Beast: Fed
My mother’s psychiatrist says, of depression, that sometimes you simply have to “feed the beast” — not the most original metaphor, but English isn’t his native language. What he means is that sometimes when you’re depressed, as people with bipolar disorder are subject to, you simply have to give in to it and hope it subsides. But fighting against it can actually make it worse.
So what does feeding the beast mean in such a context? Doing what I did this weekend: staying in bed for 48 hours, napping on and off, reading, watching a little TV, eating a bit, and not leaving the house. Some would have said, “Come on outside! Get some sun — you’ll feel so much better.” But that’s not always true. For me, this weekend was exactly what I needed: respite.
That kind of beast-feeding can’t last longer than a weekend, really, because then I start to get a little stuck. But I feel completely renewed this morning.
liz | 10:32 AM | Uncategorized
Beast feeding is supposed to be good for you. Better than formula, right?(Oh……. I’m sorry for the bad joke. I just couldn’t help myself.)
Resting and letting yourself recover is important but I don’t know if I’d consider it the same as feeding the beast. Even when taking a “mental health day” (or weekend), I don’t think it’s a good idea to give in completely.
I know exactly what you mean, Liz. I’ve had similar weekends, where I just layed (lied?) on my couch, watching the ol’ boob tube for hours on end – a real hermitic, ascetic existence.
For example, being a satellite dish owner, I am exposed to some rare and not-so-popular TV channels. One such is “RFD-TV,” which is aimed primarily at farmers in the Midwest.
So a few weekends back, this guy – who was born and bred in a West Philly row home the size of a postage stamp – enjoyed such programs as “Classic Tractors” and “The Big Joe Polka Show.”
It doesn’t get much better than that!
Dennis
Thanks for that post Liz, over the years I’ve come to the same conclusion. The best way sometimes to deal with extreme mental anguish is to sleep and sleep and sleep until your battery gets recharged. It’s amazing what 18 hours of sleep can do. I had been told the same thing by family to get up and get outside. I’m curious as to how things can be made worse if you don’t succumb to depression and take time to heal. When I’m in a bad state, everything becomes more difficult and so it can be excruciating to try to do more than you can.
ON a different subject, I am so ecstatic that Obama has won. I was seriously depressed after Palin was picked and McCain had that big surge in the polls. I was thinking that y’know can Americans be that stupid? Not this time. Just like that old Who classic, We don’t get fooled again! I was happy to be able to cast my vote and make Indiana blue for the first time in decades. I dont mean to be political here. I’m a former Republican. But I am hoping my mental health will be better in the next 4-8 years than it was the last 8 years. Dave
‘Feeding the beast’ definitely works for me. I didn’t realize how effective it could be until an old friend suggested that I not think about why I’m depressed, but instead acknowledge it. Knowing the difference has worked wonders.
I am exactly the same whenever i feel mental anguish i can’t do anything much but after a weekend i usually feel a whole lot better, I wish my family could understand as i have constant comments on how i should go outside, keep busy and active, when you have a mental illness and you are at a low point it can be debillatating. I want to thank-you for writing the post as i don’t feel as alone knowing it isn’t just me it happens to.
I wish I could feed the beast. Having kids doesn’t leave time for that, and there are times, like this past weekend, when I KNOW that all I need is to be somewhere safe and warm, and ALONE with my sadness. With the option of a hug if and when I need one. But I don’t get that, pretty much ever. Sigh. I better go pretend I can sleep tonight. Great blog, I’ve added you to my blogroll!
http://solaceinwonderland.blogspot.com
On of the hardest things we have to learn during our recovery is the difference between the natural and very real depressions people face everyday, and the ones randomly generated by the disease. Before we learn the difference we generally react to the former as though there were nothing we can do to protect ourselves, or to change. People with manic depression get hit so often and so hard by disease induced depressions we lose perspective on the regular ones. Our reaction to regular depression is to have suicidal thoughts or fantasize about suicide or become crippled, because that’s how we’ve become programed. People who experience only the regular or clinical depressions don’t.
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