need advice

I've been really struggling lately.  Alot of stuff is going on in my life right now with work and at home.  To begin with, I've been struggling with some depression issues made worse by lots of stress and anxiety at work.  I'm trying desperately to get myself back on track and hope that by doing that i'll feel better.

has anyone fallen off the wagon so to speak and what did you do to recover? 

Thanks.

I struggle all the time. I had depression with anxiety I am taking cymbalta to help with that. I would say just remember why you had your surgery.Remember that it is alot harder on your body for a revision. Just go back to basics. Start with protien don't drink soda if you need to measure your food. You have come to far to fail!! You can do it
dee

I think most of us have experienced struggles to some degree or another. When I feel overly stressed and my cir****tances begin to drag me down and depression starts to creep in....  I know it's time to STOP what I'm doing and put my focus back on God and off of all my struggles. I look to friends & family to talk to for encouragement and support which helps a ton. I always do so much better when I talk things over with a loved one...someone who cares about me. It's so good to get a fresh perspective from someone else. Sometimes when we are in the thick of the forrest we can't see the clear path through the trees. But it's there and someone on the outside looking in can usually see more clearly than us. Take time to evaluate yourself and your cir****tances and make a list of all the pros and cons surrounding your situation. You may discover it's certain people in your life that are dragging you down and you need to seperate yourself from them. Or maybe your work enviroment is bringing you down and it's time for a change. If you can't change your job then do something to make your days more enjoyable like something to look forward to after you punch out. It might make your day go a little better knowing that after work you get to de-stress and relax doing something just for you. Get rid of the things in your life that are poluting your envirement. Start surrounding yourself with postive things, people and activities. If you fell into a garbage dump you wouldn't just sit there in the mess....you would climb out of it and go clean yourself up. Well it's the same thing with our lives. If we find ourselves in a dump then climb out, clean up and feel good about yourself again. Don't stay in the dump!

A few practical things that always make me feel better is to take time to declutter my house, & clean my bedroom making it inviting to sleep in. When my house is organized I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and my thoughts are clearer too.  Get 8 hours of sleep each night. Take a brisk walk or exercise daily. Make healthy food choices. Help someone else who might be worse off then you. I always feel so blessed when I get my eyes off myself and reach out to someone else in need. Read a good self-help book... Dr. Phil has some good practical books. And pray! I'm a big believer that God hears our prayers and answers them. Sometimes the answer is different then what we were expecting but I trust He knows what he's doing and has a better plan for my life. Better than I ever could imagine. 

And most importantly don't give up on yourself. You've come too far to throw it all away. Even if you've blown your diet and haven't been following the rules don't beat yourself up over it. Accept it and move on. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on the horse! We have been given an amazing tool and it's never too late to go back to basics and rejuvinate that tool so it begins to work for us again. Most importantly know that you don't have to go through these things alone. Join a support group in your area, keep talking to the A-Team...we are here for you and talk to a therapist. All these avenues will help you sort out the junk and teach you how to cultivate good things in your life.

Hang in there and keep talking about your struggles. That's the first big step! Keeping you in my prayers!

Hugs,
Lisa

That's weird it won't spell out the word c-i-r *** s-t-a-n-c-e-s. Maybe if I spell it differently....
circomstances. Too weird!

Thanks for the support.  Before, when I've had to deal with depression, anxiety, and stress all piled on top of each other, the first thing I would do is run for the pantry.  I've found myself doing that again lately.  Luckily, I haven't gained more than about 5 lbs.  But those 5 pounds seem like a ton when combined with everything else.  I know some of it is self pity or whatever.  I still see that same overweight person a lot of the time when I look in the mirror and every wrong thing that I put in my mouth just makes me see her more.

I've been on Cymbalta before and it helped at first but then I noticed that I couldn't enjoy certain things so I stopped taking it because it was causing a lot of stress in my marriage.  Funny, but it was like I couldn't win for losing. 

One thing that helped before was keeping journal so I've decided to start that again and see if it helps. 

Again, thanks for listening and the words of encouragement.

Yes I keep falling off the wagon and stress and anxiety is the big issue for me. But comming here has helped
I refuse to take antidepressant so I have to rely on exercise and coming here, I agree with others wrote about declutter your life and simpy things and organize your home helps As far as work well not sure what is all going on with work but sometimes it is time to  find a new job and press forward. My  hubby stayed in a job 7 years he hated and was not tell they fired him did he get off his butt and find a new one and he said it was the best thing losing his job after 19 years with the company .He said said the new job he is making over 40k more in just 3 years and has had permotion after permotion and his self esteen has gone up. He jokes about it and  says i should send them a ty notice for FIRING ME , That job really affected his heath as well contributed to EXCESS  weight gain the 7 years he was in dept he gained 70 lbs, Life is to short to stay in a job  that is stressful. I will work on this everyday and do pep talks to myself and surround your self with other weight loss PEOPLE!!!
Also keep with postive people that has been a inspirstion being with someone that lifts me up. Everyone here  at A team are very valient people..
Lisa

Work is the main contributor of my stress.  I have been "promoted" without actually being promoted.  What that means is i get all the responsibility without the money or the increase in grade to show for it.  My boss keeps promising that he is working on the grade increase but I'm not sure how much i trust him so i'm working on looking for a promotion on another program.

So, all this responsibility that I"m not sure I am qualified to handle has really caused alot of anxiety. 

My husband works from home and his income is "iffy" sometimes so I am the main income in our house and that in itself is a lot of pressure so I really kind of need this increase.  And this may sound silly, but his working from home is a tension point in itself.  I like to be alone sometimes.  Just alone to do nothing or read or whatever.  That is my stress reliever.  But with him working at home, i can't just go home and veg because he's there and he is the sort of person who ,if he is around another person, he HAS to talk to them.  So, my place of relief has basically been taken away from me and i haven't been able to find another yet.

I know I'm being whiny but it does feel good to just vent.

Thanks.

Sounds like you are being taken advantage of in your job and that's a big no no!!!! You are over worked an under paid.... not good! Definitely demand a change ASAP or else let them know you will be forced to look for a new job where you will get paid for your services!

And you are not being whiney! I can totally relate to just wanting to have the house to yourself and some alone time just to veg out and do nothing. I can usually only achieve this if I lock myself in the bathroom or in my bedroom for a while. I have a houseful with 9 kids and a hubby! But sometimes I just need to slip away to the quiet local library and just sit in one of the comfy chairs there and read without any interruptions. Or I go to our local coffee house and sip on some coffee while I page through a good magazine. Again, it's a little alone time with no interruptions. Maybe you need to just slip away to a quiet place outside your home for a bit... or talk to your hubby and explain to him that you just need some time to unwind and be by yourself. Let him know that you are going into the bedroom or bathroom or another room in the house and you don't want to be bothered till after the timer goes off. Then you will be all his after that!

I did tell my boss the other day that I had applied for other positions that would be a promotion.  He keeps saying how he is trying to get me the increase but I'm of the opinion that until I see the paperwork its just hot air.  I don't have a lot of trust in him.  Most likely because my last male boss kinda screwed me over.  I had had only female bosses up until him and had never been happier. 

Wow.  9 kids.  You need the alone time far more than i do.

I have tried to explain that i just need to be alone.  He means well most of the time.  But he seems to have a pathological need to talk to someone if they within 50 feet.  He offers "mommy bath night" where i can go in and just relax in a hot bath but Sarah, my three year old daughter, is very clingy to me and is constantly coming in to "check on me"  Really very cute but kinda defeats the purpose.  She got her daddy's outgoing personality.  and then he'll come in to tell me about something cute she did or something he saw on the tv.  so i get about 5 minutes of peace before i just give up and invite Sarah to join me or give her the tub altogether.  I love my family but it still amazes me after nearly 10 years how different we are.

I'm gonna give the library idea a shot next week.  Well, Barnes and Noble actually.  Combines the coffee shop and comfy chairs in one.

Thanks.