Depression and horses

[tangoharvey]

I suffer with mental health problems. Today I can't even open the curtains. The farrier is coming to our yard and my mare is supposed to be trimmed for the first time. I just can't face it.
Does anyone else suffer crap like this??

 

[Embo]

Yep.

Know how you feel, OP. Sometimes my horse is the only reason I drag myself out of bed.

What time is farrier due? Is there a friend you could call to come and pick you up? Sounds like you need some extra support at the moment.

Big hugs.

 

[Grumpy Herbert]

This time of year makes everything ten times harder - I feel permanently exhausted and I think that's because it's still pitch black when I have to get up. If your mare is just being trimmed I'm assuming she's not shod - could you postpone the farrier until another time? Or as the other reply said, ask a friend to step in? Are you on medication for your mental health problems? Maybe it's time for a review of that if you are.

I hope you start to pick up soon, I know it's very, very hard. xx

 

[Palindrome]

sending hugs too, may be some horsey cuddles will help (my horse is always very cuddley if I bring treats lol). It might also be good to book an appointment with a doctor, I suffered low grade depression for years because my thyroid medication wasn't adjusted properly. These things have often a physical root.

 

[misskk88]

I know how you feel. I suffered depression on and off a few years ago, and have also had bouts of fairly bad anxiety from undiagnosed health issues. To get myself out of the house and into the car some days without having a small panic attack whilst en route was a horrible, dreadful thing to force myself to do. Along with medication though, the more I pushed myself the better I got. I now have no medication, and whilst I sometimes get that gut wrenching feeling of a potential bout of anxiety/panic, I know how to either control it, or ignore it. But that has only been through forcing myself into situations which make me fee utterly terrible in the beginning, which have then got better with practice.

As others have asked/said, if you aren't on medication I would really advise support from a Doctor, or if you are perhaps a review. And if things are affecting you deeply, I would ask whether there is any counselling or CBT type support. There may be a waiting list, but it is a step in the right direction to feeling better.

IF you can force yourself up, a few horse hugs and a human face may help to make you feel a bit better today. If not, is there a friend who can help, or who can come and at least offer a hug and some kind words?

Hope you are feeling a bit better soon. X

 

[Shady]

i did, for many years, high profile job, started getting panic attacks, took 1 anti depressant tablet and had a 1 in million reaction, ended up on a ward on huge doses of different drugs, couldn't walk properly or write for a year and in that time terrible depression set in, i didn't go out and just didn't give a toss about anything
one day i realised that my husband and cats were really suffering and i needed to get a grip as they needed me, i took it a bit at a time, reduced the meds and dealt with the panic attacks( that was really hard) i made myself do things, you can't hide honey, your'e just feeding the problem doing that. we are all here for you , you can PM me or any of us , take a deep breath ok? take 2 if you need but get those curtains open girl , your lovely horses need you and so do we. xxxxx

 

[Alchemy]

This time of year makes everything ten times harder - I feel permanently exhausted and I think that's because it's still pitch black when I have to get up. If your mare is just being trimmed I'm assuming she's not shod - could you postpone the farrier until another time? Or as the other reply said, ask a friend to step in? Are you on medication for your mental health problems? Maybe it's time for a review of that if you are.

I hope you start to pick up soon, I know it's very, very hard. xx

Just as GrumpyHelbert says really, I suffer from depression and there are times the only reason I get out of bed is to sort the horse out, Go see your GP, try and go see your mare even just for a hug and postpone the farrier.
Remember your not alone, hugs and hope you feel better xx feel free to PM me if you just want to chat

 

[BBP]

You aren't alone, and some people have offered good advice so I'm not sure what else I can offer. Medication worked brilliantly for me after nearly 20 years of suffering without realising I had depression but you may already have tried this. I've got to a stage where I can even cope with all the stuff in my other thread without a meltdown so there is hope. Good luck and go get a horsey cuddle!

 

[BBP]

And just to add, the fact that mine responded so well to medication (and I was very skeptical) proved to me that it really is, or can be, a physical illness. Mine was caused by a chemical imbalance that the medicine corrected. I couldn't have fixed that by myself. It wasn't for me a case of chin up and soldier on, I was already doing that, but I needed a cure for the cause not to just deal with the symptoms. I suffered from when I was 13 to 30 and am so happy I went to the gp at that point.

 

[peanut]

As others have said, please make an appointment to see your GP as even if you are already on medication maybe the dose needs changing or you need some additional support at this gloomy time of year. Try to make the effort to and give your horse a cuddle - it might just make you feel better to feel that warm soft fur.

 

[Princess Rosie]

Some brilliant advice on here. The one thing that can help is to take things in manageable chunks, don't focus on everything you need to get done, just take it one task at a time, focus on getting out of bed to go and get yourself a cup of tea/coffee and then once you're up you can focus on getting dressed and then open the curtains etc. sometimes it can feel the scale of what you need to get done can feel vast and unachievable (when in reality they are very small tasks). Do you have a friend who can help today? You need to have a chat to your doctor about getting some help (it doesn't necessarily need to be medication), having someone to talk to who understands what you are experiencing can be a big help and feel a relief that you are not alone with how you are feeling.

Sometimes focussing on how much other people or animals need us can also leave us overwhelmed, focus on thinking about how you feel when in the company of your horse and how much they appreciate your company, love and care. I don't agree with humanising animals generally but it can help when you are feeling like is as you need to remove the pressuring "need" on yourself to do something (obviously your horse's requirements are unchanged so if you don't feel able to care properly for him then backup care such as a friend or helpful YO can be very useful at these times). I have worked in Mental Health for a long time so can really appreciate how difficult his can be and my thoughts are with you.

If you need anything please PM me x

 

[MS123]

I've dipped in and out of mild depression for a few years now, started when I lost my late mare to navicular and it was a downward spiral from there. I turned to partying and "experimenting" with other things that were detrimental to my health which made everything worse. I managed to get myself back on track, but the depression hits me every now and then still. Regular exercise really helps, and if I'm still feeling particularly low I take some 5htp tablets which gives me a pick me up.

Sending lots of hugs, you don't have to battle this on your own xx

 

[tangoharvey]

Phew. Not just me then. Thanks everyone. I managed to get to the yard and my mare had her fronts trimmed, it was her first time ever so he's doing the hinds next time so as not to over stress her (or me) I am on medication but just some days it's worse than others x

 

[Wagtail]

And just to add, the fact that mine responded so well to medication (and I was very skeptical) proved to me that it really is, or can be, a physical illness. Mine was caused by a chemical imbalance that the medicine corrected. I couldn't have fixed that by myself. It wasn't for me a case of chin up and soldier on, I was already doing that, but I needed a cure for the cause not to just deal with the symptoms. I suffered from when I was 13 to 30 and am so happy I went to the gp at that point.

I agree that depression is a physical illness. It is caused by a lack of serotonin or lack of receptors to serotonin. Some depression is caused by life events, but most is not. You can have everything good in life and still suffer from it.

 

[tangoharvey]

I take a drug called duloxetine and another called olanzepine and when I can get it, Valium which I LOVE!!!!
I'm going to try to have a more positive day tomorrow and spend more time with the horse x

 

[Feival]

Do you mean Fluoxetine? I have been on this for a good while now and my life has turned around. 4 years ago I just gave up on life, didn't care if I lived or not, l'd
go to bed hoping I wouldn't wake up. Only had 1 horse then who I would go and do as quickly as possible then go back to bed. My sister got hold of me by the scruff of the neck and took me to see a psychologist who got me seen by my doctor for meds and into counselling 2 times a week. I have therapy 2 times a month now, am fully medicated at all times and am 'well' 95% of the time. Without my sister I highly doubt I'd still be alive.m

 

[tangoharvey]

No it's definitely duloxetine xx