Oh God. I have butterflies in my stomach, churning anxiety. It’s been building for weeks and now this business of my son and the blog has brought it to a head. It’s fed into all the shame and guilt that’s native to the depressive state.
If only he had explained to me before what was troubling him. I’ve righted the wrongs as far as I can by removing all mention of his name going right back to 2007, and also removing my email address, which contains my full name. But I’m still beating up on myself for not keeping strict anonymity before. How could I be so stupid, naive, negligent etc. I know it was a mistake, and just hope that I can forgive myself and be forgiven by him in time.
The absolute last thing I ever wanted was to hurt my boy in any way. When I started out, on Blogspot, I didn’t seem to have many readers, and few comments. I guess it lulled me into a false sense of security. I regarded the blog almost as a private diary, and a way of keeping track of my moods and how I was doing when I withdrew from psych meds.
It’s different now. I have far more sense of the blog as a public space. Hence I have been more careful about using his name and have been referring to him as J, but occasionally it did slip out. But I neglected to pay attention to the earlier entries. Not to speak of the times where I’ve been manic and hence more indiscreet about details of my life generally (though not especially concerning him). At the end of the day this blog has never been geared towards members of my family reading it, let alone my son.
I am also anxious about a hospital appointment I’ve got this afternoon. It’s a gynae check. Anxious about living. Equally anxious about dying.
I feel agonised and very depressed about things at the moment. Self-esteem in tatters. How many more times do I have to be stretched on the rack of manic depression. What, in the end, is the meaning of it? Meaning and significance looms so large in the ‘high’ phase. Then you come crashing back down and you search in vain for the point of anything.
Horrible.

5 comments
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March 25, 2009 at 1:37 pm
abysmal musings
Have a cyberhug. Take care, D x
March 25, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Sir Bob
Hi
If you like, do you want me to mention if you use names etc in your blog. I think you’re beating yourself up a bit. I’m sure he will come round in time – you know what kids are like. Don’t get down – you are still you, unique and wonderful, so put that in your self-esteem and eat it!. Hope the hospital visit went ok – got to go back to the doc myself – he’s been after taking my blood pressure for years (yeah he probably gets cash for meeting a target ha ha), anyway, got sent for a blood test so I suppose I should pay another visit and get the result. Incidentally, went out on the bike last night – about 2 miles and it nearly killed me! – still Rome wasnt built in a day. Anyway, sorry for wandering off like that. You have an illness, you are getting better from your blogs – stick with it, have faith – we do in you x
March 25, 2009 at 8:43 pm
beetrootsoup
Thanks for the cyberhug, D.
Thanks for your comment Sir Bob. I know I’m beating myself up. That’s the thing with depression. It’s as if you lack the energy to fight those kinds of self-defeating patterns. Suddenly it’s just so easy to fall into low self-worth, self-loathing and the rest. Those tracks are probably hard-wired into me after all these years of repeated episodes.
Mind you the anxiety of late has definitely been worsened by the business of my son being ‘off’ with me at contact and then not phoning, etc.
I hope and trust I have learned my lesson this time about names etc and will be more careful. This blog is not designed for my family to read though. It’s an outlet for me and hopefully of some interest to whomever can relate to it. Blimey, imagine if you wrote a blog for your family. Your aged Parent. Would you have to tone it down or what.
Thanks for your kind and comforting words Sir Bob. Love, Zoe
March 25, 2009 at 10:24 pm
la
((lovey)) You need a nice cup of tea.
As Sir Bob says, kids can always find a reason to be pissed off at their parents. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
I couldn’t handle my dad or brother reading my blog. No way.
March 26, 2009 at 7:59 pm
beetrootsoup
Thanks La. I do feel better, less anxious and a bit more balanced today. x