Is crying over small things
signs of depression?

Lately I have been crying about my Grandpa's death which was now a year ago. I hvae not quit crying for the past two weeks. I have also been crying out of fear of losing more family members. I even catch myself waking up and crying about these things. I don't know if I am still in the morning process or depressed. I feel as though its a mixture of seperation anxiety and depression. Also I sleep almost all day and barely eat like i said I'm not sure if this is depression or not. Please help me figure out whats going on. I need a little advice before i go to the doctor.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank you so much for reaching out. As I read your post I could sense how much pain you're in. The symptoms that you are describing are similar to that of depression but it really sounds more like grief.

It takes a lot of courage to open your heart, feel all the pain and grief you're feeling. It takes courage to be willing to surrender to it and let it all out. And it sounds like that's what you are doing.

The fact that you are sleeping all day and not eating, while symptoms of depression, this is also a sign of grief. Often times when people are mourning the loss of a loved one they will shut down. Sometimes, its because they feel guilty that if they let themselves be happy they are betraying their loved one.

Have you grieved his death before this? Or did you bottle it all up and its finally coming to the surface? If it's finally coming, surrender to it and let it flow. This is a critical stage towards healing.

The good news is that there are several stages to grief and depression is the stage just prior to acceptance and moving on.

There are several things you can do to help yourself embrace your grandpa and bring him into your heart. Consider making an alter in his memory with pictures, memoirs, etc. You can also write a letter to him telling him what he means to you, how much you miss him....put that on the alter. Journaling is a great way to work through grief as well.

Also, remember, your grandpa can be a source of strength for you as you go on with life. I'm sure he's one of your guardian angels and is probably watching over you right now. And it's probably hard for him to see you in pain. I'm sure he wants you to move on and be happy.

I understand grief myself as I lost my mother 2 years ago and it took me over a year for it to finally hit me that she was gone. Everyone deals with loss in their own way, in their own time. It will get better. Just be patient and treat yourself lovingly.

Now with all that being said, if this goes on for weeks and weeks then there may be a more serious problem. If that's the case, come back to me and we'll sort it out.

Dana