When one family member struggles , the rest of the family does too

This is not totally my story to tell , but I will share with you how this has affected me .

I can tell you that now that we have told the church this is public knowledge.We are in a situation in our home where the REV has had to take a medical leave of absence from work for 3 months. Its been a long time coming and he has pushed it off for a long time. Pride has made him go on, the love of preaching keeps him going and the people in our church whom we love so much kept him trying to forge through , but unfortunately that can only take you so far when you are dealing with stress/depression/burnout. He has hit the wall and is struggling.

He was able to hide it for a long time with others and still does, but it is harder to hide at home. I am reminded of our retriever Tanner who passed away this past October. My friend Pam said that Tanner had been sick a long time but was trying so hard to make us happy that he hid it. But he could only do it for so long before it catches up. The Rev is like our old retriever.

Most peoplewho struggle with stress/burnout/depression try their best to hide it, but stress left alone becomes dangerous and life threatening.

Since sharing this with the church,  I feel like a weight has lifted for me. I don’t have to “hide” how I am feeling. I don’t have to put on my “happy face” all the time. I can now say I am sad, or I am struggling and people will know why.

We have all felt stressed in our lives especially at this time of year trying to get things done for Christmas. This stress and the stress that has people go on medical leave are vastly different. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, an end in sight with Christmas stress or moving etc. With the stress the Rev is going through there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight for him. It appears dark and dismal and tiring. There appears to be little hope and everything appears to be caving in all around. It’s a difficult time not just for him but for those who love him.

Not everything I share from this point on is what is exactly what is going on in our home, but is typical of what happens with stress/depression.

 Here are some of the symptoms that one might  go through

Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying	Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms	Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds	Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

So for someone who doesn’t struggle with any of these issues and all of a sudden does, it causes huge changes in relationships. The person you love has now become someone you barely recognize, especially when they are exhibiting symptoms that have never been part of their personality or an extreme opposite of who they once were.

As a wife I struggle with what to do. I go from being supportive and understanding , to being frustrated and angry. I think “enoughs,  enough lets get going”. But its not as easy as that. Its not something you can just snap out of. And its difficult for someone who has never experienced depression or burnout to understand.

This is going to take time to heal and the reality is we might never get back to where we were. That’s a scary thought for me. I don't know how long this will take before he is feeling better. I don’t’ know what the future holds The good thing is I know who holds the future and I trust HIM!!

The Sunday before telling our congregation that Bill was not well, I was an emotional mess. In the evening there was a healing service here in town and so I went. I went up for prayer and prayed for healing for my husband , for our marriage and for our family and church. The men praying for me prayed that Bill would not have to take a leave of absence and that he would be healed. Did God heal Bill??? Not instantly? and Not specifically what was asked.  Will He heal Bill? I believe He will! BUT GOD did heal that night. He healed me !   As I said I went in an emotional mess. I felt beaten and discouraged. I was angry and hurt!  I left there filled with PEACE! My anger was gone, my hurt was gone my heart felt healed. I had hope! No matter what happens I KNOW that God is in control!

I know I will have days that will be a roller coaster ride. Today is one of those days. I feel overwhelmed with all I have to do for Christmas. The majority of the work in our home is on my shoulders.  As well as keeping my foot in the door for church. I have to remind myself if I don’t’ get it all done it’s not going to be the end of the world.

Here are some things I am learning through this:

A support system is a MUST! I started counselling last year which helped a lot. I finished just before summer. My counsellor and I thought it was time and I was doing well. My one mistake is I SHOULD have gone back in September when things were coming to a head here. I needed someone to talk to and felt alone. I couldn’t talk to anyone from church I felt like I would be betraying Bill if I did. I am thankful for my daughter Christine who I shared  some of my issues with. That kind of took the edge off. If I had a do over I would have run back to my counsellor right away. I also didn't realize that Bill was going through burnout. I just thought he had changed and I didn't understand it. Talking to a professional would have helped me understand.

So my advice to anyone going through this is get help and support. Don’t hold it in and try and do it on your own. Its impossible to do. We are called to carry one another’s burdens. There are people that can help you.

SEPARATE the behaviour from the person. I say this, but have a hard time following it. I have mentioned this fault with Jayde and her FASD. It is so hard to do but it is necessary.

Look after yourself!  It is a good thing I love to exercise. I know my body doesnt’ show it, but my stress levels do. Going to the gym is so good for more than just physical reasons. It releases endorphins which are happy hormones. It alleviates stress. I am thankful to my friend Marcella who meets me twice a week which makes me pumped to continue on the rest of the week.

I also LOVE hot YOGA! It gives me time to breathe! Deep breathing also helps alleviate stress. I am also able to pray while I am there and just focus on me and GOD!

Pamper yourself, go for massages for pedicures. Look after you. That’s the only way you will be able to look after others.

REMEMBER that you don’t have to do EVERYTHING!! Its ok to say no and it’s ok that not everything will get done. Its okay to ask for help. (another tough one for me, but I am learning)

GO TO GOD! PRAY! If you are not a spiritual person , try praying ! you have nothing to lose and everything to gain! My testimony of the healing service is proof that prayer works. If you still doubt than again I urge you to try it for yourself!

As much as I don't like going through this with my husband and family I  know that one day  I will be able to share and relate to those who struggle with this It  is giving me a new perspective and understanding of depression/mental illness. . One day I will be able to share how God brought us through it as well.

TOUCHE

For those who are close to me know that I have a “thing” about words. Last week’s blog was on EXTREME words this week is a little more personal about me and EXTREME words

Words have great meaning to me and I don’t’ just use them and throw them around willy nilly. It irks me when people do. For example when someone is talking and say “I went to Starbucks and they discontinued the café mocha drink that I always drink. I was DEVASTATED” REALLY??? DEVASTATED??? I don’t’ thinks so! I would hope not DEVASTATED. Maybe mildly upset. Disappointed but not DEVASTATED.

Having this issue with words for me makes it difficult to do surveys for me. You know the surveys that the answers are ALWAYS-, OCCASIONALLY- NEVER. I typically have to pick the middle of the road answers. It seldom is an ALWAYS or a NEVER for me. To state ALWAYS means I always do something and really I ALWAYS doesn’t do something even though I typically 99% of the time do it there might be a time that I don’t.

Also NEVER…..I am sure I have at one time done something I said I NEVER do.

Think about it. DO YOU ALWAYS DO SOMETHING??? ALWAYS???

 surveys are thought provoking for me.

The saying “this is the worse day ever. Or this day has been horrible.” THE WHOLE DAY???  Not one good thing happened?

I have someone close to me who will tell a situation and then say isn’t that HORRIBLE?? Well it’s not HORRIBLE ….this is the definition of what horrible means. The story that you just told me isn’t even close to causing horror or shocking me. It wasn’t even extremely unpleasant. 

hor·ri·ble

   /ˈhɔr ə bəl, ˈhɒr-/ Show Spelled[hawr-uh-buh l, hor-] Show IPA

adjective

1.

causing or tending to cause horror; shockingly dreadful: a horrible sight.

2.

extremely unpleasant; deplorable; disgusting: horrible living conditions.

Not sure why I have this weird WORD thing. Just one more quirky thing about me. What is not good is because I believe words have so much power and meaning  , I can and DO use them when in a disagreement with someone and can  say some very hurtful and strong things. 

When the bible talks about the tongue being a sword or a poison  I know full well what that means. My words can cut someone to shreds. Can pierce a heart, cause a wound, do damage to someone I love.  I am trying to be intentional when talking to loved ones and making sure that my words will not cause injury, or even death of a person’s spirit . When in a disagreement do I really win if I have cut a person so deeply that I have severed my relationship?? I would rather be a loser and keep that person whole and uninjured. Now I just have to keep working on this. IT’S easier SAID than DONE!

Psalms 12:18