WR: Depression & Anxiety

And I am now back on anti-depression meds etc. Anyway I am just wondering am I alone? I do have a history of depression and anxiety...and please allow me to state again I am THRILLED to be marrying my FH. But this wedding is seriously taking a toll on me! Anyone else? Just wondering...

Thanks in advance.

I think its totally understandable to be having these feelings...especially if you do have a history of depression and anxiety. Its a very stressful time and i think we all handle stress differently. I've been on an emotional rollercoaster at times...feeling super excited one minute and then complete panic and stressed the next.

I'm sorry its becoming a bigger problem for you....I'm glad to see you have starting seeing someone and also hired a wedding planner even though not in the budget it will help you take some of the stress off.

Good luck and hopefully it will get better. :-)

Weddings do take a toll on all of us!!

I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and sometimes the stress of the wedding makes my anxiety sky high. I worry about everything and obsess that things aren't going to be as I want them to but I can't help it. I just remind myself that its going to be an amazing time and that everything will work out, sometimes I drive everyone nuts though!

I've been on anti-depressants for about six months now for many reasons... I feel you girl! Sometimes I just want to drop everything and elope. Dealing with anxiety and depression makes everything in life so much more difficult.

I've started making sure prayer is evident in my day.. it helps so much.

I have been on antidepressants for many years now. Unfortunately, getting depressed once seems to change one's brain so that another depression can take hold more easily--sometimes without any "depressing" event at all. I just do what I need to, in order to keep myself healthy enough to function.

WOW! I literally just called my doctors today to get back on lexapro. I understand completely. I have bi-polar and anxiety and the planning is just to much for me. Glad I am not alone. I was on facebook right before I came here and actually dreaded signing in because of the stress. Glad I did though,thanks =) Kinda is ironic huh?

My family has alot of history of depression and I have a personal history of anxiety, I battle with it all the time. Wedding planning, or any other life event that requires alot of emotion, time and energy can stress us out and trigger an episode.

I was diagnosed with anxiety at 13 and depression later. I have been off and on anti-depressants since. (Mostly because as a young adult I didn't understand that you had to remain on the medication.) At times I was fine and pulled myself off, then a year or two would go by and I would need to get back on them. I got off for each of my three pregnancies. My son is a year old and I have yet to get back on due to insurance reasons. But am as soon as possible. Right now due to financial reasons the wedding is postponed. And that will flair my depression. I will be okay and understand for a few weeks then I get down about it again. I try my best to just get through because I understand why we can't have the wedding quite yet but with the depression its hard not to feel down about it. If you ever want to talk just PM me.

I have some serious anxiety issues, and they have definately gotten worse with the wedding getting closer. I have gone to a psychiatrist since I was 8 for it, but I only had to go every other week, now I go weekly and am medicated for it. I mean I understand that it was going to get worse because wedding planning is insanely stressful, but I was not prepared in the beginning. I went from having maybe 3-4 attacks a month to 2 a day! Even on medication I still have attacks every now and then, but its definately helped. You are most definately not alone!

I just saw my doctor this morning and my happy pills were one of the things we talked about, if maybe I was ready to step it down a little. I told him I was getting married in 88 days and we both agreed this was not the time to step down. I feel you. You're not alone.

I just want to say kudos to you for taking care of the problem, that in itself is a BIG step when dealing with depression and/or anxiety issues! Take a moment to give yourself a little pat on the back for having the strength to admit your problem, talk about it, and ask for help from others to ease your stress.

In the same boat! Happy and ecstatic to be getting married but the pressure, stress and excitement causes our bodies to react. Glad to hear you are talking to someone about it and the wedding planner, although you couldn't initially do it for budget reasons, might be all worth it for the sanity! Hang in there, we are all here for you! Ironically, I was JUST thinking about this all tonight. I've been on an emotional roller coaster the past 48 hours. Its not fun. Thanks for starting this thread and helping to generate conversation on a sometimes touchy and sensitive topic.

I am so glad I am not alone. Thank you all for responding. I didn't really want to post anything because I was afraid I was alone. It's just so hard, and I'm glad there are others out there who I can talk to about it. Because I don't want anyone to think I am unhappy about getting married.....it's just the stress of this wedding and everything that comes with it is tough. I have said many times I want to just skip to the honeymoon.

@ Gina--I would recommend a wedding planner to help with the stress. Our budget really is tight...but I did feel a bit of relief once I hired her. Not totally...but some relief.

Thanks again ladies. I'm glad the lines of communication on this subject has been opened up.

Hi April2012Bride. I also suffer from various mental illnesses and I knew that getting closer to the wedding I would get super-stressed and anxious. I found that the easiest way to get through it was to make lists of everything, even small things like replying to an email, and try to check off a few everyday. In general, I tried to get one larger thing done (ie, type up the menu cards) and a few smaller things everyday. And I showed the list to everyone so if they wanted to help out in any way they could. I also had a day-of-coordinator and that was easily the best money I spent the whole wedding process. She did every I asked of her and more. Anyone who suffers from anxiety should find room in their budget for a planner.

Thank you so much Cavan. I will take that advice to heart. I appreciate that. I am going to start making more lists and crossing them off and making sure I get things accomplished better and faster...maybe seeing things crossed off will help with my anxiety.

I am also glad I hired a planner, definitely one of the best decisions I made.

Your welcome Aprilo2012Bride! Just know that it will all come together. You can do this!

One small thing to note is that after the wedding the stress did not go away. It's been almost 3 weeks since my wedding and I am still going through everything in my mind and judging how it all went. I could even say that the week after the wedding was more stressful than the week leading up as now that it was done I rehashed everything over and over - why didn't I write a better speech, did anyone notice that the candles melted too fast, who did I not spend enough time with. Keep this in mind and maybe plan for it. I did not go on my honeymoon right after so maybe that's why I am feeling this way. Anyway, keep yourself distracted from wedding things after the wedding so you can de-stress.

I've suffered from depression since I was about 12 so no, you aren't alone, Infact, i take the whole anxiety issue as a good thing because you know that you have real feelings for this and your not just happy because of everyone else (I'm hoping that you understand what I mean by that.) Anyway, it's good tha tyou are talking to someone, that is the best way to deal with it. Remeber, go ahead and cry or scream if you need to, don't try to hold it in because you will feel better and it will clear up your head once you let it all out.

You are not alone. There are so many of us out here who suffer and don't share because of the stigma. Getting help is a brave thing to do. What people don't understand is that just because you suffer from depression doesn't mean you are not happy. It's all about those damn serotonin levels. I have been treating for depression and anxiety since I went through my divorce 17 years ago. As 2D mentioned, sometimes something triggers it, and the depression just stays. In addition to therapy, finding the right meds for you is a good thing. If you were diabetic, you would need your insulin. There is no difference between the two other than societal acceptance.

As far as planning my wedding, I had no issues. I realized I needed help and hired a DOC so that I would not be overwhelmed. I realized cooking for 60 for the welcome dinner would also overwhelm me, so I hired a caterer. It is all about recognizing your limits and being proactive

If you need to type, we are here to read.

I didn't have enough room to type, I will keep all of the WW brides who have this illness in my prayers.

Sorry...darn mouse again!