I have started to get extremely depressed and shut myself off from my girlfriend

[Uglyflipflop]

Trying to keep this short and to the point... I used to get extremely depressed for periods of time since I think I was about 10 years old. I went through some very rough times where I was severely depressed for months at a time during my teenage years and saw a therapist that helped me learn to cope with these spells when they started to happen.

 

It has been almost a decade since then and this is the first time I've felt depressed for an extended period of time when it has little to do with what's going on around me.

 

I've found myself waking up with a horribly familiar sense of pessimism that lasts throughout the day and I'm faking every smile, word or action that would make anyone think I'm anything but depressed.

 

I've tried to explain to my girlfriend that it's not her fault, that I certainly don't enjoy feeling this way and that I honestly can't explain to her why I feel this way. It is not going over very well and she keeps assuming things to the point that it's just frustrating to have to defend that I'm just feeling depressed.

 

I've found myself thinking the most negative and unhealthy thoughts again and it's been so long since I've ever felt like I'm just in a place where external factors have no influence on how depressed I feel.

 

I can understand the times I've felt terrible when there has been a reason for it, but I've been waking up almost every day for over a month now feeling this way.

 

Has anyone who suffers from depression ever gone this long without suffering from a very bad occurrence just to have it come up again?

[catfeeder]

Sure, depression isn't just emotional, it's chemical. That doesn't automatically mean that drugs are the only course, but it would be a good idea to resume therapy and get a professional assessment.

 

Physical exercise also helps; it improves your body's ability to balance its chemicals, it lifts mood, and it improves your concentration and your ability to sleep.

 

In your corner.