Random thoughts on suicide

There has been a lot of press lately on suicide with the high profile suicides lately. Also, last week, my friend's father committed suicide at age 66. With everything in the media, it has really brought it to the forefront of my mind. My mind has been swirling lately. Just watching the devastation that suicide causes and the ripple effect it has on so many people. It truly gives me perspective on it and helps me get a better understanding of it and in some way, acts as a deterrent. It may sound weird, but they always tell you to think about your family when you are going through depression and contemplating suicide or having ideations. I have been there. Thinking about your family doesn't do much. It can actually have the opposite effect. I remember thinking and believing that my family would actually be better off without me around. This is the way that depression lies to us and our brains. Being on the outside and in a good place mentally, I can start to delve into and digest peoples stories of grieving. Hopefully I can recall these narratives and stories when I am in a dark place.

The other day, after the 2 high profile suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, my friend's father hanged himself at 66 years of age. Turns out my friends father had struggled a long time with substance abuse and mental issues. They had been trying to get help for him and trying different programs, doctors and treatment strategies. I guess things just didnt work and he decided to end his life. I cannot blame him for what he did. I have been there. I know how it feels. On some strange level, I am a little jealous. His pain and depression is now over.  He is at peace. He will never face the reality of another relapse, never have to talk to another dr, shrink, therapist about his issues, feelings. He will never feel judged again. He will never have to try a new medication and see if it works, never wake up fearing to face the day again. There is something about that that makes me feel content for him. I also feel that with more help or the right medication and support, he could have made it through this and gotten to this side of happiness. I am very happy that I never completed the act of suicide even though I wanted to at the time.


At the same time - I feel scared. I feel very scared. I fear that this will be a demon that I will continue to face for the rest of my life. I think I always knew it would be but facing the reality of it strikes a chord within me. I will ALWAYS have to monitor my mental health and stability. I will most likely always been in some sort of counseling, therapy or support group to work through this. I will be on medication potentially as well. You hear these stories of older people (+50) taking their own life and I just wonder if that is my fate? All I can say is that I am trying everything I can to prevent another relapse and follow through on all my recovery and I guess right now, that is all I can do.

So where do we go from here? The more I get involved into suicide prevention causes and care, the more I feel I can help. It is a passion of mine and I want to help others understand that help is available and it is possible to feel better and that it quite possibly is only a temporary emotion you are facing. I am looking into volunteering at NAMI this year and maybe telling my story to others. I feel I could help. So that is what I am going to do. Help in this battle and cause. I feel for once in my life I could actually do some good.

Tapering and moving forward

I have been tapering off my Prozac and taking Lexapro instead. My appetite is decreasing and I have lost 5 pounds since I dropped the Prozac. I am feeling more active and maybe a little more happy but it is was too soon to call this the right mix.I guess only time will tell.
The fallout from my drug-stashing-confession has died a little. My wife is holding on to my meds and regularly checking that I am taking them and amounts are there. I don't anticipate this going on for a long time but it feels good to know she cares and is checking on it.  It does kind of feel like she is being my keeper but I think on some level I need that and appreciate it. I have my next appointment with my therapist in a week and she invited Jessica to come with so we can talk about what has transpired and how do we move forward, how should Jessica deal with this and possibly dig deeper into the significance and meaning of it. I am not too sure what to make of it and what to expect but I really like my therapist and think it can only be for the best.

Speaking of therapy, Jessica and I are starting back at marriage counseling in a few weeks. We are going back to address what has all transpired between us and really focus on how we move forward. We have made some significant progress in our relationship but there are some wounds that need to be addressed and other. Since my breakdown was most likely the catalyst for the marriage discontentment - I have moved past that for the most part with some wafting here and there and the feelings I was having before are no longer there. Looking  back, I didn't want anything back then. I have since realized the strength of our relationship and all the sacrifices and effort my wife put into my recovery and it helped tremendously. I will never understand the level of love and care she has for me in order to do everything she did and still does to aid in my recovery. I am truly lucky and blessed to have her. I know her well enough to expect nothing less but my therapist keeps reminding me of how good I have got it. I just wish there was a way that I could adequately and appropriately thank her. I guess focusing on recovery and pushing forward is probably the best thing. 

I had the opportunity to run my men's support group this week. I have been going to this Depressed Men's support group for about 6 months now. I really like it. It gives me a chance to hear how other guys in the same situation deal with their depression but also share my experiences and what I have learned. The leader of the group was out of town and instead of cancelling it, he asked me to lead it. I was a little shocked, a little scared, a little flattered and a little excited. I have wanted to be more active in helping others with their struggles and use my story to potentially help others with theirs. Only about half the group showed up so it was a good starting point for me - took some of the pressure off. It came pretty easy for me to lead the group and just keep the conversation going and getting others to participate. I think I did a fairly decent job. Next time I will probably bring a list of topics to talk about just in case of the dreaded silence. I am happy they gave me the opportunity and I enjoyed it. I could see myself getting more involved with the foundation. 

Well..... I think that is all for now. I know it is a lot and more to come. I am trying to blog more often so we will see how this goes. I am in my living room right now and the kids are playing and I am just sitting here typing away. Sometimes life can be ok, we just need to stop and embrace it and remember that. 

Song of the day - The Best that I Can - Emerson Hart

"If you're reading this then I am long gone. Wish I had the strength to prove you wrong."

Staring at the face of a faceless thing

So... a lot has transpired over the last few days. I was honest with my wife about not taking my pills all the time and that opened up a huge can of worms. I haven't really told anyone this but I have been stock piling the pills I don't take and keep them as a sort of "safety net".... meaning that if push comes to shove, I have an out in overdosing and dying. I have a good month worth of pills. Who knows if that is even enough to get the job done but to me it was comforting knowing there was something there if I needed a way out. After I told my wife that, she insisted I tell my therapist. Fortunately, I had an appointment with her today and so I told her and that opened up more questions and concerns. Why didn't I tell anyone? Why did I feel the need to do this? There are more (and easier/better) ways to kill oneself so what is it about this way that is attractive? I wish I had answers to this. The only answer I have is that suicide has always been a solution to me. It has always been in my head as a way out. Sometimes it is the first response, sometimes it is a last resort. But for as long as I can remember, it has been in my brain as an option. So I don't know. I guess I didn't want to tell anyone as it was just my little secret not that I was ever planning on doing it. It was just my little safety net. Why should I tell people... just so they can be more worried about me? I know I am not a threat to myself and wasn't in danger so I didn't feel it was necessary to tell anyone.It didn't feel like a genuine threat to my well-being. I guess I was wrong. Now I am siting her trying to debrief all these feelings and questions. I think I have broken some trust with my wife. I can understand why too. I don't blame her. I cant imagine what it is like hearing your partner keep talking about suicide and wanting to die. I just wish she could be in my mind to know how it feels and get a better understanding of how my mind works. I think that is what everyone wants because it is something we will never understand or be able to do.

Along with that, I actually changed all my meds. I finally got off Prozac and Abilify. I am now on Lexapro and Wellbutrin. It was about time to get off of Prozac. That and Abilify both have weight gaining properties to it so maybe I will lose some of this weight too not that I am really concerned about it. I will deal with that when the time is right. I have been on Prozac for 12 + years. It was time to try something new I am a little nervous to see how it goes but excited to see if it does work. I want to be good/happy again. I miss it. I miss having energy and being able to sleep and smile. I will keep the blog updated as I start this new medication adventure!

Song of the day - Hurricane - Emerson Hart

"I've learned not to touch what I love Everything that I touch will get burned. "

March Snowstorm post

I am sitting here in my living room, watching the snow bury us outside, my kids and wife in the other room playing, Rise Against playing and just sitting here thinking. It has been a long time since I sat down and journaled and right now felt just right. I come to this post with a guilty conscience. I have to let it out somewhere so here is where it is going to live. Over the past 2 months, I have NOT been as regular on my meds as I should be. I have been going off of them for a week or so on purpose to see what effect it has on me. Basically I feel like I am testing my recovery.... are the meds really working or is a placebo? Also, I wanted to see the effect it had on my appetite (both for food and sex....not together). My desire for sex shot up when I was off my meds and I slept better, I wasn't waking up in the middle of the night either. It was really nice. But I did find myself getting in a funk easily and having a short fuse. My energy level was ok. Since I was sleeping better, I wasn't as tired. It was an interesting thing to do but way to risky I know and I need to just get back on being regular on the meds. I think I will bring it up to my Psychiatrist the next appointment I have with her.

Last week I had a friend from treatment reach out to me and tell me she was in a bad spot. Very suicidal and felt alone and scared. We ended up talking until about 3 am that night just texting through things like her feelings and how to cope with them. One thing you should know about me is that if I won the lottery and didn't have to work, I would dedicate all my time to helping people with suicide prevention and talking them through their crisis. So I felt, here is my chance to jump right in and give it a go. She is a good friend who has always been there for me. We usually check in with each other regularly and make sure we are good. MAN was this draining. Everything I told her to try and do was falling short and not working. I felt compelled to help her. So I dug deep. I felt like an actor... I got myself into character and tried to get into the depressed mindset to remember what it is like so I could think of what else would work to get her out of it. It only took a few minutes for me to sink in to the abyss. I got in deep. I put myself in the mindset and could feel myself mentally digging into the darkness.  I started to feel depressed and desperate again and it didnt feel good but I kept going. I remember hitting it and amazed at how fast I could get there. My mentality changed quickly. I was alone, it was dark - it was perfect to drag myself into the abyss. As quickly as it took for me to get into it - It took a good 2 days to get up out of it. It hasn't deterred me away from doing what I want to do, I just need more training on how to deal with it and not "swim too far without a line" as my psychologist said. At the end, my friend was ok. She is getting the help she needs and adjusting meds and working through things which is good. It was a scary time for me. Moreso that I allowed myself to get dragged into the dark depression that quickly. I thought I kept it more guarded but apparently not. It was a good representation of how far I have come though too. It took some time for me to get to that place that I used to be at daily - so that is a good thing and a good show of progress. I still want to help people so this was a good test and a Good lesson to be learned.

2 days ago I got my second tattoo. This one is on my right forearm and says In Hope with the kids birthdates in Roman Numerals below it. It is based off a Boysetsfire song about hoping the best for your kids and doing everything to guard them from experiencing what you yourself have gone through. Mine is very depression based. Knowing that my wife and I both have depression, our kids are fucked so I want to make sure I remind myself to teach them and guide them how to deal with feelings of despair and depression in their life. I am really happy with the way it turned out.  I have a few more tattoos planned but I think I am going to wait awhile now. Having both my forearms with tattoos, I think is quite the change for one year. Although they are addicting. I have the next 4 planned out in my mind already.

Song of the day - If It Takes a Lifetime - Jason Isbell

"I thought that I was running to but I was running from. "

Work Schmirk

I am sitting here at my desk trying to avoid doing work. Avoiding work is something I am really good at. I have mastered that craft here at the bank. Now, it didn't just come to me overnight - I had to work at it and practice! Although, I really don't know what I would do if I actually wanted to work. Things here are very weird. Everyone acts really busy but nothing ever really gets done. I don't know what that is all about so I just figured I would journal for the day. Things have been going OK. Nothing major to write about on the depression front. The new dosage of Abilify seems to be working well. I am getting my desire back so that is awesome... now if I could just have an outlet for it that would be great. I sat down with my boss the other day and wanted to know if he has noticed any changes in me. It has been a good 4 months since I came out of treatment. Admittedly now, I came back to work sooner than I should have. I felt I was ready but looking back, I needed more time to just digest everything I learned and took in in treatment. Like I said, I am 4 months out and just starting to feel like the new normal is finally setting in. I guess I am just lucky that my family and my work has stayed by my side the whole time. Back to the convo with my boss - he says that the last month has been really good and he has seen a lot of improvement from me and my dedication to the job. That was good to hear but I honestly don't know how committed and dedicated I am to the job and the company. I can't foresee myself being a banker long term but I will take the benefits they give me and use them to get my life in order and maintain my current lifestyle until something else comes along. So things at home are getting better, things at work are finally getting better and I am feeling better. This is a good start to the year!

If not now....when?

Here I am a couple weeks into 2018. Things are going ok. Not great and not horrible. Like I told my Psychiatrist, I feel just content. Content with life. The thing is, I dont know if that is acceptable or not. I guess I need to figure out what is acceptable and what isnt. What level do I want to be at? I am pretty sure I don't want to be buried in just content. I can do better. I have been on both sides of contentment and I miss the positive side. That being said, we adjusted my medications again. We doubled my Abilify dosage. We will see what that does. I am really concerned because since I started Abilify I have gained almost 45 pounds. It is just so uncomfortable and irritating. I did some research and found out that this is a major side effect that people complain about. People usually gain 50 lbs on it. Ugg... this is not what I needed. I have been trying to exercise more and eat less/more healthy but it is hard when you are constantly hungry. Waking up in the middle of the night starving has probably been a huge contributor to the weight gain. I just keep telling myself that this is only temporary and I can get the weight to go away later.... I think my weight gain also serves as a discouragement for others who want to get help. I have a friend who probably should go on medication for her anxiety and depression but she is so scared of gaining weight that she refuses. I will say that yes gaining the weight sucks but not feeling like I want to die everyday is a fair trade off I feel!

I had a therapy appointment the other day with my psychologist Emily. I really like her. She is very direct and makes me really think about my recovery and life in different ways. We started talking about going back to couples therapy. Here is the deal - I know that there is a lot of stuff Jessica and I still need to work through but I just don't know if I am ready. I look back at those moments and that time in my life and I am embarrassed for what I said, what I did etc. That wasn't me. I didn't want to be with my wife, I didn't want my kids, I didn't want my job and I didn't want to be alive so I feel like a lot of that cannot be held against me and is very difficult and embarrassing to go back and face. I look at that time as a dark time and I don't want to go back, My whole goal in recovery is to continually move forward and I am frightened of going back into those times so soon and trying to make sense of them. I know it is only fair and I owe it to my wife but I just don't feel like know is the right time. But when is the right time? Next month? Next year? 5 years from now? If not now... when?

Song of the day - Burn Away - Nathan Gray

"After all the death I have dodged to get to where I am, I've come out smiling in the end. "

This will be my year

By all accounts - 2017 was not my best year.... ok so it fucking sucked. It was one of my worst years. I almost lost my marriage, I lost my sanity, I almost lost my life, I lost some family and friends, I lost my faith, I lost my wife's trust, I ended up taking a leave from work to overcome my depression. I really don't know how the year could have gone worse. But, here I am, on New Years Eve, alive and writing this blog entry. I didn't think I would be here but I am.... and I am happy about it.... I think. It has been such a roller coaster. I honestly don't know what to think. It has been 3 months since I got out of my hospitalization program. I feel I have made some good progress but still a lot to go. Not only for my own recovery but there are a lot of wounds that need to be healed for both me and my wife. I am not 100% sure I am ready to take that on right now. I am not saying it isn't important or a priority, I just don't know if I have the emotional bandwidth and capacity to pile that on but it needs to happen sooner or later. Maybe it is like the concept of having kids, you never feel you are ready until you are in it... so maybe I won't ever be ready to delve into the abyss of healing until I get there. To be honest, I haven't been so great with my recovery. I have been doing a little meditation but that is about it. I am trying to get back into the gym and get an exercise program going. I am starting to read more about mindfulness and how to incorporate it into my life, but right now I am just at the input stage and not actually implementing it into my life - that is next.

I have been trying to think of what I can do in 2018 to better my life, my marriage and my kids' lives. I am not entirely sure how I am going to do it but I need to. First off, for myself, I am going to continue with my plan of therapy e/o week, group on the off weeks and meeting with my P-Doc once a month. That really seems to keep me focused and give the proper attention to recovery. But after that.. what else can I do? I need to really find time to digest and invest. Digest the info that I am getting from support group, my therapist and my Psychiatrist. Really take the time to think it through and attempt to understand and then invest in myself and those parts. Take what they are saying to heart and put them to practice in my life. Easier said than done. I think I need to start taking notes at my therapy sessions so I can remember what all we talked about and things I can work on and do.

I think a big thing I can do is keep working out and eating better. Sure everyone says that but I think it could have a very big impact on me. It is just hard when my medication makes me incredibly hungry all the time, it is hard to eat right and sensibly. Part of me just wants to say "fuck it" Lets get this depression shit under control and then we will worry about physical exercise and losing weight but I am afraid they probably go hand in hand. I don't  know how to jump start it. I can't seem to jump right in. I am trying to just ease in and do the gym 3x a week and do basic cardio shit. That seems to be ok but I need to get it on the calendar or have set nights that I do it so there is no question what I am doing and it is already set aside. Or maybe i just continue to write about it and don't do a fucking thing about it.... I guess the choice is mine at the end of the day.

So here is to 2018. The year of figuring shit out. Figuring out my recovery, figuring out finances, figuring out my job, figuring out life in general. 2017, I am done with you. I am looking back at you with a few lessons that were learned but for the most part, I look at you with disdain. I dont think I could handle another 2017 so 2018 has to be relatively good considering. I have to think of what I am going to call my breakdown.... maybe that is it. Just a major fucking breakdown into the abyss of deep depression. God it fuckin sucks there and it feels good to be out of it so why do I miss it a little bit?

Today has been a good day. I am feeling good and hope to stay this way.

Song of the day - This Will be My Year - Semisonic

"Then you tell yourself, what you want to hear, because you have to believe, this will be my year."