Depression — 7 months ago
During the summer I was depressed because I lost my cat during my spring break. I was sad a lot for the rest of the school year, and I was constantly having dreams of my cat. I missed him terribly. I still miss him.
Then summer came and I was in a flurry to do lots of things and distract myself from the fact that 1) My cat is gone and 2) I disliked the new house.
So when fall came along, I decided I had to do something. Talking with grieving pet owners online had helped me a little. Since it had been so long since March when my cat went missing, my parents were a bit sore on the subject and had less sympathy for me and my cat than they had at first had. So there was no one for me to talk to about my ongoing grief and depression.
So I signed up for counseling and went to multiple sessions, talking about my cat. I told his story and talked about how much I loved him and missed him, about how special our relationship was. With the counselor’s help I was able to let go of my anger towards my mother for her lack of sympathy for me (and see it as, she wants to help me get over it) and was even able to relate my cat to my best friend.
Also, the counselor and I came up with plans for how I can make living in this new house more enjoyable for myself. I haven’t yet employed these plans (which included gardening, fixing up my room all homey and nice, and maybe getting another cat in the summer). But even so, I feel better. I still think of my cat sometimes, of course, and I still miss him.
But I am done with bitterness and self guilt. The sadness is still there, and sometimes I walk through a pet aisle and get sad, but I am getting over my grief.
So to others out there, I advise – find someone to talk to, even if it is a stranger like a counselor. Even a stranger can help, especially if you feel no one you know, around you, is quite able to help you or relate to you.
I am happy to say I’ve accomplished this goal of “stop being depressed.” I am leading a happy life and looking towards my future and focusing on accomplishing things in the present.
