Waiting for Depression to Pass

Waiting for depression to pass is interminable, but sometimes it's the only thing to do. In bipolar disorder, what goes down must come up -- at some point, anyway. The trouble is, no one knows when that's going to happen. There can be a lot of waiting for depression to pass in bipolar disorder. I hate it.

I'm Waiting for My Depression to Pass

I'm currently in a place where I'm waiting for depression to pass. Depression has hit me -- hard -- and now I'm waiting for it to abate. This waiting is so painful. Waking up every day to the weight of depression on my chest makes waking up a thing I don't want to do.

When I'm awake, it's not passive waiting, either. It's more like running and hiding from terrifying demons with spikes for teeth. I'm trying to make sure they don't kill me while I'm waiting for depression to pass.

What Can You Do While You're Waiting for Depression to Pass?

You absolutely, positively need to be getting the help of a doctor when you're waiting for depression to pass. But it's important to acknowledge that even with the best treatment, you'll likely wind up in a waiting loop at some point anyway. Treatments take time to work. Doctors take time to see. Waiting is inevitable. 

During this time, you need to be using every coping skill you know to escape the demons. Coping skills tend to be personal, but distraction is a big one for me. If I let my brain just think, then it becomes a very dangerous place to be. If I focus it on other things (typically trivial things because they are easier to deal with), the dangerous thoughts are pushed out. Keep in mind distraction is not something you can do forever. I've found that keeping all your dangerous thoughts and feelings bottled up constantly will hurt you in the end, so if you use distraction as a coping technique, make sure you also set time aside to let go and talk to someone about what you're really feeling. (A therapist is great for that.)

Waiting for Depression to Pass Is Worth It

I know that waiting for depression to pass can seem endless. It can seem like depression will never leave. This is normal. But this is a lie that depression tells us. Depression will leave, eventually. Depression will respond to treatment, eventually. Waiting may feel impossibly hard, but it's worth it because when depression does pass, your self will be back. And that is worth all the waiting in the world.