Late August Monte Report

Well, yet another month has passed without any melodramatic dismalness. My boss and dear friend has packed his bags and moved away, but the mood crash that I feared would result has not materialized. In fact, my life continues much the same as it was during the three months before he left -- that is, rather hunky-dory. I'm spending time with friends, enjoying time alone, having fun at my job (despite the work-related stress) and in general just feeling good. I really appreciate feeling well, and I can only hope this era of good-feeling continues indefinitely. It may not, but the longer it lasts, the more optimism I will develop to lean on during a future depressive episode. I'm even in the midst of developing a new hobby: dragonfly-watching! A friend whom I hadn't seen in years popped back into my life this month, and he happens to be a dragonfly expert. I had actually been wanting to explore the newish field of dragonfly-watching (I bought a field guide to dragonflies nearly six years ago), but needed a kick in the pants to get started -- and my friend provided that kick in the pants. (The picture above is of a Flame Skimmer, a species I saw last weekend for the first time.)

A brief quote from Dr. Allen's Coping With Depression:

"Stressful events play a prominent role in triggering episodes of depression. ... [A] fresh start -- a new relationship, new housing, a good employment opportunity -- often herald[s] recovery. Sometimes fresh starts are the flip side of stressful events, such as when the breakup of a bad relationship provides opportunities for a better relationship."

Perhaps my boss/friend's departure is more of a "fresh start" than a "stressful event." I don't think it was/is a "bad relationship", but it definitely had the capacity to trigger my anxiety and depression. Perhaps the distance from him will lead to an improvement of our friendship as well as a stabilization of my mood.