My Thoughts on an Article Managing Depression After Divorce by Daniela Ginta

I just did a post on Divorce and Depression and thought I would follow up that thought with an article by Daniela Ginta that deals with Managing Depression After Divorce.  I am going to look at the article and see which suggestions I used in the early days of my divorce.  Maybe there are some on that list that you can try if you are suffering through depression as you walk the road of divorce.

She has a list of symptoms of depression and sadly I had everything on the list.  Her list included

*a loss of appetite

*a loss of interest in activities you previously enjoyed

*trouble sleeping

*irritability

*fatigue

*crying spells

*difficulty concentrating

*feelings of hopelessness

*suicidal thoughts

She says you have to have 5 of the 9 symptoms to be diagnosed with depression and I had all 9.  It is awful what one person's actions can do to another.

Here are her suggested tips to manage post-divorce depression

1-Journal.  I did do that and I wish I would have continued to journal all my thoughts and feelings and the daily events of that time.  I was not as consistent as I should have been.

2-Exercise Daily-  I did continue to exercise.  I had to walk my dog so I did that.  I also forced myself to continue to participate in Zumba classes after work.

3-Eat Healthy-That I did not do.  I was barely eating because I had no appetite.  I went quickly from a size 10 to a size 4.  

4-Pamper Yourself-I did not really pamper myself either although I should have.

5-Accept Help-That I did do in the form of leaning on my friends for support and guidance.

6-Socialize- I did this too.  Every invitation I received I accepted.  I needed to force myself out and that is what I did.  This mostly included going out with friends, church events, and meetup group events.

7-Sleep- That I wanted to do but I could not.  I would usually end in curled into a tight ball crying when awake and when asleep.  

I did end up going to the Dr.  I was placed on an antidepressant and they gave me sleeping pills.  Both of those things helped tremendously.  I should have gone to counseling but I never did get around to doing that.  

Why am I sharing this?  I want women going through this to realize they are not alone and that there are ways to work your way out of the darkness of depression and into a healthy joy-filled life.  It may take time but it is possible.  Don't give up.

God Bless You on Your Journey

KathieyV