by Stacy Hensley

Created on: May 12, 2009

Depression affects every aspect of your daily life. The best way to explain it is by saying that it sucks the life right out of you. Things that were once important to you now seem like they are a world away. Your daily life becomes almost non-existent. In many cases, you do what you have to do, and that is it. Your life is void of any excitement or motivation. You sink deeper and deeper into a dark hole that you have created for yourself.

I'm sure many of you are wondering, how could this happen? It can start when you experience any one or a combination of these situations, like financial problems, the death of someone you were close to, losing a job, or as it was in my case, a separation or divorce. This traumatic experience becomes something you just can not deal with. From there, you decide that you do not want to have to deal with anything else either, this is where the isolation begins. You start telling your friends you can not go out, you make excuses to miss family functions, and sometimes you stop communicating with friends and family completely.

The bedroom was my safe haven. I spent almost a year of my life in that room. I was very lucky and had a loving man in my life that was there for my children. But the fact that I neglected my parental responsibilities is something that I do not know if I can ever forgive myself for.

I knew I needed help, but would talk myself out of it because I did not want to leave my "safe place". Eventually, I took the steps needed to get help. It was not an easy thing for me to do, but I knew I had to for myself and my kids. You can do it too!

If you are experiencing depression, take the needed steps to get help now. It will be the best thing you could ever do for yourself and your family. Visit your physician or a counselor and be totally honest with them about everything you have been feeling. Holding back information will only interfere with you getting the treatment you need. There are different types of depression and they will need to find the specific type you have. Your honesty will supply them with the information they need to make the correct diagnosis. Each person is different and will require a treatment plan designed especially for them.

This is not an overnight fix. The process is ongoing, but with the right treatment you can begun to experience life again. I am thankful everyday that I got help. And my kids smiles are a daily reminder that I did the right thing!

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