Frostbite

We have this pretty little red maple in our yard. Last year, or maybe year before last, I almost cut it down. By early spring it still had no leaves, no buds. It spent all spring and summer without the means to care for itself, or so I thought. It turns out it had been frost bitten. It wasn't dead, only stunned.

The same thing happened to me. I almost cut me down. I almost died. I spent all spring but thankfully not all summer without the means to care for myself. Lucky for me, I had people around me to help out. I spent 10 out of the 30 days of May in the hospital undergoing treatment for severe depression. I'll use this blog to explore what happened, share what I've learned. My ahem...THERAPIST...has recommended it. She wrote it on my list :)

#1 Stuff to eat

Berries

Beans

Broccoli

Spinach

Yogurt

Oranges

Green Tea

Walnuts

Turkey

Salmon



#2 Exercise

Yoga!



#3 Journal



She made me the list because I'm recovering nicely and slowly but still having trouble with short term memory. I suppose I'm getting an early taste of what it will be like about 20 years or so from now. I'm so lucky :) So glad this happened to me. The changes that this experience has made in me have been profound. I don't worry about stuff any more. I'm not working now, won't be till at least September, and don't give a hoot. We're living on savings and have the house up for sale. We'll downsize and live more simply. I've never been so happy.

You see these commercials on TV about depression. From time to time you probably think to yourself, "I'm depressed". If you think you're depressed, you might be but from my experience when you're truly, debilitatingly, totally depressed, you can't think at all. You need people to help you think. Nobody at the hospital ever came out and told me what I was being treated for and I think that was a good thing. I needed to figure it out for myself. The treatment is a series of blog entries in and of themselves.

Mine will be an unusual account of depression, told in retrospect and with humor and spices and a warped, morbid sense of humor. Those of you who know me will see in that statement that I'm better. Thank you to everyone who has been there for me and thank you to strangers who stop by and read this. I hope it helps someone else.