Mental Health Monday

I continue to struggle w/a depressive state that dates back to before Christmas. I think that it's been exacerbated by my diagnosis of heart disease & the insertion of 3 stents in March. My nurse practitioner agrees.

Here is information I found in "Depression After a Cardiac Event or Diagnosis" from the American Heart Association (heart.org).

"It makes sense that someone would be sad after being diagnosed w/or while recovering from heart disease. But how long it lasts, & how debilitating it becomes, indicates whether someone is processing natural feelings (such as general sadness or fear of facing mortality) or slipping into a depressed state . . . If you are one of those people who just can't get it going anymore--you don't feel like getting out of bed & facing the day or you are irritable all the time--those are signs that your response is depressive.

"The best indication:  Do you have the same zest for life you used to have? [Author's emphasis]

" . . . The best ways to treat depression are counseling, medication or--in many cases--both . . . Patients may be taught ways to relax & relieve stress, such as breathing treatments or meditation. A variety of mood-lifting medicines are another common option . . . "

My comments:

• I'm having difficulty feeling motivated to get ANYTHING accomplished; also experiencing general apathy & some feelings of hopelessness; so I think my heart factors are contributing to my depressive state.
• If you think the comments above describe your mood & behavior these days, it may be time to see a health care professional.
• My psychiatric nurse provider, whom I saw last week, indicated that a heart patient can struggle w/feelings of depression for as long as 6 months. That means that I could have a few months to go before I find myself slipping out of this cycle. That in itself is depressing.
• I just had one of my psychotropic meds bumped up & another may be bumped up in about 2 weeks.
• I see my mental health therapist again this week. (It's been a few weeks.)
• I need to persevere w/behaviors that have helped me cope w/my depression & anxiety:  writing (daily journaling & blogging & writing for Orphan Grain Train); daily "quiet time," including meditation on God's Word; exercise (transitioning from cardiac rehab to cardiac maintenance, beginning today).

Dept. of Shameless Joke Stealing

From "late laughs" in Norfolk Daily News (5/11):  "I saw that this week the Vatican is offering a class on exorcisms. It's the only class where the guy in front of you cheats off your paper by turning his head around 180 degree." The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

Food for Thought

From NDN (5/7):  "Wisconsin man eats his 30,000th Big Mac. A retired Wisconsin prison guard has eaten his 30,000th Big Mac, nearly 46 years after eating his first . . . Gorske said he's eaten at least one Big Mac almost every day since 5/17/72. He has kept most of the boxes or receipts or has made specific notes in calendars that he's kept . . . Gorske said he just loves hamburgers, & he said his cholesterol & blood pressure are normal."  COMMENT:  I really like Big Macs, too, but if I started eating one every day, it would take me until age 111 to eat 30,000.

Thought for Today

BROTHERLY LOVE

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.” Ps. 133:1

“Brothers & sisters are a gift from God by means of both similarities & differences, by both supporting & challenging each other. Holding each other before God in prayer can help us receive what God intends to give us through that sister or brother.” At the Crossroads: Devotions for Lent, by David Kehret, Creative Communications for the Parish, 2016.