Finding Hope in the Haze: Conquering Depression and Tiredness

Finding hope in the haze: conquering depression and tiredness. Have you ever felt sadness and tiredness and just wanted to quit life? Not exist anymore. All in all, that’s how I felt most of my years growing up.

Meds and therapy were not helping. And my marriage was built on false hopes. Consequently, I got hooked on a med that made me feel like I was on top of the world.

Then it started crumbling…and fast. That med started working against me, it made me extremely anxious. Subsequently, the med was Artane for those of you who would like to know.

The 2007-08 crises hit, which made everything worse. I just literally wanted to die and tried many different times. But luckily, I’m still here to share my story with those who are in need of positivity.

Therefore, there is a better life when you wade through all the sadness and tiredness of depression. As they say “there IS light at the end of the tunnel.” I made it, so can you.

Causes of Fatigue and Depression

Finding hope in the haze: conquering depression and tiredness one day at a time. Depression and fatigue can have a bidirectional relationship, where one can cause the other and vice versa.

Accordingly, fatigue is a common symptom of depression, and chronic fatigue can increase the risk of depression.

Some potential causes of depression and fatigue include:

Sleep problems. Sleep is important for restoring the body and replenishing energy. Basically, insomnia and other sleep disorders can make fatigue worse, and people who are tired may not have the motivation to do daily activities.
Mental health issues. Additionally, stress, grief, anxiety, and boredom can all cause fatigue.
Life events. Sad or unexpected events like the death of a loved one, job loss, or a traumatic experience can trigger depression.
Medications. Also, some medications, including those used to treat depression, can cause fatigue.
Other health conditions. Thyroid problems, anemia, and fibromyalgia can all cause fatigue and depression.

Right now, I’m having sleep issues because of the movements from Parkinson’s. So that’s not helping my anxiety any (or the depression).

I try to keep a positive attitude but it’s not alway’s easy, especially because of the anxiety. The tiredness from not sleeping is also making it difficult.

Depression Symptoms Tiredness

Finding hope in the haze: conquering depression and tirednesswith every step.

Depression can cause severe fatigue and make the simplest activities, such as getting out of bed, too difficult to manage.

According to a 2018 report, fatigue affects more than 90% of people with major depressive disorder.

Depression is a serious mental disorder that can affect anyone. Symptoms can vary from person to person, but some common ones include:

Firstly, Mood: Feeling sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, or irritable
Energy: Feeling tired, slowed down, or lacking energy
Sleep: Having trouble sleeping, waking up too early, or oversleeping
Appetite: Experiencing changes in appetite or weight, such as loss or gain
Additionally, Activities: Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed, such as hobbies, sports, or sex
Concentration: Having difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
Physical symptoms: Experiencing physical aches and pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause
Lastly, Thoughts: Having thoughts of death or suicide, or attempting suicide

Right now, I’m not in a deep depression, but I can feel it knocking at the door. I’m afraid if I don’t get my sleep corrected, it will show up uninvited.

Depression Anxiety and Fatigue

Generally, anxiety is a normal human emotion that virtually everyone will experience from time to time.

However, when it’s experienced chronically due to an anxiety disorder, it can have a variety of negative impacts on daily functioning and both physical and mental health. One of these potential effects is fatigue and issues related to sleep.

Altogether, fatigue, or excessive tiredness, is correlated with anxiety disorders as a common symptom.

The fatigue-anxiety relationship can be explained this way: Fatigue often increases as anxiety does, and vice versa.

Emphatically, increasing fatigue can make daily functioning difficult and may significantly impact a person’s ability to manage their symptoms, exacerbating fatigue and anxiety.

Eventually depression can creep into this equation also. When there’s no sleep and too much anxiety, depression rears it’s ugly head and takes some time to recover.

Treatment For Depression and Tiredness

Here are 5 habits I gave up to overcome depression…

The habit of expecting to always feel good

Finding hope in the haze: conquering depression and tiredness with these habits. There is no such thing as having the perfect mood ALL the time. Just doesn’t happen. Your going to have down days, that’s just part of life.

Therefore, these are the days that you learn about yourself. You learn how resilient you are by bringing yourself out of that dark mood.

Hence, if you think of suicide during these dark days, you learn that your life is worth saving and living for. God put you on earth to do great things, but he also tests you from time to time.

You will learn that there ARE people who love you and want to help you no matter how hard you push them away.

So you see, you have to learn from the bad days to enjoy and enrich your life to get to the good days. Keep fighting on!

The habit of refusing to forgive

At length, the hard lesson I had to learn was forgiving myself. I could forgive others, but not myself. I tried to be perfect. Make no mistakes.

When I made a mistake, the anxiety in me would ruminate it over and over. “How could I be so ignorant?” “I’ll never forgive myself.” Over and over relentlessly.

Hence, I knew I was going down a path to destruction and I wanted a different path. So, if I made a mistake, I would remind myself that everyone makes mistakes.

I would make it a point to say in my mind “Your human. Your going to make mistakes.” I forgave myself for each mistake and it gradually changed my outlook on my life.

The habit of expecting the people that we love to fully understand

Finding hope in the haze: conquering depression and tirednesswith full understanding. Furthermore, nobody will fully understand you.

Even sometimes you don’t understand yourself. That’s life. They may try because they care about you.

Don’t alway’s expect understanding no matter how hard you explain your feeling’s or the situation to everyone.

Indeed, not everyone is going to get it if they have never experienced it for themselves. Sometimes experience is the only way to comprehend.

The habit of thinking that life will only go from bad to worse

Depression will do that to you. Further, you twist something bad into something even worse. Life, itself, is not that bad, but if you look at it like that, you’re just making it worse.

Even more, don’t take that step down into that rabbit hole. Turn around and go back up the way you came. You’ll find life get’s a lot easier as the days pass.

If you keep going down the hole, it only leads to the end of your life. I know you truely don’t want that. You’re just trying to find the light, but it’s not down there.

Only far worse things happen further in that hole. Believe me, you don’t want to know what those things are. Explicitly, despair, loneliness, worthlessness, and self-loathing are just a few emotions.

The habit of wanting to control everything

Finding hope in the haze: conquering depression and tiredness with every step. Noneteless, nobody has control over everything or everyone, for that matter.

They might like to think they do, but no. I know why you want to contol everything.

So, you don’t have to feel those emotions that bring you down…or make you have those bad days. But if you don’t experience the bad days, you’ll never learn how to cope with the “bad” emotions.

If you learn, you’ll become a better person for it. Other people will want to be around you and be your friend.

Another thing, don’t isolate. That is absolutely the worst thing to do. I’m doing that now, but I wish I could be around other people and talk to them.

Occasionally, I’ll go to the store just to do that very same thing. Makes me feel good about myself. I wish I had a job for the same reasons.

Medication for Depression and Fatigue

Some antidepressants can help with depression and fatigue, but they can also cause fatigue as a side effect, especially during the firest few weeks of treatment. Some antidepressants that may be prescribed for depression and fatigue include:

SNRIs. These antidepressants, which include venlafaxine (Effexor), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), duloxetine (Cymbalta), and levomilnacipran (Fetzima), may be a first-choice option for patients with significant fatigue or pain. Overall, SNRIs are thought to work by increasing serotonin and norepinephrine levels, which can help with alertness and focus. However, SNRIs can also cause fatigue.
SSRIs. These antidepressants, which include citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft), are also sometimes prescribed for depression and fatigue. However, SSRIs can also cause fatigue.
Tricyclics. These antidepressants, which include amitriptyline (Elavil), desipramine (Norpramin), and notriptyline (Pamelor), are often prescribed for chronic fatigue. However, some tricyclics, like amitriptyline, can make you feel tired and sleepy.
Atypical antidepressants. These antidepressants, which include bupropion (Wellbutrin XL), are sometimes given for their energizing effects in combination with other antidepressants.

Depression Tired of Life

Finding hope in the haze: conquering depression and tiredness with people who love you. In any event, being tired of life is a very terrible feeling.

It’s a lonely, dark existence. I was at that point several times, but thought there has to be more to life than this.

When you make that final decision to turn your life around, the sun starts shining more. The depression slowly starts to crumble and you feel like you’re having an awakening.

Born once again. Hence, life is so much easier and happier when you’re on the right side. Being on the wrong side makes you feel…dirty with despair and all the other emotions.

I was in a depression for so long that that was all I knew. That was my life. Likewise, that was going to be my future. I didn’t know how to act any differently.

Then, I made a connection to one person who literally saved my life (more than once). He doens’t know it, but I bet he does now.

Depression and Chronic Fatigue

Notwithstanding, depression and chronic fatigue go hand in hand. All you feel like doing is sleeping, that way you don’t have to deal with life itself.

I have chronic fatigue because I have a lot of things going wrong with my body. But, I’m not letting it control my mind like I used to let it do in the past.

Since that fateful day I decided I was no longer going to abide by depression’s or anxiety’s rules, I broke free of those chains. Therefore, my life (emotionally) has greatly improved.

Presently, I still have bad day’s, but not like they were when I was in that rabbit hole. They’re tolerable. And I know the next day that comes is going to be better.

Sum It All Up

Finding hope in the haze: conquering depression and tiredness in despair and grief. So, if you say “depression makes me tired,” just know that the future doesn’t have to be like that.

You can change it with that one decision to retaliate against depression and anxiety.

For this reason, you just have to find that inner strength (I know you have it) and crush the hold that depression and anxiety has on you.

Given that, I can’t tell you enough how much brighter life is on this side. I want you to see it for yourself. My wish is that I’m a beacon of hope for you. Until next time…

Articles About Depression and Tiredness

-Why does depression make you feel tired?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322264

-Is It Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Depression?

https://www.webmd.com/depression/cfs-vs-depression

-Understanding The Cycle Of Fatigue And Anxiety

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/anxiety/the-relationship-between-anxiety-and-fatigue

Have a Good One,

Cindee Murphy, One Voice In The Vastness Of Emotions

“We must understand that sadness is an ocean, and sometimes we drown, while other days we are forced to swim.” ― R.M. Drake

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” ― Louisa May Alcott, “Little Women”

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” ― James Baldwin

“There are moments when I wish I could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but I have a feeling that if I did, the joy would be gone as well. So I take the memories as they come, accepting them all, letting them guide me whenever I can.” ― Nicholas Sparks, “Dear John”