At first you will be taught coping mechanisms. For most types of clinical and situational depression that has to be the first step along with VERY regulated medicinal therapies.
For many people though depression is not just a "feeling". Once depression reaches a certain stage (clinical) your brain actually "rewires" itself to accept depression as "normal". As it stands now your brain "works" on the foundation of depression being the usual operating function.
The treatment of depression (and anxiety which has a similar path) is very multi layered and yes, you will be required to do LOTS of work. There is no straight path to treating depression when it reaches the level you and me both have experienced.
I'm hoping your dr(s) will be as tough as mine because the wallowing must stop. They know you are in pain but you will have to reach so far down in yourself to TRUST these people it will feel like torture at first. You will have to put every ounce of yourself in trusting the people that *will* help you.
One of the worst days of my life was when my dr. induced an anxiety attack in me right in his office. It was horrifying on every level and an experience I NEVER care to repeat (hence doing the work that seemed impossible). But I had to trust his motives and guess what? That day was a turning point to show myself I DID have the tools to deal with such deep clinical anxiety. And who better to verify that then the dr. who was treating me. And he pushed and pushed and pushed me until I was not sure I could be pushed anymore. But I'm here and my anxiety is less and less present.
So please don't say no or you can't do it or anything else. TRUST. TRUST. TRUST.
I know the others mean well but until you are clinically better none of this advice will matter a bit - your brain will fight it. Yes, you do need to set boundaries and all the other DB stuff but first you need to be CLINICALLY better.
Now you can do this. I know this because if I can do it you can. Coming back from a nervous breakdown is not an overnight process. I get it. I lived it.
Don't overwhelm yourself with advice that you just can't handle right now - be clinically better first. That is step 1.
Mystik - you ARE going to do this. You will be better. I am living proof (sorta? LOL!). It's okay to be scared because, well, this is scary stuff. Even if they don't know how to deal with it LOTS of people want more than anything for you to be clinically better. So we will all stand behind you.
Be well. I am *really* proud of you for taking this step.
