Feeling down

Anonymous95
Community Member

For the past few weeks I have felt really down, so much so I don’t want to get out of bed anymore or do anything. It takes me a long time to get motivation to do anything and then once I start it takes me longer then usual to finish the task. I have being up to my neck in school work and work.

Two weeks ago I fractured my thumb in a game of rugby and it has left me in a splint unable to do anything with my hand. I’m generally a very independent person and now that I can only use one hand I find myself asking for so much help and I feel bad about it.

Normally in the winter or colder seasons I do feel a bit down sometimes but it has never gotten this bad before to the extent where everyone around me is worrying about me and I don’t feel like myself.

I just took the beyond blue checklist on depression and got 38 and 13 on the anxiety checklist.

I was wondering if anyone had any ways they could recommend to help me relax or just even things that I should do to try and make me happier.

thank you

1 Reply 1

RainbowSunshine
Community Member

Hey Anon! I'm like really new to these forums but I can respect that not being able to use your hand would be quite frustrating and annoying, and not wanting to get out of bed is something that I wouldn't want to wish on anyone. You have good self-awareness and courage just by posting here!

Since you say that you're struggling with school work, firstly I'd encourage you to talk to any of the welfare team at your school, a school counselor or a supportive teacher about your feelings and lack of motivation. They'll definitely give you some methods of coping and hopefully make your schoolwork load less stressful. And also, seeking help is never an issue or a bad thing, no matter how much your mind tries to convince you! I've personally had a lot of trouble with accepting that seeking help is okay since I'm a very independent person, and it takes a while to get there, but keep encouraging yourself to accept that help is actually a really good thing.

Some positive things that I like to do when I'm feeling totally unmotivated is to go back through some childhood things. Sounds a bit strange, but sometimes I like to read the books that I used to love as a child and go through some of the games I used to play because it connects me to my inner child and it gives me a lot of energy. Might not work for everyone but it's worth a try! Even though it takes a bit of commitment, another thing I like to do is clean or organise my room, because it gives me a sense of achievement and it just makes me feel really good to see all that clutter gone. It's something that you can congratulate yourself on! To relax, I really like to just throughout the day at random times (or times when you're specifically feeling anxious) focus completely on my breath. Mentally notice when you're inhaling and exhaling, try to take some conscious deep breaths first and then simply notice your breath without controlling it, it's worked quite well for me in the past!

Also last thing, have you ever researched about Seasonal Affective Disorder? Since you say that you feel a bit down in the colder seasons, you may have depression that correlates with the seasons. I'm not a therapist at all but it might be a possibility, so maybe talk to a professional therapist about that if you feel that it's relevant?

You're amazing and you got this anon!