A Bit Depressed

Get up. Take a shower. Drink a big glass of ice cold water. Get everybody dressed. Grab a book or magazine. Get out of the house. Have the big kids grab thier bikes, you push the 3 yr old in the stroller. Take a brisk, fast paced walk to the park. Let the kids go crazy while you sit under a tree and read. You need sunshine and physical activity to break this funk and the kids need to let off some steam. By the time you come back it will be nap time for everybody.

Try to get out in the sunshine today even if it's only for 15 min.
A walk around the block or getting the kids out to a park so they can run off some steam will help everyone feel slightly better.
Soon as it warms up today, I'm going to start weeding my garden.
I get good and dirty, then I wash up and feel great.

I go thru spells as such but much less than I once did (more so in my 20s and 30s) Consider a few things.. one, you maybe overloaded and stressed and therefore, your cortisol levels are thru the roof.. that alone can cause irritation..

raising 4 kids is a lot of work.. and there is no break...

here is what I do to help myself free from the blues..

One, I take an Omega Oil (in my case Krill) and it def helps my mindset..

Two, cardio.... now I know running around after all those kids is exercise, but for me, I have to do some heart pumping cardio ... by doing as such, it totally makes me feel better.. you know, all those Endorphins are released.. (Is there a gym nearby that offers childcare on the premises while you workout nearby in the next room)

Three: drink your water.... when depressed or with other ailments, when dehydrated, those problems only worsen. think of water as the gasoline for the body and when you don't have enough, you don't run very well IF at all..

Four: Clean up the house (not suggesting yours is a mess) but when things aren't in place and looking nice, I tend to feel it affects my mood in a negative way. My environment affects my mood for sure..

Five: good nutrition... even if you can't do it all the time, at least add more good nutrition to your diet.. could be you eat an apple.. a small green salad.. prep it ahead of time and grab it for lunch and or a snack.. I find having homemade salad dressing already made and cleaned produce makes it easier for me to want to have a healthy snack... When I eat better, WOW.. what a difference..

Six : I listen to motivational speakers and or read their books. For example, Oprah is having a FREE masterclass for six weeks. you can view it on her website or Monday's on T.V. .. it's all free. .she's had a some great and most inspiring teachers.. Iyanla Vanzant, T.D. Jakes, Tony Robbins.. For me, listening to highly motivated people help me motivate..

Seven.. Consider in your 30s, granted you may still be very young.. BUT your hormones can be running wild... I am not talking PMS. I mean your Estrogen/Progesterone ratios could be out of sink and therefore causing you some of the depression. Often, Gynecologist might chalk it up to stress, but could be there is an underlying physical reason for the problems.. consider having your hormone levels checked..

Lastly..I find that when I meditate.. (even for just a few minutes a day) this too helps me... I do some breathing exercising... 4 counts in, hold for 7 and breath out for 8... (got this from Dr. Weil) and it seems to calm me..

you can unslump yourself :) it's hard ... but try baby steps...

I wish you all the best. .

I get it too. I was supposed to go out last night and didn't go, I just had a feeling of forboding. I don't know where it came from.

Look for some books that speak to you. Sometimes we have to dig deep to find the root of our bad days.

How about feeding the kids early, put them to bed early(if you don't have a friend that would be willing to take them overnight)...Take nice long bath, walk or both. Make a special but simple dinner for you and your husband (steak, salad, wine would be nice, but if you can't afford, do spahgetti.

I would suggest going out for dinner, but sometimes that can be stressful too and if your at home you can take as long as you want and just sort of pamper yourself.

No matter what you decide, I think it helps to just get out and do some walking, thinking, praying....count your blessings. Having that many young children would put me to test. I hope you have a wonderful husband and father.

All I can say is that you are not the only one going through this.
I live on the west coast in very northern California (near the Oregon border) and we have had rain, rain, rain. The days are dark and cold and dreary and being it's the middle of April, we are all quite sick of it.
Everyone at work is tired and listless, none of us want to be there. We all just want to be home in bed. Tempers flare or someone is crying over the slightest thing. The last three weeks have been especially hell. My company has over 100 employees and everyone, it seems, has been in a funk of one kind or another.

We're all begging for a little blue sky and sunshine.

When my kids were little, I used to build a fire and get it up to about 90 degrees in the house. I let the kids run around in their bathing suits, we played music and had a "picnic" on the living room floor. We just pretended it was summer.
I don't know what your weather is like today, but maybe getting everybody out of the house for a while might help lift everybody's spirits.

I work all week so I'm just going to be happy staying in and puttering around the house.

When I feel down, I rely on my sense of humor to get me through. I like to watch a funny movie or two.
"The Long, Long Trailer" is a very funny and family friendly movie - Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It's a classic.

Hang in there. Things will look up.

Have a great day!

Have you trierd 5-HTP. Go to amazon.com and type it in the search engine and you can see all the reviews. I take 5-HTP on my down days and they really help keep the edge off. Theyre natures anti-depressant.

I'm starting to suspect that the planets aren't aligned, or the moon is void of course, or there's something in the water!
For the last week, I've just been "out of it" and feeling....idk how to describe it--except "off"....
Times like these, I kind of go on "auto-pilot" and become "task oriented" and view the things I NEED to do as items on a list, that need to be checked off. And, yes, sometimes even "feed something to the family" needs to be on the mental list!
Hang in there!

You need a change of scenery, a change of activities and maybe some time with other people.

Make it happen.. Make plans to get out of the house.. maybe out of town.. Even if it is just packing a picnic and going to a park in another town or city.

Leave the kids and your husband for the day and get a girlfriend to go to a grown up movie or go for a run together.

Get a sitter and get dressed up and go for a meal tonight. Maybe find another couple to go with you.

You need a break. If this really is something that is on going, consider seeing a therapist.. Just to be your sounding board and to help you come up with a list of what is really going on in your life, your mind and your soul.. You deserve to be happy, and not feel guilty about what it is YOU need. This person can also help you find some solutions or some new ways to handle a family that is growing up and having different needs. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be healthy. And your family deserves to have a mom that is happy.

As moms we go and blow.. Give, give more and sometimes give everything we have away.. It needs to be refilled. TAKE the time to ask for help from a professional. You and your family are worth it.

I completely understand. Been feeling a little down myself.

I would look into a sun lamp online for down the road if you always have
inclement weather where you live.

For today I would:

-get dressed (I know this is hard when you're depressed but
try making yourself do it today.)
-take the kids to a park or the mall if you have nasty weather
-know that this feeling will pass
-when your kids test your patience today (and they will) count to 10 before
commentin
-call a friend for a quick 10 min pick-me-up conversation
-don't feel like you HAVE to push yourself. Sometimes this kind of feeling
just happens and you can give yourself a break. Make it short. The idea
is you give yourself 15 mins to languish in your mood but then do your
very best to pick yourself up by your boot straps. I know it's hard. But
try.
-Call your doctor to see if they offer any classes on depression (that will
be for another day, of course.)
-Know you are not alone.
-know that the kids will irritate you today in your state/mood. Let go what you can. Try to get outside. Try to get them to work off their energy & focus it on something other than each other.
Best wishes & hang in there!!!!

Fitting in some good cardio work outs can lift the spirits!

I couldn't even function without vitamin D-get a blood test-you're probably deficient-another thing that is helping me is Melatonin-to help me sleep more and worry less. Tonight-have a picnic in the family room on a blanket and enjoy those little girls of yours-the years fly by so quickly! Good luck and take care!

I feel the same way today. I woke up in a good mood and within half an hour everyone was mad at each other. I felt like my teenager was ganging up on me so I told her to stop being B**chy and she got mad and went to her room. Then my husband told me I should apologize to her and that made me angry so we started arguing about that. I went off of my birth control pills for a month and a half and felt better. After I started back up again I feel irritated quite often. I definatley don't want any more kids and hubby does so I can't go get the Mirena put in instead.

Hi, Mom:

Have you thought about getting a scheduling book like the hairdressers have?
Get one with 6 columns. Put each name in each column and put in their schedules.
That's a start.

Everyone sits down a arrange their schedule in the columns.

After that is done, everyone sits down and writes down the rules of the house and then the consequences.

Then they suggest a plan of action if they don't abide by the consequences, stronger measures, such as doing something for the neighbors.

As someone suggested: Get you some vitamins and minerals.

Good luck.
D.