up. At times like this, it is hard to remember that Depression is a Lying Bastard and that it *does* get better again.

So! A friend and I came up with the Depression is a Lying Bastard Fest. There are many ways to participate in comments below:

• a gratitude list (because there are still good things in the world) or a list of good things
• something you are proud of (a la the Monday Pride thread)
• a funny poem (limmericks work well here)
• cute things! animals, babies, whatever floats your boat!
• anti-winter and/or anti-depression manifestos! This can be in the form of a poem or a simple declaration of "Fuck you, brain weasels, and your lying ways! I will not believe your lies!"

Feel free to comment on someone's comment if you find it particularly moving, but please keep things positive. Anonymous comments are currently turned on. (Please don't abuse them.)

If this grows and becomes very popular, or if you have more ideas, feel free to spread the Depression is a Lying Bastard Fest to your own journal or comm! Also, I would love it if you linked back here so that we got more participants. ^_^

Comments

Gratitude List

[untonuggan]

• My memory is slowly improving


• I met a cool person yesterday at the yarn store


• My family is super supportive (even though sometimes that annoys me)


• I might get to take a weaving class (how awesome is that???)


• Even though Glitch is ending, it was a really cool experience and I'm super glad I got to play

So, brain weasels, you are really pond scum and I think you are the ones who are useless burdens that should go away, not I. So *there*. :P

Gratitude List

[alee_grrl]

I am thankful for:

• my heart family (those that have become family through love and time)
  
• the numerous adorable (if slightly neurotic) animals that are also a part of my heart family and cuddle time with said animals
  
• music, books, and other forms of entertainment that engage the heart as well as the mind
  
• poetry
  
• my friends in real life and online; I am blessed to have met some truly amazing people
  
• having a doctor who believes in healing the patient and not just masking the symptoms--now if only I could figure out a way to copy him so others could benefit from his care
  
• coffee and hot tea because there is something wonderful about wrapping my cold hands around a warm mug, breathing in the scented air of its contents and enjoying the warm mouthfuls of tasty beverage
  
• the internet for all its cute animal pictures and vids, easy access fanfiction, and dreamwidth
  
• dreamwidth because it is made up of awesome and amazing people and is a lovely community

So take that demons of doubt. There are too many brilliant lights here; your shadows must disperse.

goodness list

[31stcentury]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

• there are only 24 days until the solstice and then the days grow longer again. yay, that sounds soon!

• I just found a wee stack of postcards (not from anyone but souvenirs of some past trips I went on) while looking for something else. yay memories of good things! I am gonna put them up around my desk. and one of them reminds me there is a webcam near that same place (link) so I am gonna add that on my ipad. windows into goodness!

• this mango jam I am having on toast is delicious (and mango anything reminds me of warm weather and sunshine)

• I just saw a steller's jay at my feeder and i just love their blue colour

• the way my ex-roommate who lives in another town now came all the way here just for my birthday dinner, and that she and her daughter stayed with our neighbours (because I love that they all became friends)

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Re: Gratitude List

[31stcentury]

Even though Glitch is ending, it was a really cool experience and I'm super glad I got to play

agree times a zillion! I like to tell myself that knowing the time there is limited makes it....more valuable? or something.

oooh weaving! that sounds super interesting!

[pipisafoat]

maybe I spent all week hiding from people & productive work, but I sure did write a lot of actually pretty good words! and I accomplished (well, some of it am still accomplishing, but there is accomplishment happening!) all that work I was hiding from last night & today. take that, winter!

also that I have recently made some "self-indulgent" purchases to make my winter nicer. like some delicious new teas, and a cushy fuzzy mitten-type ice scraper for my car in the mornings, and a couple DVDs of things that keep depression at bay. and the fabric & a pattern for a cloak that I have wanted for years. (it has been decided that yarning it will take forever & also irritate me & also cost a ton, so. fabric it is.) maybe it's not the most practical thing, but it will be awesome! plus, the joy of having hand-made myself something on the still-hard-for-me sewing machine.

also it is cranberry sauce season

Re: Gratitude List

[pipisafoat]

hooray memory! that is always such a good thing. I remembered recently that I have tricks for making my own memory work better, and just in time to start deploying them as I study for final exams.

weaving class sounds very awesome.

Re: Gratitude List

[pipisafoat]

the internet for all its cute animal pictures and vids, easy access fanfiction, and dreamwidth
yes! agreed x 10,000,000.

[spiralsheep]

::dances with everyone who would like to dance::

[striped]

Found this via amethystfirefly, leaving a limerick because limericks are awesome!


There was a young woman from Norway
Who hung by her toes in the doorway.
She said to her beau,
"Just look at me, Joe!
I think I've discovered one more way!"

[cesy]

I have discovered a new way to cheer myself up: http://www.tumblr.com/likes. I save all the best cute things, and then they are there for me later. For example, chemistry puns and a puppy having a bad day and a cat with some butterflies.

[cesy]

*dances*

[spiralsheep]

\o/ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ \o/

[kaberett]

Unlike this time last year:

• I don't have any funerals to go to in the next week (so far, fingers crossed, etc).
  
• I have a wheelchair.
  
• My research project is BEHAVING ITSELF and I have DATA that makes SENSE. And I am not so depressed that 5am is a regular occurrence in my life.
  
• my room is full of lovely people being lovely. They are having a detailed conversation about the Brazilian for pineapple, and we shall probably shortly be making apple crumble or something, and we are working our way through the entirety of Buffy and plotting badfic (Xander has hopeless schoolboy crush on Angel, Angel provides pity shag, Xander is simultaneously horrified & relieved to discover that Xander wears socks in bed, etc etc).
  
• The increased dose of anti-depressants is more-or-less working after a fashion.
  
• I am in a position to actually be applying for PhD programmes and... I am baffled and overwhelmed by how positive people are being in response to my queries? But also really flattered?
  
• ... my life is full of wonderful people, really. I couldn't do this on my own.

And something I'm proud of: I've started putting together a small notebook of lovely things people have said to me, and poems that make me feel safe and loved. It is wonderful, and really really helpful.

[littlebutfierce]

* I just (a week ago today) got another tattoo that I adore
* Next month I am seeing one of my favorite bands 4 times in 4 different cities

&... uggggggggggh a general "fuck you, brainweasels!" from me. ^_^;;;;;;;;;

Re: Gratitude List

[lynnoconnacht]

Weaving! That sounds awesome! XD (Long long ago someone gave me a mini-loom for kids to learn weaving with. I was parts exasperated and parts delighted.) I hope you get to take and will enjoy it!

And eeee! Yay for memory improvements and meeting cool people and having a supportive family!

Re: Gratitude List

[lynnoconnacht]

coffee and hot tea because there is something wonderful about wrapping my cold hands around a warm mug, breathing in the scented air of its contents and enjoying the warm mouthfuls of tasty beverage

So much this. <3 I will happily hug my mug after it's empty to keep hold of the warmth for longer. (Also because hugging mugs that are warm is comforting. ^-~ Waaaaarmth. *bask*)

Re: Gratitude List

[alee_grrl]

Hugging warm mugs is very comforting. Finding a ray of sunshine near the fire or heater while hugging a warm mug and wearing soft warm pajamas is the best. :D

Re: goodness list

[alee_grrl]

Mango and tropical fruit are great reminders of warm places for me too!

Hope your birthday was/is fabulous!

[alee_grrl]

All wonderful and fabulous things. I really should contemplate getting one of those fuzzy mitten ice scrapers. Some mornings my gloves are not enough.

[alee_grrl]

I <3 dancing

::dances::

[alee_grrl]

Chemistry Cat! <3 <3 <3

The other two are also absolutely adorable!

[spiralsheep]

::twirls gently with you::

Good things!

[green_knight]

(I've crossposted a longer version to my own blog)

- I was offered a temp assignment covering for an real, fully-fledged editor. (I'm a copyeditor/freelancer/occasional temping at publishers). And I stepped into the editor's shoes and did all of the things I was told to do and did them well without needing supervision.
- I've done a lot of working on how I think and what I need to know in order to master complex skills, and I've broken through a number of walls. This doesn't yet completely translate to the page in my writing, but I'm starting to see the first results, and I'm loving it.
- I went to a meetup for a blog I occasionally read and it was full of awesome people, and awesome conversations were had.
- I finished one of my personal side projects, a Filemaker database focussed on what the next step in any given project is. And it contains items that I want to do which I can do when I can't brain and items that will only take a few minutes for when I feel I haven't achieved anything that day, and items I can tackle when I feel particularly inspired to Do Something. Depression/Anxiety is constricting my focus, this is helping to open it up again in a non-threatening, non-overwhelming manner, because I can just Hide All The Scary Things if I need to.
- I have truly awesome friends.

[staranise]

Depression really is a liar. It's a thief. And the things it says are wrong.

I'm a therapist. I've been through depression, had more friends than I could count with depression, and now I treat people with depression. And you know, so many people who are deeply depressed think they can't accomplish anything meaningful, lack self-worth, or believe they're awful... but so many of them accomplish things despite the incredible handicap in their way. They learn and work and create. They love and help others and bring value to their communities. The world is a better place because of them.

Which they don't believe. I remember what it's like not to see any of that. So it gives me patience when these people struggle to see the world beyond the dark veil. Sometimes the first step is to be okay with being depressed, to accept that there's nothing awful and evil about feeling this bad; to give yourself permission to hurt and doubt and struggle without thinking you "should" feel better.

But sometimes I wish brainweasels were real so I could pull them out of a client's head and send the person down to the cafe for a coffee, while I, the brainweasels, and a big stick talk about how terrorism is not an appropriate way of getting what you want.

Re: Gratitude List

[alee_grrl]

Weaving sounds very cool. May your memory continue to improve, and may the brain weasels chuck off forever.