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Belongs to: Therapist want to be Happy. By NF
Ooo this one, I’m on two new medications and I feel normal for the first time in forever, but it’s almost miserable because you really do get used to being depressed and getting to feel happy at all feels so foreign! I almost feel like I’m struggling more being happy than I was depressed @heartsupport
I can totally relate to your post. Super happy the medication is helping with your mental health. There a few days I feel sad when taking the medication. I’m pretty happy most of the time with medication for 2-4months. Just remember that medication is a temporary tool. You have to fight depression. What hobbies and interests makes you happy?
Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your experience! Having new experiences can be unsettling especially after feeling a certain way for so long. It can almost feel like being an alien inside our own body. I totally understand how feeling depressed can be more comfortable than experiencing something totally new and unknown. Taking things one day, one moment at a time can be helpful as we settle in to new feelings and thoughts that seem awkward at first. You will get through this because you are strong and resilient. We are here for you as you navigate these new feelings and we are rooting for you!
I hear you saying that you’re not used to feeling happy, so now that you do, you don’t know what to do with it. However, adjustment takes time. One day being happy will be your new normal. What now feels strange and awkward and like living in someone else’s body, will soon feel like your day to day. As much as it feels strange, it is so good to have this happiness returned to you! It could feel like if you fast from sugar and then have something sweet, and it just doesn’t taste as good anymore because your tastebuds have changed. Even though you aren’t used to the sensation of sweetness, that doesn’t make it less sweet or desireable. In time, you will enjoy and accept happiness again. In the meantime, give grace to yourself because you went from utter darkness to now letting some light in. This is a process that is uncomfortable and takes time. Take it step by step and day by day. We’re here for you and are so glad you reached out for support in this!
Thank you for opening up to us, I’m so glad to hear you’ve been experiencing such positive mood changes! The feeling of “normal” after such long bouts of overwhelming sadness truly feels like night and day. As much as it shifts our whole perception of reality, that ray of hope that shatters our depressive cycles makes all the difference.
I completely understand how being happy is far from easy, it is much more of a struggle than the familiarity that comes with depression. The best advice I can give you from my personal experience is that you are NOT alone with this struggle. Trying to take back control of my life and thoughts after having severe depressive episodes has been something that’s been nothing short of an uphill battle. I have found that I would so much rather struggle while happy then be complacently depressed. This journey is not always easy, but it is always rewarding.
I’m so proud of you and where you are at, there is such joy in the foreign. Think of all the new emotions, memories, positive affirmations, and other good and unfamiliar things that this new mindset has to offer you. This is just the tip of the iceberg of all of the joy that will fall upon you. Sending so much love and support as you go on. You are so loved <3