I know that the Thanksgiving holiday is all about gratitude. But what if you can't get there just yet? What if you're encased in fear, and listing your blessings only deepens your depression because you feel like a loser, a whiner, a spoiled brat of an American for not feeling truly grateful?
I know this sounds unpatriotic and totally self-absorbed but this is what I say: don't sweat it. You're not there yet. It's okay.
One day you will be, and your gratitude won't be forced.
I wish all my readers a very happy Thanksgiving holiday--those who are at a place in their recovery where they feel truly grateful, and those who aren't capable of compiling that list just yet.
To view my YouTube video, click here.
To read more Beyond Blue, go to www.beliefnet.com/beyondblue, and to get to Group Beyond Blue, a support group at Beliefnet Community, click here.
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For anyone interested in reading about someone famous with bipolar disorder -- I highly recommend Jane Pauley's autobiography "Skywriting." Just wonderful.
Jim G.:
Please don't persist in the myth that bipolar disorder type II "isn't as bad" as bipolar disorder type I.
In some ways it's worse (and it's not just my doctors who have said that), as you get all the lows -- even lower, actually -- without any of the corresponding feelings of joy of true mania, dysfunctional and even delusional though they may be.
Therese,
Thankyou for this video! To those of us who suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) or even reoccuring depression this time of the yr and with the Holidays it is nice to hear something like this. It is hard to hear everyone spouting off words of gratitude when you are feeling down or sad. This was like giving us permission, making it ok when we feel we aren't up to par with the rest of the World. I PRAY that your Holiday/Thanksgiving is a good one. I attempted a previous post and when I went to the Captcha at the bottom it had expired, resulting in my not being able to post, ahhhh. So this is my 2nd attempt at sending you love and thanks for inspiring me and other readers here at Beyond Blue. Some thanksgiving humor for you:
Please do NOT feed the Turkey, they are stuffed already! ha
Blessed Be, Mary Anne
hmmmm,it started with my mum i was about three or four when the violent temper kicked in and her hatred towards me was in full swing, i will not go in to to much as it slows me down as a person,
today i have my own little girle who rocks my world and some times not,we live in the usa and mum is in england so we use the web cam to say hi ,my mum had noticed how loveing my little one is with me and how that love is given back,and the then she said i was not a loveing child, she still has no clue as to the damage she had don during those early years ,the words hurt so i talked to a close friend and my friend said if you have never been shown love you will not know how to give it and if you have been given hatred and malles you will shy away from the person being so hatefull my mothers words still sit in the back of my mind ,and yes some times i to get depressed on and off for years .i am thankfull that i have a loveing family know.
I have for many years suffer 365 days a year every night after the sun go down my body hurt from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. Depression takes over. I load up with pain pills and about 20 other perscription med to get through the night. My life has been messed up very bad.
robby, all is not lost look to what you can have open your heart and arms and let some one in they may surprise you .
take each day as it comes and find one thing that goes well for you in each day and keep it with you through the nights and slowly your life will make sence ,ps exuse my spelling im lazy.
you can make you work you just have to find the right buttons to push.
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