Dear LPG readers,

 I recently found a statistic that I reluctantly became part of despite always being considered a pretty upbeat pre-pensioner with big plans for my retirement years.  Did you know that, according to the internet, about a quarter of us over 65-year-olds are likely to suffer from a degree of depression?      

I retired with so much planned positivity, but what was the worst possible time for retirement in recent years?   It was a bit earlier than planned, but it turned out to be a retirement start, which offered the worst set of circumstances to go with the beginning of such a pivotal part of life.  Covid-19 had just hit the planet, and all the plans I had made to get away and catch up with friends and people that I had not seen for years were overrun by lockdown.

Living alone never really affected me when I was working because I worked shifts and always had too much to do.  My home, though I have always loved being there, was the place where I ate, slept and used as a base for preparing for a job in which I was very invested, and the many items on my already busy social calendar kept me focused on life rather than living alone before I was forced to spend so much time there.  I had worked hard to ensure that not too much would change immediately and believed that not having to factor in my work would be the perfect way forward.

I never realised how important my job was to me until it was gone. With all my plans to escape from it for a bit scuppered, I felt like I was dealing with some seriously negative times.  

Having lived through that time in that way was very hard, and looking back on it, I can see that I became a statistic on the depression radar.  I believe that as the world overcame the coronavirus (to an extent), I overcame my anxieties.

The thing is that looking back, I wish that I had done something about what I was going through at the time. Still, they say that the first step needed to heal any ailment is recognising the problem. Perhaps because I think of myself as a strong-minded person, it was not until I had come out the other side that I could look back and review what I had gone through.  It was after that couple of years was all over that I took a look on the internet and appreciated just how much of what happened to me is similar to depression as described by the information I uncovered. What they say about being objective regarding your circumstances can be the hardest thing to do when you are in the middle of such an episode. 

It may be easier to spot the potential signs when you see them in others.  Lockdown is indeed history now, and with friends and family members able to spend time with their loved ones again, some of what I have found might help those affected or who might be watching someone and seeing the signs to get some help a little earlier. Maybe a bit of knowledge might save a few who are going through some form of depression to recognise the signs and get help.

AO, Bellingham

AO offers some information that might help readers spot the signs…

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