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A Greying ol' Wombat has entered the fray

LawrieM
Community Member

Hi.

 Funnily enough, the title was the easy bit. According to the test I took a few hours ago, I am a fair weather traveller with regards to depression, Anxiety and anger, and low for alcohol and drugs, which is good to know. (Smoking doesn't count in this case LOL)

I know that I am not alone in these and that others are in higher strata, and yes I am still trying to put into words what exactly it is that is/are the causal reasons.

 Long-term employment, financial stress, home stress (as in I rent and the unit is again for sale and well, the rent is now a pain on a fortnightly basis, but as a loner I don't want to share) and that is probably another part of my 'problem'; I actually LIKE my loner status. It is a freedom but at the same time I am realising that it is also a contributing factor. I am also a (sort of) creature of habit, which means I can be bright and chirpy when dealing with folks I know, and withdraw into my shell as soon as the door is locked behind me.

I do volunteer work 3 days a week to keep DSS/Cenrelink/Human Resources happy and yes, I like it and the folks I meet and deal with there, but when I am in a funk (couldn't give a stuff about anything/too lazy to get into even my online game and it is not one of those Facebook thingies) I know that something somewhere is wrong.

Besides that, I am your normal Aussie male (as one of the lasses described me one day at the Volunteer place). Love the Rabbitohs, Swannies, Sydney uni or Randwick (depends on who's doing best LOL), the Green and Gold (all four), also Green Bay Packers (curse you Denver). Balding, loss of muscle tone.. you know, all the things ya gets once ya hits 60. I'll probably add stuff as I go on, but methinks that'll do for now.

 

3 Replies 3

white knight
Community Champion
Community Champion

Hi LawrieM, welcome

I'm struggling to find anything that you are actually asking help for.

If you can be more specific as to what this forum can assist you with, I';m sure you'll get a response.

Regards

Tony WK

Hi WK

Thanks for the welcome. Sorry to confuse you, but hey, that's me at times... confused.

My main problems are 'minor' depression and currently 'minor' anxiety. The reason for the '' is that I think I know what is causing them, as I have been through the 'cycle' once before with a depressive state and managed to get myself out of it as I had close friends and relatives to talk to about it. This time, well, Beyond Blue will hopefully be the spark that clarifies as I have become 'persona non gratis' family-wise and the friends are not as close by as they used to be, added to that is I can't easily get to them as epilepsy sorta cancels out driving a car.

The anxiety is more based on personal history and knowing that if I keep on worrying about my mental state I'll either have a major seizure or an anxiety attack which may or may not be the same as my major seizure as opposed to rapid pulse rate.

Having read through quite a few posts here and in the Depression area, I think that my main need/aim is just to talk, not necessarily about my depression/anxiety, with folks who are/have been/going through what I am experiencing at the moment. If that sounds arrogant, I apologise.

 

 

Hi Lawrie, no need to apologise.

I'm 59yo and struggled with anxiety, depression and even had a plan for suicide once only and once was too often. I was unaware up till 6 years ago that my mother likely has BPD (chronic) and being a child of such a parent it seems can download many mental illnesses to her child. I've read up a lot. Mother is in denial and some time ago my sister and I had to remove her from our lives....purely for sanity sake.

Illness meant over reaction and that meant many hurdles to jump. Relationships were never stable, motoring clubs were full of turmoil etc. Then in 2003 the answers all came out in one 90 minute interview with a brilliant psych. Depression, dysthymia, bipolar type 2 and dwindling anxiety. Medication prescribed was mood stabilisers and a small dose of anti depressants. I embarked on self help ideas that included a move to a country town large enough for facilities- train, hospital and supermarket but small enough for space, no loud music and loving the animals. We had an echidna here in company with ducks and 7 ducklings. Bliss.

But a move to the country was only the start. My other ideas were- reduce my Facebook friends by half, don't chase poor friendships, remove ALL toxic people from my life (yes even mother), continue relaxation techniques esp muscle tensioning exercises that really work, seek employment that is less stress and less contact with people, find the love of my life (I did and remarried in 2009), get a dog, go camping, expand my spirituality (google - "prem rawat maharaji sunset" and you'll see what I mean... and many others he has) and eventually "give" to others and that's where my regular contribution to this forum comes from.

So how am I today? Much better. Less ups and downs, happier, easier for some to get on with. I'm still fragile but I'm no longer an emotional wreck.

It isn't easy to accept our circumstances but we need to work towards that goal. We are a world made up of people with various handicaps and struggles. But there is one thing that has always helped me. My attendance at a positive motivation lecture in 1982 set me up forever to ultimately conquer any problem I believed there was no answer to...apart form a major hiccup in 1996. Apart from that I remain positive and that mode of thinking has been essential.

So seek out any event that might provide some change of thought patterns.

And keep reading the threads on this forum. A wealth of info here.

Tony WK