Saturday, September 24, 2011

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 annnnnnnd Melt Down

I left work feel pretty depleted. I start the car and before I reach the stop sign at the end of the road I have started to cry. I can't seem to stop myself. I drive home the back way in order to avoid the traffic in town. It is slightly longer but I am in no hurry to get back to the house. Yesterday, Chuck had a bad day with his daughter and was not handling it well. I had been fighting another migraine most of the day and was struggling to keep my head together. It all came to a head after his daughter was in bed. (My daughter is thankfully visiting her father.) I flew into a rage. I am ashamed, hurt, and angry and having trouble wanting to face going home. The more I drive the harder I cry. I get to the intersection of my road, I turn away from our house. I search for my Swiss Army knife in my purse. Drive the other way. I feel myself becoming hysterical. I begin to tell myself "it's ok". After a short time I am crying and repeating that phrase over and over out loud now. "It's ok. It's ok.  It's ok..."  I convince myself to turn around. I feel a sense of panic knowing I have nowhere else to go. I put the blade of my knife on my arm. I feel it burn as I pull it across my arm. I don't really cause any more damage than a scratch. I keep crying, and head home. I pull in the driveway, still crying. All at once I stop crying. I just sit there in the car staring first at the yard, then the house, then the yard, and back to the house. Snippets of last night play through my head, along with mounting worries about having to call the landlord about the rent, the tree that fell from our property on the neighbor's garage, and the leaking roof. I begin to cry again. I look at the house again. I make myself get out of the car and walk slowly toward the house. I walk into kitchen and freeze. I don't know what to do. I hear Chuck and his little girl in the next room. I stand there. Eventually, I walk straight through, up the stairs, and into the bathroom. Stopping only briefly to take my anxiety meds. Sitting on the side of the tub I become hysterical again. My head on my knees, the more I try to control it the harder I cry. Chuck comes in asks what's going on? What the hell is wrong with me? I don't answer and cry harder. He starts to ask if I can watch his daughter for awhile. I just continue to cry. I have no idea how long it goes on like this. All I know is my head is beginning to ache and Chuck is getting twitcher by the second. Saying he needs to get out of here for awhile. I come down stairs and sit with his daughter. Chuck hands me a beer. I still have tears streaming down from time to time. I can't control it. Chuck leaves and I sit on the floor while his girl talks to me. She is sweet and tells me how its ok to cry some times. We talk about numbers and toys. Chuck comes back home and tells me to go lay down. I don't argue and just head to bed. I am woken up at dinner time and Chuck gives me more meds. So here I sit sedated, but no longer crying or shaking. I am ashamed. Ashamed of the raging fit I had, ashamed of needing all these meds, ashamed to have hurt myself, and ashamed I have lost control of my emotions. I hate that I don't know if I will be ok tomorrow or not.

1 comment:

  1. My heart just goes out to you. I cried through this post. Please know that I feel that anything in your life that is driving you to feeling trapped like this just can't be going right. It is just my feeling but I really do feel that you must realize how your hardship is going to affect your daughter. I am sure you are first dedicated to her. Not that your love for your significant other and his daughter is something to belittle but it is so important to keep your eyes open to these anxieties and depressions that have made their way back into your life. You talk in a future post about a past relationship that you recognize as having some of the same feelings and fears. So, it seams you do see that there are old demons showing their faces again. The question is how to prevent these things from staying as part of your new life with Chuck and his daughter. If the answer is that there is a way to rid of that anxiety-depression than this relationship is healthy and right but.....if the answer is that this relationship brings these two things...i am sad to say that it would be best to move on to greener pastures.

    I am not an expert and not right there watching these things happen. HOwever, I know that you should never feel guilty for doing what you must to take care of yourself (meds--doctors...etc). I do know that your daughter and new little one both love you and don't understand why you suffer. They won't for many years. You already know how depression can eat you away and probably are already feeling depleted.

    know you are not alone. you do not cry uncontrollably and act crazy alone. I have been where you are many times. my thoughts go to a dark side at times and then guilt eats me alive. I do understand. just know i stand at your side.

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