Let's Talk...Chronic Pain and Depression

Today's Ear Worm: Hmm, no idea. How about Little Talks by Monsters and Men
It works for me.

Date: February 10, 2016

So I'm not sure how to really start this blog. It's going to get a little...personal? I guess you can say that yes, it's going to be a bit personal.

Mostly because this blog is about how I've been doing and what I've been doing and all that good stuff.

I'm not really sure as how to talk about this without sounding like I'm whining, cause I'm not! Really, I'm not. But things are a bit much for me and I really don't have anywhere else to talk about this. So since it does impact my writing, I decided to start a series called "Let's Talk".

This series will be about how a writers writing can be impacted by various things in their life. Today's topic? Chronic pain and Depression.

First of all, what is Chronic Pain? And what is Depression?

Well, first of all Chronic Pain is defined as any pain that lasts more than 12 weeks at a time. It is not acute pain, which is just the sensation of pain that alerts us to possible injury or strain. Chronic Pain doesn't really have much of a cause and persists.

I've been living with fully body Chronic Pain for the last, let's see, 8 years? Since about 2008. I did something to my back in 2007 and it's all been downhill from there. Yes, I am losing weight but it's never been the cause of it, so let's shut that down first and foremost yes? I used to be a twig with hips (as my friends often called me) up until I turned 14 when puberty smacked me up side the head with a 2 by 4.

I still had pain but not as bad as this.

I probably have done a lot to my body but a lot comes from genetics. I can readily admit that I've gone headfirst over the handle bars of my bikes when I was younger and been in a couple of accidents but all those did was aggravate the pain that I had already been experiencing.

Depression is defined as an illness that involves your body, mood, and your thoughts. It affects the way someone eats, sleeps, feels about themselves and the way they think about things.

I can not say this enough but, DEPRESSION IS NOT A PASSING PHASE. It does not go away just because a person is told to pull themselves together! It is a long term, sometimes lifelong, battle with yourself.

Treatment can help people find their balance, find their peace and rise above the depression, but it does take time and the right treatment for them to get there.

So if you do not have depression, don't think you know how someone who does have it feels. You don't. It's...not easy trying to fight the demons that depression brings.

And it's not just a mental fight, it's a physical one to. It can literally cause the person physical pain.

Which is not good for me. I know when I'm in a depression. My pain gets worse.

Now that I've said that, let's get down to how it affects my writing shall we?

When I'm in pain or depressed, it's very hard to get the words down onto paper. It's not like I can always ignore the pain or ignore the little voice of self-doubt in the back of my head to get those words down all the time. It's not that easy. Not really. It's rather hard actually.

So I've been trying to write while in a serious amount of pain. My back and shoulders hurt mostly right now so it makes it hard to sit at the computer since I don't have a good desk and chair yet. I'm saving up to get some, which is sometime next month. I'll have to deal with it and set things up but it'll be better.

For now though, I'm dealing with the writing. But it takes me time to write. This means that I'm behind on a lot of things, including setting up these blog posts. So it's going to be fun for the next couple of weeks.

Here's hoping that things get easier yes?