I am down and I dont know why

[JohnKleeb]

and I feel like I got internal cries as well. Sigh why I am down? why should I be? you know I got a new job and I am loving it, tonight I got a great new video game, and this weekend I am gonna hang out with an old friend of mine. I dont know why I am down. :shrug: anyone wanna try to help this poor SOB out? :( I am so mentally exhausted it feels like, I dont know what it is.

[Catshrink]

1. So, how is the new job?

Haven't heard yet....

[JohnKleeb]

4. Oh its great

I live near enough to it, the pay is good, and I know many of my coworkers, in fact tonight I ran in to the friend I mentioned above.

[Catshrink]

9. Has it been nuts because of TG?

[JohnKleeb]

15. been pretty crowded

I've had to carry a lot of turkeys.

[VelmaD]

2. I already asked...

about whether you were eating properly. What about sleep. Are you getting plenty of sleep?

[JohnKleeb]

6. As I said Ive been eating and on sleep, I've always had problems

but I am getting better.

[VelmaD]

12. I agree with mykpart

I'm gonna foist my social work degree off on you for a second. :-) People don't think of "positive" changes in their lives as stress but they are. You've got a lot going on right now (on top of all the normal stuff of being a teenager).

I suppose the pertinent question is when did you start feeling down. If you can figure that out then maybe you can track back to what triggered it.

One more thing. Find ways of relaxing and releasing stress. Exercise. Yoga. Meditation. Building ships in bottles. Something. If you can figure out how to manage your stress now you'll be way aheadof the game later in life.

[JohnKleeb]

16. I think it was last week that I got the feelings

I am not sure what would help honestly.

[VelmaD]

18. A timeframe is good...

what changed in your life last week?

[JohnKleeb]

19. nothing changed

That the problem, I don't know why I feel like crap.

[VelmaD]

22. Hrm...

my first (obvious) thought was that you're run down from the new job. If that doesn't sound right to you then we'll have to think some more.

[JohnKleeb]

23. No thats not it for sure

I come home feeling great.

[VelmaD]

24. But then you get down...

when you get home? Yes?

If that's the case then I have a thought. Didn't you have an altercation with your dad last week?

[JohnKleeb]

25. Yeah I did have an altercation with him last week

Oh I feel this at work too really, I am really quiet and stuff, well in general I am quiet. I dont know, thats part of the problem.

[VelmaD]

26. Nothing wrong...

with being quiet. IF that's who you are don't let anyone tell you you have to be somethign different.

I'm still inclined to think that the situation with your dad could be a trigger. At the time you seemed really upset. Have you and your dad talked about it at all?

[JohnKleeb]

28. about the incident?

Yes a little, its resolved and my mouth is back to normal.

[VelmaD]

33. Glad you got it resolved.

I was actually quite worried about you that day.

Maybe the person who posted further down the thread about Seasonal Affective Disorder is on to something. I know I get cranky because I leave for work before the sun comes up and don't get out until it's dark outside. Is the job keeping you insde and out of the sunlight?

Also, could just be your body's reaction to the change in your schedule with the job. May just take some time to adjust.

[JohnKleeb]

34. I was outraged that he hit me

I shouldnt have brought it up, but thats the great thing about this site you can be open, and shit. :shrug: maybe I am acting nutty out of the fact, Ive been hypontized twice this week and yes it wasnt really that good, and plus the fact I can't close my eyes I think, so I didnt go in to it that good but hey I should try that.

[VelmaD]

35. OK, slow down a little bit...

I got lost in there somewhere.

First off, of course you should have brought up what happened with your dad. You obviously needed to talk about it and it isn't good to keep stuff like that secret.

Second, hypnotized? Who did you let do it? And why?

[JohnKleeb]

37. Sorry I am a rant monkey :)

Ok, I am in a pyschology class ok. So my teacher found a recording online and the whole class did it. I have a hard time closing my eyes so it was hard for me to do, but today I knew my eyes were shut yet I was awake. I dont hyponize good. On the bright side this week, I did get a 95% on a history test :D big deal.

[VelmaD]

41. OK, I'll calm down now...

having your psych teacher hypnotize you is a lot different from letting one of your friends try. (I will admit to having been stupid enough in high school to have tried that.)

I don't think it likely that the hypnotism thing in class has much bearing on your current problem. If anything, if it worked it should have relaxed you considerably.

So far it doesn't seem like we've hit on anything that you had a gut "yeah, that's it" reaction to. Usually when you stumble across the answer you'll know.

Unfortunately it's also getting late here adn my brain isn't hitting on all cylinders so I'm fresh out of thoughts. If I have a brilliant insight overnight I'll be sure to let you know.

The thing I can tell you, no matter what the underlying problem is, is this. Get some sleep. Lack of sleep exacerbates any mental or physical problem you might be having. It depresses the immune system and it isn't good for your mental state either.

Beside that you need to find your happy place. That thing you can do or place you can go and let off some stress.

[JohnKleeb]

44. Well if youre having a hard time thinking

You can discuss this with me tommorow or somethin.

[VelmaD]

45. anytime Kleeb

I've just stayed up way past my bedtime tonight. I'm supposed to be up early tomorrow...er...today I guess now, to help my dad put up xmas lights.

I meant to get a nap in this afternoon but I got distracted reading John Dean's book on how Rehnquist ended up n the Supreme Court instead. Oops. :-)

So, yeah, I'm a little fuzzy at the moment. It's probably way past your bedtime too young man. :-)

[caledesi]

20. JK, sounjds like you need one thing "Vitamin Z"

Zoloft saved my life. "It's called depression."

[JohnKleeb]

21. Do they give kids that

You think I am depressed? :shrug: you could be on to something there.

[wtmusic]

36. My son takes Zoloft--he's 8

he would go to bed every night crying, not knowing why. It's turned his life around too.

[JohnKleeb]

38. hmmmmmmm

Thanks everyone, maybe that could help.

[Catshrink]

3. Are you having "Holiday Anxiety?"

[JohnKleeb]

10. Could you explain to me what that is?

Then I can make a judgement.

[Catshrink]

14. Read post #11

NSMA said it very well, better than I can.

[JohnKleeb]

30. Ok I dont think thats it, my extended family isnt visiting so I dont feel

nevous by relatives or something liek thta.

[mykpart]

5. Major changes in your life,

like a new job, are stressful, even when it's good change, like a new job you love. Ride it out, you will feel better after a while. Some of us, when things are going well, are afraid that the axe will fall any minute. Has to do with self-esteem and the belief that you don't deserve for things to go well.

[JohnKleeb]

7. I didn't feel the same in July when I got my job at the airport though

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. I can't help I don't think. But I am an awesome

Hugger...Go easy on yourself John.

Laura :hug:

[JohnKleeb]

17. Thanks anyways

I just hate this feeling, makes your mouth dry and your chest uncomfortale.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. The holidays are upsetting for many in a subtle way

Advertising makes us feel like we SHOULD be happy whether we are or not. Being with our families drives up all our issues even if we love them dearly..and frankly...life is a bit uncertain right now if one pays attention to politics as we all do.

Look...anyone who is TRULY happy right now is either unconscious, a master at creativity or a master at the ability to transform shit into shinola.

[JohnKleeb]

13. I don't think its the holidays

I've had this feeling since late last week actually.

[wtmusic]

27. SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder (no kidding)

thought to be a remnant of hibernation instinct that makes many people feel depressed as days get shorter. Expose yourself to bright light as often as you can. It works.

[JohnKleeb]

32. interesting WT will think about it

[rbnyc]

29. Cry

You don't have to know why. Even better, there are lots of different ways to know things. If I were you, I'd sob it out.

:loveya:

[JohnKleeb]

31. I have a hard time crying aloud only if I am made too

I get sad easy though.

[colorado_ufo]

39. Sometimes you have to look a little deeper.

Very often it is something physical that puts you into the "dumps" - a chemical imbalance in the body, a cold coming on, overwork, etc.

But sometimes, John, a person will feel this way because so many changes, even good ones, throw you into a period of adjustment. You get to thinking about things from a lot of angles: Will I be able to do this job? Do I deserve all this good fortune? If all this good stuff happens to me, and I still don't feel like rolling in clover from joy, does it mean that nothing is going to make me feel wonderful in the future?

Sometimes, we get so uncomfortable by too much good stuff at once, that we need to "correct" things, to bring back balance into our lives by adding a little misery! Not consciously, of course, but that is just what we do. Sometimes we set ourselves up for an argument or an accident, other times we just get "blue."

My uneducated advice to you is - ignore it! The more you focus on this (we use to call it staring at your belly button), the worse it will feel, and your focusing on it will feed it, give it strength, and make it last longer. Just ASSUME that this is a temporary "glitch," forget about it, and go DO something else, even if it is going to a movie. Get out the house, exercise and move around, see your friends. Allow yourself to have fun, and quit worrying.

One caution: If you don't feel somewhat improved in a reasonable amount of time (like two weeks), or IF YOU GET WORSE, then see your doctor immediately! There are some excellent new meds that will get your chemistry back to normal, and you will feel great again.

Hang in there! :-)

[JohnKleeb]

40. Thanks for the advice

[colorado_ufo]

De nada :-)

[salin]

42. forgive me...

because I hate to bring up your age. You are so mature... intellectually and otherwise... that it most often feels natural to treat you as a peer.

But. Adolescence is a funky time. There are ups and downs emotionally that are hard to account for. That is natural and is not necessarily a sign of something being "wrong". Far too often these days there is a "diagnoses" for things that are just normal. This is when you learn to try to identify what helps spur the swings (the swings are natural... but learning the triggers leads to self awareness that can, overtime, lessen the degree of the swings.) And also the time when you learn what works for YOU to begin to ease the swings (different for each person.)

SOme of this could just very well be the natural process of moving through adolescence to adulthood. It sucks. But most of us have gone through a variation. Just saying this to help bring some perspective to the conversation. It is not necessarily a sign of a bigger thing being "wrong".

Hang in there - and keep finding coping mechanisms - such as starting this thread, and getting some insight from others. Also know that there are many of us who have talked with you over a period of time (at least a year!) who have watched you grow (I remember your initial entrance to DU - really just seeking political perspective and grounding... by getting information... you seek for the mind - but then you sort out, and draw conclusions on your own, a sign of a very mature mind. Heck many of us adults haven't mastered that art.) Remember that many of us think of you as a peer, and respect you accordingly. We are there for you, whenever you need us.

[JohnKleeb]

43. I have an immature side believe me :)

Thats really sweet you guys think of me as a peer but I do have a immature side, and you may see it a little in the lounge.

[salin]

47. heck, John...

we are all human... immature sides are part of who we are... (and at times... though as we are older we call it "self-indulgent" rather than immature... that side of us is rather fun... but it can also make us miserable.)

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

46. It's a little thing called "life". Welcome to it!

Seriously, no one can be happy, up, and smiling all the time. Moods happen, and it can be as out of control as a train wreck. Just sit back, do a little breath control, and try to mentally move yourself into another frame of mind.

The cause of a mood swing is not always something you can immediately identify, and excessive self-analysis in someone as young as you can just deepen the depression and perhaps even lead to paranoia.

Just deal with each moment as it comes, and then let it go. Look to tomorrow instead of staring at the mirror.

(The preceeding was brought to you by someone who spent ten years in an alcoholic stupor, in a vain attempt to outrun his own emotions. Although he never did figure out the meaning of life, he did eventually sober up....)

[dweller]

48. Kleeb

just keep following your heart man.
There is alot of good advice here for you on this thread.

all i can offer is to not give up heart, follow your heart. You will not regret it.

oh, and don't forget P#6's advice above, too.

peace dude.
dp

[WindRavenX]

49. JK...

You sound exactly how I sounded in HS.
If you need someone to talk to, you can either IM me or e-mail me; you have both those contact info, yes?

[Zorra]

50. Hope you feel better soon, John

:grouphug:

[DemExpat]

51. Unless this feeling is long-term, please don't medicate it!

It's probably something brewing that can only teach you something really valuable if you 'let it be' and don't suppress it.

I write down my feelings and thoughts when I'm feeling really funky - a great tool to get it out of you and to process it all.
Try it!

Hope the sad feelings pass soon, John.
:hug:

DemEx

[JohnKleeb]

52. Kick so I went to bed

and I woke up like a half hour ago and I feel good. Thanks people. :)