topic Boomer depression. in Depression

Boomer depression.

Levelup — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 01:39:12 GMT

Hello, I would like to share with you what I am feeling/observing now.

Much too soon the black dog is on my tail. I had hoped for a longer break. In these early stages one has moments of clarity. - There is something wrong in my mind/head. There are triggers, there are always triggers but something has clicked on or off in my head. Now I must contend with the black dog.

Re: Boomer depression.

Psychdiaries2 — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 08:30:06 GMT

Hi there,

Welcome back to the forums and I'm glad you're here. I'm sorry to hear your struggle and I understand it can feel very heavy and isolating at times. I'm curious what exactly is going on here in terms of your triggers if you don't mind sharing some more. I think a common myth about mental health struggles is that there's something wrong with us but I don't think that's true. We're humans having a human experience and struggling-that's ok. It's not our fault when we struggle with our minds, in fact sometimes our minds can be really hard on us and telling us all thoughts of things that are not true. I relate to the feeling that 'something has clicked on or off in my head'. Sometimes it seems like there's a switch that changes how you feel or think. I'm not sure if all this resonates with you but hope that you can feel a little comforted by knowing that you're not alone and other people relate.

Hope to hear from you soon if you're comfortable sharing more.

Take care,

PsychDiaries

Re: Boomer depression.

therising — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 19:27:49 GMT

Hi Levelup

My heart goes out to you so much. It's so hard to face the distant bark of the black dog drawing nearer, while forever longing for it to just disappear. It can feel like such a form of torture at times.

As a 56yo gal and a long time cycler when it comes to the ins and outs of depression, I used to believe there was something wrong with me. I often wondered 'Why can I never just be happy. Why do I keep becoming depressed?'. It took me decades to finally realise there was never anything 'wrong' with me. When I began to look at the basic nature of each cycle, I hit on the mind blowing revelation that they all worked the same.

Not sure if it's relatable but if you imagine the cycle as a clock face

At 12 o'clock everything's fine, even great at times
By quarter past there's the feeling of coming out of the fineness or greatness
Beyond quarter past you can start to really feel the downshift. With the down shift comes a sense of dread (dreading the most depressing part while wondering if you'll ever come out of it). For me personally, inner dialogue can shift and the inner critic and other so called 'inner demons' can become brutal tormentors
At half past there's the 'hell on earth' phase. A lot of self questioning can become a factor. 'What's wrong with me, why am I so hopeless? What the point in all of this?' and on and on it goes
Then the up shift starts to kick in. Through a lot of the questioning, revelations can begin to come to mind. Greater clarity starts to become a factor. Everything starts to make more sense. I've found this can also include a time of anger in some cases. Questioning the anger with myself or with others regarding the depressing factors I've been facing can lead to further revelations
By quarter to there can be the feeling of entering into the last quarter while the anger lessens, based on calmer more uplifting or inspiring revelations
At about 5 to 12 it's about having 1)felt what's depressing, 2)sat with what's depressing, 3)questioned what's depressing and 4)made sense of a lot of it
By 12 o'clock, there's a liberating sense of graduation to a whole new level of self understanding and then the cycle begins again based on a new trigger or challenge that will eventually lead us to develop and understand ourself even better

If you now imagine turning that clock face on it's side (so it appears horizontally), I'd say the most liberating revelation when it comes to cycling involves realising it's not about going 'round and 'round but going 'round on a new and slightly higher level. In other words we're constantly cycling upwards each time we go around. It's an absolute mongrel of a way to evolve and can feel so incredibly brutal at times, that's for sure. We can get stuck in a part of the cycle for days, weeks, months or even years. Not a fan of the years factor. Got stuck in the darkest part of one for about 15 years.

I've found that it's within the break from the hard work of evolving through the dark parts that the moments of clarity come and there can be a sense of urgency. 'Okay, while everything's clear, I'm going to make sense of as much as possible before the next depressing or potentially depressing challenge takes me for a deep dive, where I'm led to make sense of the next lot of muck I'm going to be clearing'. It can pay to keep a 'much needed revelations' journal, for we can't always easily recall our much needed revelations, especially when we really need them.

I have to say I love your name, by the way. While life constantly challenges us to go next level up, every graduation point comes with a test of what we're learning or what we've learned. Some times in life can feel far more testing than others. While you're still somewhat in a state of clarity and self observation, is there something you're being challenged to learn about yourself or someone else in your life? I've found it's often the trigger/s that offer the clues.

Re: Boomer depression.

RisingPhoenix84 — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 22:27:38 GMT

Hi there,

It sounds like you are going through a tough time at the moment, and you have noticed "the black dog" on your tail and now you must contend with the "black dog." You mentioned triggers and moments of clarity. It sounds like you have awareness and can notice when the black dog appears in your life. What are the triggers? What does the black dog represent to you, what are the messages?

How have you navigated this before? What helps to keep the black dog away or to at least keep it tame?

Re: Boomer depression.

Levelup — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 20:33:00 GMT

Thankyou RisingPhoenix84 and therising and Psychdiaries2.

I am grateful for your fellowship. At this time of vulnerability and humiliation your responses were good.

After my last bout I resolved to go to the gym for 6 months. It has been 6 months (strangely), I feel better for it and better prepared. My initial post was me stamping my foot, I really was hoping for a longer break but depression does what it wants.

I am one of those that believe in 'triggers' not everyone does!

I know mine, well, I know of them. They always surprise me. In this case a recent event which just rocked my world. I am hoping to regain my balance and your responses have helped. Fond regards Levelup

Re: Boomer depression.

therising — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 21:08:33 GMT

Hi Levelup

Yes, triggers, I can completely relate. I can also relate to occasionally questioning 'What the hell is this one about?'. When you start digging deep while mining for gold nuggets (aka 'revelations'), those Eureka moments are like a godsend. They kind of liberate you in a way. For example 'Until now, I wasn't conscious of not only how degrading that person can be but also how I can actually feel degradation'. A major nugget in relation to being able to feel the behaviour or nature of others. A little torturous at times but still quite the ability.

While I'm not a fan of the triggers that can really come to test our mining abilities, I'm grateful when it comes to them leading to a gold strike 😊

Re: Boomer depression.

RisingPhoenix84 — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:03:08 GMT

Hi Levelup,

Thank you for reaching out. Yes triggers, we all have them whether we are conscious of them or not. Some do surprise us, but yes like The Rising said they do show us where we may still have some work to do. A moment to hold self-compassion, to look a little deeper, to be more patient and kind to ourselves.

I don't know if you like to write, however having a journal for when you are going through these times can help just to get your thoughts and emotions out on paper. It may provide further insight into your triggers, as well as your strengths and even some solutions on how to manage those triggers.

It sounds like you are riding the waves of the depression. Going to the gym is a wonderful way to release some of that energy. Sometimes even a walk will do. Know that you have support here in the forum.