Going Stir Crazy? Seasonal Depression and Hepatitis C

Going stir crazy. Those days when you feel locked in your home, away from the world. Not feeling good, or just not really wanting to face dialog with anyone? Or perhaps we don’t have the means to get out and away from our homes for a short time. In this article I share community experiences with seasonal depression and hepatitis C, and my tips for feeling better.

Feeling captive in your own home

What if, however, you have those days every day? You are physically too weak to move and you just can’t deal with life right now? Being holed up in a location for days or months can get to a person. Being an outdoors kind of gal, winter months play with my mental state. Before I started at new job with traveling, I was one who felt held captive in my home.

My experience with seasonal depression and hepatitis C

I would watch TV, read a book, work for my foundation, clean my house, but nothing soothed that itch to get out away from my home. There are only so many shows on TV. And you get tired of reading. And who wants to clean a clean house over and over again... NOT ME!

I have spoken to several people who reached out to me sharing their frustration with that "cooped up" feeling. They were not able to work outside the home, they were not allowed to drive, and so day-in and day-out, this trapped feeling got them feeling crazy. With seasonal depression and hepatitis C, once you start feeling mentally unwell, it's easier to keep up with habits or activities that keep you in a rut.

Finding happiness in a new hobby

They turned to social media for their fix on life. But one particular instance stuck out. A woman shared that she became even more depressed scrolling through pages of pictures of friends on trips, family outings, and other fun stuff. She was alone. Her children grown and moved to another state. Her local friends all had jobs that required them to be gone during the day. She shared how she decided to bring life into her home once again. She began to garden inside her home by planting seedlings for her summer garden in January. She cleared out a spot in her kitchen for just her plants. Every morning, as if she was going out in the warmer months to water, she would water these plants, prune them, and fertilize them.

Doing this small gesture in the coldest of months for her being cooped up helped her not totally go crazy.

Once warmer weather permitted, she transferred these plants out to her garden. By now, these plants taking amazingly good shape indoors she had full-grown plants for outside. This also saved her lots of money from having to buy plants in the spring.

Small changes can have a big impact for seasonal depression and hepatitis C

The smallest things that we can do to help occupy our mind and thoughts during the cooped-up seasons can make a world of difference in our mental outlook.

Another good idea is scroll through Pinterest and find things that interest you or hobbies you might want to start up. Find something to lift those spirits up. If it is warmer weather and you still have that cooped up feeling, try setting a chair in the shade outside and sitting for a bit. Listen to the sounds around you. Disconnect from worries you have from indoors. Find little ways to broaden your daily view of the indoors.