Comments on: It’s Only a Passing Storm

By: Keeping the Gators Fed: Why I Crave Horror Movies (and Running) | Linden's Pensieve

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:57:05 +0000

[...] on the other hand, is how I deal with all other sources of mental illness. Stress. Depression. Temptation. Anxiety. Insomnia. Running (or getting my heart rate up in whatever way possible) [...]

By: xgravity23

xgravity23 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:51:10 +0000

@Beth – I didn’t really tell anyone… It’s hard enough to admit to yourself that you’re depressed and don’t know why! But I’ll tell you next time.

By: xgravity23

xgravity23 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:48:40 +0000

@Charity - Yeah, I'm with you on keeping organization. If my surroundings are organized, I can deal with the emotions better, but the catch-22 is that I don't feel like maintaining that order when I'm depressed. I guess that's why it's good to understand what makes you tick, right? Ha ha, and isn't it nice to have a spouse who balances you out well? :)

By: xgravity23

xgravity23 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:46:25 +0000

@ww - That is a great idea, ww, thanks for sharing! And I love that it serves a dual purpose: gets you to work, and exposes you to new music!

By: xgravity23

xgravity23 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:45:44 +0000

@Jill -
Thanks, me too! I think that was part of my problem–I was just letting myself get too worked up and with all the time I had on my hands during the summer break, it was so easy to just give in. Now I that life is more structured, it’s much easier to keep my mind focused and limit the “fretting” time I have.

By: One Is Silver, The Other Gold | Linden's Pensieve

One Is Silver, The Other Gold | Linden's Pensieve — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:05:58 +0000

[...] blog post dedicated to helping me not to feel forgotten. You can see it even on this blog: When I open up about something very personal and potentially embarrassing, my friends encourage [...]

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:29:30 +0000

Hey Lindy,

I’m glad you’re feeling better! I’m also the type that likes to keep busy with a full routine, otherwise I start to overanalyze and work myself up. It’s been a bit of a trial getting used to a normal 8-5 rather than the hectic grad school life I got used to living.

By: ww

ww — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:41:37 +0000

I admire you so much for making this post, and I’m really glad that you’re feeling better these days.

My newest motivational technique comes from the oldie-but-goodie operant conditioning. I have made a deal with myself that whenever I work for at least an hour on a certain large academic project I have going on I will allow myself to buy a new mp3 that day. I figure this only costs me about $5 a week and it hopefully helps me get over the hump when working seems a little too overwhelming… and I’ve gotten some cool music lately! And once I get going for an hour, it’s not so hard to do two hours or so.

By: Charity

Charity — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:05:54 +0000

First – thanks for having the courage to share!

I struggle more with anxiety than depression, much of it I see now was PTSD induced, but there’s an element that is just part of who I am. In any event, I have learned over the past 4 years what helps to keep/get me calm. Most of the time it’s keeping my physical surroundings in order (though sometimes that’s not possible) and I have learned to approach problems (real or otherwise) by dissecting them into manageable pieces. I often do this by creating a list – or several.

My husband is just about the complete opposite when it comes to stress and anxiety, so he tempers me a great deal. After a few hyper-planned and crazy-busy “vacations” – we were able to both agree that no plans would be much more of a vacation. So now, we rarely plan any trip (beyond tickets and a hotel) and almost always pack at the last minute. By the same token, he understands how a

Also – I have recently learned that keeping an orderly closet (which means promptly dealing with the laundry) helps keep me calmer in the morning and get me to places on time (or closer to it).

By: Beth

Beth — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:55:03 +0000

Linden, I didn’t know you were depressed, and I am sorry you have to go through this. :(

On the other hand, I am glad you know yourself well enough to figure out strategies to help you cope and feel better each day!