Time=Depression

i think it has something to do with feeling as though people around you are doing things and moving forward while you remain in statis, at least that's how i've felt when i've been out of work for extended periods of time.

Got a lot more time to think if ya ain't busy, and thinkin can be bad for one's mental health.

were you out of work in a bad way ronan (ie didn't know when you'd next be employed) or just in a gap before starting a new thing?

It depends-- right now my new job is depressing the hell out of me. Whereas after a few months of getting over major issues last year, I still had a few months left where I was in a great great mood, all the time.

being out of work and not knowing where the rent's coming from -- not so much 'depressing' as just fucking awful.

For definite. Plus excessive internet usage doesn't help either. At this stage I feel like I need a holiday from being off. On a beach with a few books and no TV/internet/cold weather.

x-post, I was just "freelancing/hoping to get healthy" for about a year or more until December when I got a temp job to keep me going. I decided then also to apply for stuff and try and just come out of myself as regards being sick etc.

then the temp job went very well and I've been much happier since. I also got a job I applied for which is really exciting, one I never expected to get, so that'll be great when it starts.

it's surprised me how literally as soon as the temp job finished, around a month ago, I've just begun to feel more and more depressed with all the time off.

I've been blogging a lot and stuff, and I reach a stage where I get sick of that too, and my own writing and stuff, and want to quit them.

I'll be really glad to just be in my new job and doing something totally new I think.

oops my "for definite" was to ian. luckily I'm still at home so no rent worries really.

And i wasn't working. Forgot to mention that.

Anyway, I think some of it depends on how one spends one's time-- I always made sure that I was doing something, whether it was reading, practicing music, gardening, etc.

Whenever I have free time I feel too listless and miserable to do anything with it and whenever I don't I feel like I'm going crazy for not having any. I have yet to find a happy medium; working 20h a week left me less knackered and feeling more productive in work time, but I mainly just slept more with my extra time.

Yeah I've been doing bits of work, probably screwing around online too much though.

I know more exercise would be good too.

i think it's more like internet=depression.

maybe!

When I've had time off like this I've always tried to have some kind of grand plan, like visiting a museum every afternoon. It hasn't always worked out like that, but keeping yourself occupied and treating yourself to stuff you wouldn't otherwise be able to do definitely helps.

it's interesting. i had a month off and felt so much better, but as soon as i had to go back to work, i got into a miserable funk that i'm still trying to shake weeks later. it may be that i was going back to the same job which i rather dislike and where i don't feel like i'm accomplishing anything either, though. (at least when you're off you can not accomplish things from the comfort of your bed or whatever) if you have a new, exciting job to look forward to, then i can see why being static in the anticipation could get frustrating.

yeah, my nephew is visiting next week so I'll probably bring him to a few places and then I was thinking of visiting my sister in Glasgow or something, cos it's quite affordable and I guess once I start my job I won't be able to do this stuff.

other than that I might suggest some kind of road trip to my unemployed friends.

I felt great in my first week off but I think overall I've had too much time off and I also tend to notice feeling sick and stuff more when I have time to think about it and to turn a bit more inward as a result.

also I'm trying to prepare for the new job and I keep feeling guilty I'm not working hard enough at that either.

I started going swimming again this week though so maybe that will pick things up a bit. I know once I move cities for a new job that should help too!

Coming to Glasgow is always an excellent idea.

well, i just essentially quit my new job. what am i going to do with my time? get late-admission grad-school apps in. whenever i venture into the 'real' job world i realize that i'm pretty much an academic, and i don't really feel awful about that any longer. i can definitely see myself as a professor.

professor sounds good...isn't that mostly about cultivating your own particularly musty smell?

I think this is half the problem with my current job. The past two departments I've been in, I've been very under-worked and as a result have had lots of time which in turn has led to lots of soul-searching which in turn has lead to misery obv. The other half is offices make me ill. Le sigh etc.

I co-sign the need for a month off with no TV, games, internet and with just the beach and a book.

For definite. Plus excessive internet usage doesn't help either. At this stage I feel like I need a holiday from being off. On a beach with a few books and no TV/internet/cold weather.

40 years of hard labour until you're ready to retire at 65 should sort you out.

haha

Depressed-------->time spent for SLEEPING------->don't want to do anything but sleep ever------>oh god why am I the terrible loach that can only sleep to avoid the pain of being awake-------->God I am depressed------>Better sleep---------->hate myself for sleeping so much------->oh shit now I actually have responsibilities I am sleeping through-------->god I hate myself

MORAL: try to get out of bed

depressed----->drink---->drink more----->write someone an "E-Mail"----->make ass out of self on internet------>sleep------>drag ass to work------>feel like shit all day----->spend too much money on eating out because of feeling like shit----->count $ spent on booze and food, hate self----->push homework back again------->sleep------>miss class

?????
PROFIT?

CLEANING MY HOUSE always makes me feel better about myself and my life is this true for anyone else?

I haven't had a job for a month and I sleep almost every day til almost noon. Me=loser and it's embarrassing, with my housemates and everything. But the anxiety of bing unemployed, or maybe just depression, has given me a horrible insomnia and I think it's better to just roll over and get a few hours of sleep than pop out of bed for the sake of getting out of bed. Plus I've basically applied at every fucking job available in my town -- I get out of bed and I'm not even sure what to do.

What I really want is a $$cRaZy cHeCk$$ which I honestly think I could get if I got hooked up with the right interviewer.

i'm cleaning
i'm cleaning again
i'm cleaning
cleaning my brain!

whenever i've been between jobs/out of work - i've usually tried to pick up a new skill/teach myself something. some of it has never gone anywhere and some of it has come in really useful over the years.

Abbott's post describes my life 18-23 exactly. Everyone else on this thread describes my life post-23. I guess that's progress in itself, but I sure am jealous of people who get round to actual creative or useful things you can show off to other people.

The computer and in particular the internet is the biggest depressing time-sucker ever but it's now almost completely intertwined with pretty much any way I might hope to be productive too. Maybe I just need to wait till the oil runs out and then I can feel much more productive about starving to death in a room full of useless plastic objects waiting for someone to come in and cleave my head open searching for food. Eh.

Your internets and my life just got better because I was forced to PAWN my LAPTOP for FOOD. and drugs

this definitely applies for me

CLEANING MY HOUSE always makes me feel better about myself and my life is this true for anyone else?

-- max, Friday, February 15, 2008 8:48 PM

yes yes

finding a good record i haven't listened to in ages always does this too. it's like "hey i did a thing right once (bought this great record). go me."

and i know nobody wants to hear more about my to-do lists but the psych benefits of just "crossing stuff off the list" are huge for me.

'Caning it' and being unemployed are a bad combination...

The protestant (& catholic) work ethic are deeply embedded at an early age and it's difficult to shake off vague feelings of guilt for illicitly enjoying yourself whilst others are working- even though quite a lot of peoples' work is more destructive to the environment and mental health of the planet than them not working at all.