An Absolutely Wonderful day

Today was my beset day yet. Everything didn’t go perfectly, but it sure feels like it did!

I started the day off by taking a quiet walk around campus before class. Judging by the results each time I’ve done this, it’s a really good idea. I spent time before class and between work studying my ocarina how-to book, and yearning to play my Occy. I think that help immensely, too: I had something great to look forward to all day for the first time since Vegas.

Spanish went as usual. In Theology, we watched an exciting movie. We got homework assigned for it, but I finished that in study hall (Go me!) Geography was as light-hearted as ever. In Algebra, I tuned out the teacher and breezed through the homework, finishing it all before class was even over (Yay!) In English, we saw some funny videos involving a baby in a stroller falling down a flight of stairs. Yes, it sounds horrible, but the clip was so over-the-top and comically exaggerated it was hilarious. In Chemistry we watched another video, and answered a simple quiz over it that had some really funny answers. To top it all off, the latest edition of the school newspaper went out, and was awesome as ever.

Throughout the day, absolutely everyone was in a great mood. Senor Di joked with the students, Ms. De was sweet like she always is, Mr. Au kept his cool while his eyes were laughing at the boys flicking miniature rubber penguins (of mine!) about his classroom, Ms. Pr had fun laughing at the videos with us, and Ms. Cu’s substitute Ms. Pa made snarky comments and argued with the narrator of the chemistry film. Even Ms. Ma was in a good mood. Not to mention all the students were constantly joking around (rubber penguins and all), and outside at lunch it was a gorgeous day. Maybe it’s just my depression lifting for today, but I doubt it could apply to absolutely everyone the way it did.

(Note: Obviously, I’m abbreviating all my teacher’s names, to protect the innocent–and guilty. I’ll do something similar for any classmates I mention.)

After school, Dad picked me up, and we had fun talking about my ocarina. I played it like crazy when I got home, advancing as far as chapter 7 in the book (and I’ve only had it 24 hours!) I also did my weight exercises and took another shower, which felt really good. I notice my hair is a lot tamer in the shower, definitely because I’m actually taking one every day now, and it feels really clean and nice. Hooray! That’s definitely good for my mood! I think the weight exercises have also helped a lot. I’ve been feeling more upbeat and energetic these last few days, and today I didn’t feel tired once, even though I stayed up till 10 last night! The only thing left to do in my routine is brush my teeth, which I’ll do at 9 tonight.

I still have some homework to do: studying Spanish and doing some English reading and writing. But I know I’ll do it just fine. I plan to work on it tomorrow.

Upcoming: Sunday morning, Mom has promised to take me to Zilker. I don’t go there often enough; the sunlight and atmosphere will be good for me. And they have excellent food! It will be awesome. And around the 24th this month, we get to go back to the Alamo (HOORAY!!!) and see the latest Indiano Jones movie (YEAH!!!)

Wow, I really don’t sound depressed at all here. And today, I didn’t feel like it, either. I can’t wait for many more days like this to happen in the future, and me and Occy will enjoy every second of it.

I even felt a small smidgen of my old creativity come back to me today: I started thinking up characters for a series about the nature and conceptions of good and evil. It was inspired by visiting the TwistedJenius.com site; evidently, studying dark, brooding philosophical material and raging against society are NOT inherently depressing or “messed up,” considering the great day I had after poring over musings on the nature of morality and hypocrisy. Just like I figured: I love philosophy, be it economic, political, psychological, or metaphysical; it’s always been one of my big passions. Material that you’d expect would encourage depression and gloom and unhealthy attitudes doesn’t actually work that way; the stereotypes are wrong! Indeed, I have generally found that the more I examine philosophy, the greater appreciation I have for the world and (some) people around me, and the more I become fascinated with life. Even if the counselor tells me to stay away from that sort of thing, I won’t, because I enjoy it deeply–and isn’t overcoming depression partly about finding the joy in life?

Super Ocarina Progress!

Getting my ocarina was such a great investment–and now I’m starting to be thankful for all those piano lessons I used to take. I’m already up to chapter 7 in the book, and I’ve only had it 24 hours. I heard that the ocarina was easy to learn, but damn! I haven’t even looked at the accompanying rhythm exercises and audio instruction I’m supposed to use.

I’m highlighting all the songs in the instruction book that are actually pretty good. Most of them are lame exercises disguised as songs, though I can’t complain, as the exercises are decently helpful and good practice. But there are a number of songs I really want to memorize.

The ocarina, which I have named Occy, just gets easier and easier to play. I haven’t once needed to refer back to a fingering chart to reference how to play a note, and it’s not very hard to play a note right unless I’m trying to do a tricky song for the first time. I can get all of the songs down within three or four run-throughs. That’s why I’m progressing so quickly. I’m very, very pleased, even though my fingering still needs some practice. But I know that good finger-work will come naturally with time and practice, as will breathing properly.

I love my Occy.

I Got My Ocarina!

My ocarina arrived in the mail today! Yes!!! I’m already making toot noises that confuse the dogs to no end!

I’m very impressed with how quickly it arrived. And judging by the other stuff, all in perfect condition and well made, the company seems to know what they’re doing.

It’s a very intuitive instrument, especially as I’ve played piano before, and done a bit of recorder. I can get into the proper position instinctively, but it’s pretty easy to do the notes right even if I’m slouching. Yeah, bad habits, blah blah blah. But I know I’ll get better at it with practice.

The only tricky parts are flowing from one note to the next, and hitting the really high notes well. I tend to play them very loud–the ocarina is not quiet, nor is it meant to be–but it does take quite a puff of air. I’ll have to work on my breathing techniques. But I can already do the beginner songs well, no problem there, and I can understand the notes themselves perfectly. My favorite tune is “Au Clair de Lune,” because it’s the only one with a decent melody that I’ve tried yet. Of course, I’ve only tried three so far…I’ll have to keep challenging myself to progress.

I like how the chromatic scale is so intuitive. I’ll get to the sharps and flats later. For now, I’m doing the C scale, again and again until I can get it perfect. I like how my fingers naturally curve onto the holes, even though the instrument is so tiny.

I feel a little faint, because I’m not well used to the breathing needed. In fact, I want to take a nap, but I get the feeling that’s just the depression talking.

Anyway, about the rest of my day…I only had two classes, and both very easy ones, yet I’m still pretty tired. I think it’s a combination of the orthodontist appointment this morning (ick), the doctor’s appointment and blood test (ugh), and the fact that I didn’t really do anything in study hall. I had planned to work, honestly I did, but I wound up in the library while another class was in there, didn’t want to leave even though I was supposed to, and wound up hiding behind a bookshelf and trying not to worry. Attempting to read a novel while constantly looking over your shoulder in case you get caught, and not being able to even move from your hiding spot, is NOT good for productivity. The fact that I stayed up to eleven last night (I’m supposed to go to bed at 9:30) also probably helped me feel awful.

Anyway, right now I need to do my exercises and shower. My hair feels really clean and soft today; I think it’s because I actually showered two days in a row for once. I ought to do it more often.

But maybe I won’t shower JUST yet; I’m still a little faint from the ocarina.

But I love my occy anyway.

A Small Victory

Aright, so it turns out I have depression, inherited from my mother. Nasty stuff; it’s been gradually turning my life into goop over the last six months, though looking back I can see some vague symptoms going back years. But only six months ago did it start affecting my quality of life; before then, I was just as happy as anybody else. It can be hard to recognize depression in someone naturally introverted and solitary, like me and all my family, but luckily I’m very self-aware and proactive, so I managed to realize something was wrong, and I’ve started working to deal with it.

Today was my first day working to combat my depression. Since I recognized it before it became debilitating, I can still go to school and do work and generally take care of myself. My particular type of depression is called “dysthymia,” meaning it’s not as severe as usual, but it lasts forever instead of appearing in episodes, and is permanent without treatment. Today I brought to school all my notes about my condition, to remind myself of what’s going on, and keep me from getting demotivated again.

I promised myself that I would have a good day in spite of my illness. I hadn’t had one in a long time, and had always felt tired and sad even if everything went great. I vowed today to have a good time.

And you know what? I did. I had to keep reminding myself to feel good, especially in the morning, but the day really did turn out well, even though nothing particularly special happened. I started by taking a short walk around campus before classes started, humming to myself and taking a few minutes to enjoy the trees and grass and bushes about. It really helped. In class, I tried extra-hard to pay attention and take good notes. I found that sitting up straight and keeping my hands on my desk was rather tiring, but it really did help. Some breathing exercises also helped me chill out. At lunch, I ate outside for the first in a long time, and drank in the flora around me while listening to some upbeat music.

I noticed that I also felt a lot more “in tune” and connected to the people around me, even though I didn’t speak any more than usual. I think I was just paying attention to them better. Even an introvert likes social contact in small doses, and it made me feel much better around my classmates. That’s not to say I like or respect them (they’re all a bunch of shallow dumbasses), but I didn’t feel lonely today, like I often do.

I even managed to finish all my homework in classes, including the dreaded algebra homework. I told myself to remember that it was never as difficult as it seemed at first, and that turned out true. It always does; I just disregard that advice too often. I didn’t feel as thrilled at my achievement when I finished as I expected, probably because my hideous teacher was still screeching at us, but now, writing this later, the impact of my small bit of extra freedom tonight is really starting to hit me. And I mean that in a really good way. Seriously, I feel really, really good right now, thinking about how I have no homework (not even studying) to do because I was so productive in class! I really ought to continue this way, it feels awesome!

When I got home, I stuck to another set of changes I promised to do: showering and brushing my teeth immediately upon arrival. This is kind of embarrassing, but when you’re depressed, it’s easy to neglect personal hygiene. It felt sooo good to take an ice-cold shower and brush my teeth really well. I feel really clean, like all the day’s stress and work has been washed right off me. To top it all off, I got proof that the “promise to have a good day” method worked when my mom brought some roast beef sandwiches (my favorite kind) home, and I was absolutely thrilled. I can’t remember the last time food made me so happy. I made sure to thank her, and told her it was the perfect ending to a good day. Because it is!

Finally, I made sure to do my weight-lifting exercises. Those used to be an old habit of mine that disappeared when my depression first set in. I heard that exercise is an excellent way to combat it (as it releases endorphins, has no side effects and is an easy but productive thing to do with your time [which is really important for a depressed person, who has trouble just getting out of bed]). It seems to be working; even now, just sitting at my computer, I feel better than usual, like my body is perked up and energetic instead of tired and sleepy.

It probably sounds like I had a really easy time overcoming my depression today. But it wasn’t easy. It was really tiring, and I had to remind myself constantly of my promise to have a good day, and I was tempted a lot to just return to my usual lazy stupor. But I managed to overcome it today. With depression, just having a nice day is a major achievement all by itself.

But I did it. I beat back the sadness, even if just for one day. I did it, and I’m going to do it again.

I promise.