Ever get so sad you just feel numb inside?

[redqueen]

Gah... what do you do about that?

Thanks for any & all suggestions in advance.

[maveric]

1. I've been feeling that way for about 9 years now.

I just hope and pray that it will go away someday.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. I guess I just managed. I know that doesn't help. But, after I lost

our last baby, I started keeping my journal in earnest. I wrote down anything and everything....even if it was just what I had to eat that day. Then one day, real stuff poured out on the page, and I began to feel better because I was analyzing it.

That said, depression can be an extremely serious thing, and if the numbness remains for long periods I'd see a doctor.


Lastly, I care...feel free to PM me anytime. :hug:

[bliss_eternal]

41. Mrs. Grumpy--

I'm SO sorry to hear of your loss...

:hug:

[ohiosmith]

3. Extra spicy Bloody Mary.

[XemaSab]

4. Yes

If I knew, I wouldn't feel sad and numb inside.

I really went nuts in the back yard today with the pruning saw. I took out about 2/3 of the branches in some of the bushes, limbed some trees, all that jazz. It looks like a hurricane went through. There isn't enough space in the green waste containers for all the clippings.

But now I just feel depressed again.

[aclog]

5. This doesn't help you at all

I'm numb inside ALL THE FUCKING TIME and it deeply saddens and troubles me that my life is so barren.

Sometimes I think its loneliness, other times its just an overwhelming sense of emptiness and totally devoid of meaning

Sorry, you probably didn't need that but I did

hugs, since I don't know how to do the smilie :)

[I Have A Dream]

13. Hi, aclog. You do the hug smiley this way:

:hug:

(In case you're not aware of it, there's a smiley lookup table in the message options section in the post area.)

I'm sorry that you feel so bad. For some people, it helps to be around other people. The Lounge is a great way to get some laughs. It's not quite the same as real life, but it's almost as good.

[aclog]

39. Sorry

I guess the OP made me feel like being more embarrassingly honest than usual

I'm probably not as depressed as my first post made it sound but who knows

[Wapsie B]

6. Long walks help clear my head and calm my nerves.

But sooner or later you've got to get away from what's making you feel that way.

[supernova]

7. Yes, I have,

:hug:

Fortunately, in my case that feeling was too intense to last.

[Oeditpus Rex]

8. I try to sleep a lot

Or otherwise distance myself from the dank reality.

Drugs help. :7

[Redstone]

9. Tell your friends in the Lounge about it. They'll try to help.

As would I, and you know it, but I really have to stop typing and enter the 3rd Sleep Marathon in a row.

If you still feel like that in a couple of days when I'm back among the living, send me a PM. Though I'm sure your loyal Lounge friends (and there are many) will help you get back to feeling perky in short order.

Redstone

[Taverner]

10. Don't stay numb

I did - and it's not fun - living life in autopilot and in black and white...

Go do something you love to do, and if you don't get the same bliss from it, do it anyway.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

11. Here's a hug for you:

:hug:

[TallahasseeGrannie]

12. I felt that way when I lost my parents

I got through it with music..a lot of it. Music gives me permission to cry and let it out. Sitting in the sun helped, too. So did chocolate.

[I Have A Dream]

27. Hi, TallahasseeGrannie! Interestingly, I posted a large part of what...

you posted (except for the sun and chocolate parts, which are also great) without seeing your post. There must be some universal truth in these things for at least some people if they helped both of us. (I was almost floored when I just saw your post immediately above mine, although you posted it a bit before mine.)

[TallahasseeGrannie]

28. I'm not embarrassed to admit

I am a believer of better living through modern chemistry. Emotions are a BITCH and the biggest challenge we face, I believe. We've come a long way in finding chemical help. Not perfect, but pretty damned good.

[I Have A Dream]

14. I don't know if it will help you, but putting on music that touches...

my soul always helps me. It doesn't make it go away, but it definitely changes the energy around me. Also, a good cry ALWAYS helps me!

I'm sorry that you feel as you do, redqueen. Please do things to take care of yourself.

[jpgray]

15. Post a Lounge thread about it

And look at that, you're already on the road to recovery. It's like me putting "finish list" at the top of my "things I want to do in my lifetime" list.

[redqueen]

49. I can't even finish reading this thread for crying.

If I didn't have kids I'd kill myself now.

Thakns for your consideration.

[we can do it]

52. Crying Can Help

redqueen - we are here for you....you are going to make me cry.

[RandomKoolzip]

55. Suicide is NOT an option.

I'm sorry you're going through a rough patch right now, RQ, but suicide, as they say, is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Things ALWAYS get better. It may take some time and some hard work on your part, but things ALWAYS improve.

Take it from me; I've been clinically depressed all my life, and I've attempted suicide before. And now I'm married to a wonderful woman, I'm in a band that's making money and is a creative outlet, I have developed a sense of humor about life I would have found impossible during my "depression" years. There's good days and bad, but the good ALWAYS outweighs the bad.


PLEASE don't kill yourself. You have a community of friends here on DU. We would all miss you terribly. :hug:

[ALago1]

16. It happens. And it will pass.

Everyone goes through such cycles. Granted, some people have it more severe than others but any person with any dimension to their personality has definitely been there.

Try to find out what's eating at you, confront it in some form, if you have people to be around that enjoy your company spend it with them.

P.S. you already have those people on DU :)

[flamingyouth]

17. Yes.

I'm sad today. I just took my SO to the airport after he spent two weeks here. I do feel kind of numb; it was especially weird coming back to an empty house. :(

As for suggestions, this probably isn't helpful, but I eat. :D

[jpgray]

18. We missed your respective presences

:hi:

[texanwitch]

19. I went into depression last year, everything was so dark for me.

I got very busy and the depression finally left, I was either working or sleeping, no time to be depressed.

Keeping busy helps, I hope you get better soon. :hug:

[Sanity Claws]

20. As silly as it sounds,

force yourself to smile. Just have an inner thought that makes you move your lips into a smile. It could be puppy, a kitten, beautiful flowers. Think about pleasant thoughts that make you feel good.
You must get out of the loop of feeling bad.
Medications can help. If you can't get to a doctor for a prescription, there are some OTC meds that can help combat depression. (Numbness is depression.) Read up on St. John's Wort, 5-HTP, SAM-e. Avoid things that can worsen the depression, like alcohol.
Can you get some hugs from someone? Or at least share the load with someone?
:hug:

[Shine]

21. I am sorry you feel so sad, redqueen.

what gets me through the tough times is remembering several things:

*I am not alone. There are others who can listen to my pain and offer support. Be open to it.

*I am loved and I am lovable.

*This, too, shall pass....Everything changes....

I wish you blessings of Strength, Compassion, Clarity and INsight. O8)

Feel free to PM me, too, if you'd like.

:hug: :loveya:
Shine

[hfojvt]

22. numbness is not a bad thing

in fact I made it a goal.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=4573821&mesg_id=4575002

[jpgray]

23. If I figured out your name is just a transposition of "genius"

Does that make me a genius? I know it hasn't made you one. :D

[Blue-Jay]

31. It's nice to have a goal.

[RevCheesehead]

32. C'mere, sweetie, and let me give ya a hug.

:hug: She wasn't worthy of you.

[tigereye]

24. talking to someone

maybe some therapy.

Getting out and about and doing things you like.

Music.

:hug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

25. All these suggestions are excellent......

When I feel numb and sad, and yes I do, from time to time.....

I either get out of the house and look at beautiful things in nature.....

Or I try to do something concrete to help someone else feel better....

This second one is the one that helps me the most......:hug:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

26. yes

current state: numbness with waves of occasional pain

prefer the numbness

talk to a professional babe...always helps

[bullwinkle428]

29. Yes - it happened just a couple of weeks ago, after I lost my furbaby...

...I posted her story over in the Pets forum (Lucky the cat), and it helped tremendously in discussing with those who've gone through the same thing at some point in their lives as well... :grouphug:

[we can do it]

30. Yeah - Since My Mom Died Last Year - It Comes and Goes

Let me know what helps, too.

[BlueIris]

33. Welcome to DU!

Nice handle, by the way.

[we can do it]

51. Thanks - I Do Try To Stay Positive

[bliss_eternal]

44. we can do it--

I'm very sorry for your loss.

:hug:

[we can do it]

53. Thanks for the Hug

I was wondering, does anyone else ever feel a "presence" or a feeling that a loved one is near, after they've passed on? I do once in a while and its very comforting.

[RetroLounge]

34. Yes, definitely

I had a paralyzing attack of sadness and grief today, which caused me to be not able to function and had to leave work. It lasted about 2 hours, and I still feel the hangover from it.

I went to a safe place and stopped fighting it, let it happen, and cried my eyes out for as long as I had to.

Then I went to Barnes and curled up on the floor (literally) in the poetry section and read Pablo Neruda poems out loud in spanish and english, just to hear some beauty.

Then I bought a gift for someone I love and delivered it to her.

Then I did some writing.

Then I called friends and talked about it.

Then I took a Xanax.

Then I hugged my kids and told them how much I loved them...

RL

[CaliforniaPeggy]

35. I do hope that you're feeling better now, my dear RetroLounge.....

:loveya: :hug: :loveya: :hug: :loveya:

[RetroLounge]

38. Much better now, thanks

:hug:

RL

[cassandra uprising]

42. It's good to hear

Pablo Neruda, fetal position. That's serious. Excuse the psychobabble, but you are really brave to let yourself grief like this.

[bliss_eternal]

45. RetroLounge

Just wanted to offer you this...

:hug: Hope you are feeling better.

[cassandra uprising]

36. Ani anyone?

studying stones

i am out here studying stones
trying to learn to be less alive
using all of my will
to keep very still
still even on the inside
i've cut all of the pertinent wires
so my eyes can't make that connection
i am holding my breath
i am feigning my death
when i'm looking in your direction

'course numb is an old hat
old as my oldest memories
see that one's my mother
and that one's my father
and that one in the hat, that's me
it's a skill i'd hoped to abandon
when i got out on the open road
but any more pent up emotion
and i think i'm gonna explode

there's never been an endeavor so strange
as trying to slow the blood in my veins
to keep my face blank
as a stone that just sank
until not a ripple remains
i am high above the tree line
sitting cross legged on the ground
when all of the forbidden fruit has fallen and rotted
that's when i'm gonna come down

'course numb is an old hat
old as my oldest memories
see that one's my mother
and that one's my father
and that one in the hat, that's me
it's a skill i'd hoped to abandon
when i got out on the open road
but any more pent up emotion
and i think i'm gonna explode

WORDS AND MUSIC BY ANI DIFRANCO

:hug:

I can't say anything better than 'numb is an old hat'

[bliss_eternal]

46. Ani Difranco

is a goddess--just love her! Thanks for sharing cassandra!

[Floogeldy]

37. No.

You are hanging on to something of which you must let go. Accept it as a part of your past life and move on for the good of yourself. Learn from it. Don't dwell. It ain't right for you to be that sad. Leave it.

[Fox Mulder]

40. Every day.

If I knew how to treat it, I'd gladly share. :(

[Maine Mary]

43. Yes, and you should seek help

I have Bipolar Disorder which is characterized by excessive highs and lows. I'm on meds so I don't bounce around like that anymore but I know all too well what "the lows" or depression feels like like. When you say you feel numb inside, you are talking about the empty feeling that is one of the side effects of depression. In addition, you may feel helpless to get out of whatever situation you are in. You may also feel hopeless about the future.

You probably don't enjoy the things you used to, and might want to 'hide'- spending your time in bed all day if you can. You probably don't sleep well OR sleep excessively. If you have what is called agitated depression, what goes on in your head may resemble a merry-go-round of people places and things, with no real rhyme or reason to it. Worse, the physical symptoms may make you wish you could crawl out of your skin; (Agitated depression) is what often drives people to suicide. Luckily, it only happened to me for a brief period and I had alot of support from family members.

I hope at least some of this helps you. In re-reading what I wrote, I hope I didn't scare you. Until you you see a psych-doc, there is no reason to believe you are in a Major Depression or have Bipolar. It might just be a passing thing. But PLEASE see someone anyway. It won't hurt and might help.

Good Luck and God Bless. :hug:
-MM

[bliss_eternal]

47. redqueen--

Just wanted to offer my sincere wishes that the numbness goes away. Unfortunately, with feelings the only way out is through. I wish I had another solution for you. Speaking from personal pain and heartache. I only started to feel better once I gave myself time to feel my feelings. It's the only thing that transformed me.

Writing my feelings helped. Listening to music that allowed me to emote also helped, in addition to music that had lyrics that made me feel stronger or empowered.

Making myself exercise--walking, working out whatever also helped.

:hug:

[RevCheesehead]

48. I fight it just about every day.

Today's not a good day. Fortunately, there's medicine for that.

[MsAnthropy]

50. Full body massage does it for me

it gets those endorphins moving and it's impossible to feel sad.

Anti-depressants do a great job, too, even temporarily. Celexa works without alot of the side effects.

[newsguyatl]

54. actually, no... there are times

i'd take the numbness over the sadness...

but i can certainly relate with you.

if this is someting that's ongoing with you, i'd strongly encourage getting on an anti-depressant... i'd gotten so bad a year ago, that i could no longer function, on days just barely getting out of bed to go into work.

i've been on cymbalta for about a year (it's the only anti-depressant that worked for me personally) but there are several others available.

i hope you feel better... but if you don't, please take action... because many times, like in my case, it only gets worse.

the medications are a godsend.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

56. Yes I have, sweetie

:hug:

You are well loved!

[Trigger Hippie]

57. Always. As far back as I can think of.

I'm sorry, but I have no advice. I wish I did. :pals: