Post #19 Relapsing Into Depression – 1 Month Later

August 12, 2025

I was 1 year and 7 months free from depression symptoms until my relapse one month ago. My psychiatrist cracked some corny jokes which made me literally laugh out loud, so he said that the depression symptoms were mild and we were still in the early stages. Yes, the corny jokes meant he actually tested if I still had my sense of humor. Because I was responsive, I could take action and possibly reverse the course of my symptoms so they don’t get any worse and I could possibly feel better.

He emphasized me to focus on the Bio–Psycho–Social of total well-being and to work on EACH.

Imagine yourself as a three-legged stool, with each leg representing Bio, Psycho, and Social. If one leg goes wobbly, then my whole balance is off. I had to make sure I checked each leg to ensure that I had something going on for each so it didn’t go weak on me.

Here were his instructions:

Biological (Bio) – focuses on my body and brain chemistry.

1. Increase anti-psychotic medication by 50 percent.
2. Exercise 30 minutes 5x/week
3. Eat a healthy diet
4. Get enough sleep

Psychological (Psycho) – focuses on my mind and coping skills

1. Return to regular sessions with my talk therapist

Social – focuses on my relationships and environment

1. Schedule social events and travel on my calendar to anchor my mind into the future with positive things

((It definitely is more complicated than that so, if you’re interested, you can always look it up and there are general websites and academic websites that refer to this approach.))

It’s been two weeks since that appointment and I can definitely say that things are improving. I’d like to say it’s mostly the medication but that would be neglecting to acknowledge my efforts during this time in following my psychiatrist’s instructions.

So I kept a log of what I was doing the past month, although doing poorly, but still doing:

1. Increased anti-psychotic by 50% daily
2. Resumed 2 sessions with my talk therapist
3. Scheduled 2 social interactions on my calendar
4. Got out of the house to exercise 4 times
5. Participated in a virtual NAMI Support Group once
6. Started a couple courses on Coursera

So I included the image with this posting because getting started on the these things was HARD! I didn’t WANT to do any of it, with my depression symptoms controlling me right now. But I did so very UNWILLINGLY and therefore half-assed basically, but that’s when you give yourself some grace and say “GOOD ENOUGH” is actually victory.