Depression

Hi - I hear you! Sometimes, a diagnosis of COPD can cause some anxiety for the patient. It is understandable that you may be feeling frightened as well.
From my perspective, it may be the other family dynamics (which appear to be ongoing) that may be causing you to feel this way as well. What do you thin? You are certainly managing a lot within your immediate family, based on what you've shared here with the community.
You are more than welcome to vent here - that is a large part of what our online community is all about. If there is anything we can do to assist you, please let me or any other moderator / team member know. You are always welcome here!
Warm regards,
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)

CommunityMember08d6d9,
It is too easy to get depressed these days. What with inflation, sickness, wars, crime, etc., add in COPD and sometimes it feels like the whole world is caving in on you. It is a very hard decision to place a loved one in a home. But there comes a point when your own sanity and marriage has to come first. I know it doesn't make it any easier. But something has got to give at some point, and you don't want it to be your mental health. We all have our life curveballs or our crosses to bear. We absolutely have to deal with it and cannot ignore it. When I get depressed, I do my best to find things to take my mind off of it. I get depressed because my COPD prevents me from doing a lot of the outdoor things I used to do. My wife and I moved recently and we live right across the street from the Guadalupe River (it will be Lake Placid, Texas once again when the dams are finished being repaired). But I can't be out fishing hardly as much as I would like due to allergens, too hot, too cold, people along the lake cooking out or burning brush. I feel like a shut-in and don't get the interaction I want from family and friends. I deal with it several ways. One is daily meditation and exercise using Qigong. You can find these on You Tube. It really helps me center myself and feel better. I think about all the things to be thankful for. My grandkids (whom I cannot go outside and play with due to my COPD), live 5 houses away, and come spend time with me several times a week. They are 5 and 2. My wife who supports me and also watches out for things that would irritate my COPD. I listen to music and clean house. Not exactly fun, but necessary and better than being depressed. I make scale models. Cars, motorcycles, aircraft. I play guitar (50+ years) and also play keyboard (8+years). I compose and record music. This is really relaxing because I get to express my emotions thru my music. We also live next door to a small farm. We get to pet and feed the goats and horses daily. There are just so many things to be thankful for. We as individuals are solely responsible for our own happiness and attitude. I always do my best to keep a positive attitude. Am I 100% successful? No, I am not. But being able to recognize the negativity is a step to changing it to a positivity. Attitude is 90% of life. So, no matter what is going on in my life (good or bad), I look at the positive side always. If there isn't a positive side, I make one. I have rattled on enough and need to get back to vacuuming. Keep your head up, take care, and God Bless!