I was chatting with someone earlier about tiredness being a symptom of depression, and how we both try to keep ourselves busy to cope... but then I remebered a conversation with a counsellor years ago, who pointed out that sometimes tiredness is just because you're tired, and you need to rest. The trouble with a diagnosis like depression is that you start interpreting everything in terms of that diagnosis.
Which got me thinking - because I work full-time as well as studying for a Masters degree, and do dance classes as well as run 3 or 4 times a week (well, it's the Xmas hols now, but that's my usual schedule)... if someone else was doing that I'd probably say to them that if they're tired perhaps it's because they're doing so much.
So, my question is, how do you know when tiredness is because of depression (and keeping busy can be a useful) and when it is because you're tired (and should rest)?
Do you think there's a danger of interpreting everything in terms of mental health diagnosis?
I agree that it can be so easy to interpret everything in terms of your mental health. Maybe if you took a day to rest, or even had a nap for a couple of hours, then if you felt better afterwards it might be more likely that it's just everyday tiredness? Merry Christmas back!
I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much.
Don't try to calm the storm, calm yourself, the storm will pass.
I get different types of tired. I get body tired AND mind tired. That's when I know i'm not depressed tired. But I also get mind tired and it feels like my whole head is broken. That's depressed tired. It's taken me sooooo long to realise the difference and I think i'm much better because of it. I can tell when I need to rest physically (a good nights sleep) and I can tell when I need to take a step out of life and give myself space for my mind to rest. It takes alot of time to learn though.
*cuddles*
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
I found it hard to tell the difference, but sometimes what used to help me was if someone asked me why I was tired - if they said "you look tired, are you feeling bad?" my reaction to them asking would help me figure it out for myself. If that makes any sense at all. Which I don't think it does! Like one_step_closer says, maybe try and give yourself a break for a while and then see how you feel after?
When I have depression, I get very tired. I read somewhere that some depressed people get insomnia (not sleeping), and other's get hypersomnia (sleeping too much). With me, I'm definately the hypersomnia type. When my depression is bad I sleep on and off most of the day and night and days really blur into each other and I have trouble understanding what is real and what is dreams.
Quote:
Which got me thinking - because I work full-time as well as studying for a Masters degree, and do dance classes as well as run 3 or 4 times a week (well, it's the Xmas hols now, but that's my usual schedule)... if someone else was doing that I'd probably say to them that if they're tired perhaps it's because they're doing so much.
It's a good idea to think of it as what would you say if it was another person. Often we have different standards for ourselves, than for others. I am a total perfectionist. And something I'd say was good if someone else did it, I'd say it's rubbish if I did it. Sometimes my standards for myself are very unrealistic. It's useful to take a step back.
well, I had a sleep this afternoon! Though I felt less achey physically afterwards I felt very low emotionally - but then it's Xmas and a long weekend on my own, perhaps I would have felt that bad if I hadn't slept. And I guess it could be a bit of both - the depression tirednss and everyday tiredness
hellohefalump - It's not so much the sleeping, more tiredness/feeling exhausted. I try not to sleep during the day because then I don't sleep well at night. Plus I hate that time before I get to sleep when I can't distract myself and all I do is think...
For me sometimes I find [often in hind sight though] that before I get really depressed mood-wise; that I will for a week or too be incredibly tired mentally and physically.... more than normal. More like just feeling drained... and not being able to push myself. I can push myself past normal tiredness... but not depression-related tiredness very easily.
I think it's sometimes hard to tell whether it's normal tiredness or related to depression as everyone has their baseline levels of energy that are different. And sometimes when you're in the midst of it it's harder to get a sense of what normal for you really is.
Don't know if that makes sense... but hope so.
Merry Christmas Andrea! and everyone else on here too!! :)
Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness.
Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. ~ Scott Adams
For me, i noticed the extreme tiredness when i was sleeping 19 hours a day and still felt tired after it. This carried on continuously for two weeks. I totally understand what you mean, you begin thinking that every headache etc is because of depression. Then again, we're both pretty similar as i dance and teach 4 times a week as well as school, and half of the time i think i only get through it because of adrenalin. I've ended up taking a break from the dancing to see if it makes a difference to help find out whether its doing too much or otherwise.
I know 'doing' is one of my coping strategies, as you say the adrenalin can carry me through a lot of the time. But there comes a point when it might be counter-productive.
I get tired of 'managing' myself all the time, of surviving not living... but I guess everyone here is in that situation
I'm always exhausted no matter how much sleep ive had. It's not like normal yawny tired it's like your limbs feel achy and you feel you cant even move your so exhausted in all your muscles.
I think with any kind of constant exhaustion you should seek medical attention anyway because it could be a varying amount of other things as well as a symptom of your depression.
I know my tiredness is related to depression ( and possible thyroid problems) because I do nothing and still feel awful. Your counseller says you have to have a rest , nut thats the thing when depressed or anxious you cant really have a rest as your constantly in that place.
But I being poor have only my dreams, I have spread my dreams under your feet ; tread softly as you tread on my dreams.
We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars.
The trouble is that I only have emergency medical cover - and it doesn't cover mental health at all. I can access counselling through work, but then work's involved and I worry about boundaries & confidentiality etc
Well if you are feeling tired it may not be because of mental health it could be down to other things things like underactive thyroid etc are considered as emergencies as if they are left can cause serious health problems so if you go in just saying you are tired then tests may be taken accordingly. Usually there if free counselling avaliable in some way through charities otherwise your university where you study your masters is likely to have some kind of counselling service and possible free health care.
But I being poor have only my dreams, I have spread my dreams under your feet ; tread softly as you tread on my dreams.
We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars.
The tiredness is not a new thing, not that I've ever been to the doctor to discuss tiredness as such, but probably with my medical history they'd just say 'depression'.
I'm studying by distance learning...! If I went back to the UK I'd be eligible for health care, but that would mean a major disruption of everything I've built here, including a job I love. I think that would be worse than the depression. Plus, I spent 15 years having 'health care' and to be honest it wasn't much of an answer - finding a job that motivates me and keeping busy have been far more effective.
Perhaps I should use the counselling through work... but I've seen so many counsellors and it hasn't made much difference...
The tired's feel different. I've done very little this whole week, yet I feel completely exhausted. But not how I normally feel when it's just time to go to sleep or get some rest. There are a lot of times I can think of when it'd be harder to tell, though.
In short, sleep helps with overactive / busy / physically needing rest-type tiredness, but not with depressed-tired.
When I sleep 6+ hours, get up, eat something, and retreat to bed within an hour or two of getting up, that's depressed-tired. I won't be able to stay awake, and even if I do, my body will be leaden and useless. If I wake up and can function then the sleep was probably the rest that relieves physical tiredness.
Candy Tetris
Mahjong
Othello
Mumu
