Yay!!! We are outta the DogHouse!! Thank you Karen!!!
Like I had mentioned before, statistics say that one in four people will undergo a mental illness at one time or another. It is no big deal! I mean, YES it is horrible to experience but there is no shame in it. People in emotional pain are just everywhere. It just does not show on the outside for the most part. You meet me in real life - I look normal, act normal, I am smart, funny, educated, I have degrees in Nursing and Literature/Secondary Education, have raised three terrific kids, etc, etc...but there are times when I am non-functional. There are times when I have flashbacks and I cannot sleep for many nights. There are times when I jump at the slightest noise and times when my heart begins to race and I sweat profusely and find it hard to breathe. I HATE IT!!! But, I have it. So, I take my medication and I can live with it. If the episodes start to last very long, I become depressed severely and withdraw, feel like I am not a good friend, mother or person. I don't talk to anyone during those times. Hubby forces me, like a child, to get in the car and go to a store or for a walk around the block. Most of the time, I have no memory or distorted memory of those episodes. He brings me food to eat because otherwise I forget. I feel as if I am walking in cement or thick mud. Those are the Major Depressive Episodes and thank God they have been few. So, I have to monitor how I feel and only allow the withdrawal to be brief enough to be therapeutic and healing.
Something I totally LOVE doing is visiting my local nursing home. I need to get back to a regular schedule. What I most love to do is "give manicures". All I do is rub hand lotion on!!! But, for the "clients" it is a time to hold hands and talk as well as softening for dry skin And *I* need it and love it just as much as they do!!