Up days and Down days. Does everybody have them, if so what do you feel is the cause?

[Bricealan]

Many/most days, my life is a life of sunny skies and good times, and just to be out in the world is a gift for me to enjoy every moment of.

Other times, my life seems empty, and very drab, and sometimes not worth living, and I tend to see the down side of just about everything and everybody.

I have spent time to examine the why's and what for's of those down days and wonder if it is "chemical' or lack of some lack of chemical in my brain that causes those kinds of depressed feelings.

When I ran and competed in the local 10k and 5K races, and ran with a team with Fluor Engineering, I was on top of the world ALWAYS, mentally and physically. A friend suggested that it is probably the result of the Endorphins released into the brain along with the hard physical exercise of racing.

Another friend suggested that it may be due to my finding 'an area of success' i. e. running/racing, that gave me 'an area of success" in my life, and the is what may keep me emotionally buoyed' up.

Does anyone else have these kinds of emotional ups and downs and if so, what do you attribute it to?

Updates

1 y

I would like to hear only from those who experience the roller coaster ride of ups and downs. If not, please hold your responses

[NathanDavis]

I did ride that rollercoaster for years... but these were my childhood and early teen years, and yes... some serious ups and downs, and in retrospective, most of it... must have been in my knucklehead, which is that thing you're talking about... the "chemical balances" and the brain being "wired just a bit differently"

this, I think so because, while I indeed had some serious not few challenges and issues that life does like to throw at you from time to time, I do think that these... not always matched the timing, and the intensity in which I would feel the worst... as I always saw others dealing with so much more, or the same... and/or they didn't have the "good things and blessings" I had... and some of them would seem to be doing better, in short... none of this made sense

but yeah, multiple factors are always involved, always... so, I always attribute these to ALL of those factors rather than one in particular, and I had to address all of them, which took me over a decade, lol

but I would also point out that since my late teens and early 20's... things have become just so much more better and it has remained a constant like that for the most part of the rest of my current life (KnockingOnWoodATrillionTimes) and whatever challenge and setback I've deal with, I've had it easier and more importantly, I have more people to deal against that, with... in my life

that's the biggest change in my life, which made all much better... I no longer deal with this on my own, the people in my life are there, and I do let them be there for me too

[Bricealan]

@NathanDavis Well thought, and expressed. Thanks for that.

[NathanDavis]

one thing to always look at... your health

because these things, also make a difference... your gut bacteria, blood chemistry, and many times your overall shape, sometimes a couple of organs can be in bad shape but we don't get any serious pain or complications, but they share drain all of our energy, or do not produce enough energy and it will eventually impact our mental health and our moods too, lol

moreso if you also take medications

[Bricealan]

@NathanDavis I exercise regularly, have no health problems, take no medications, and eat a Mediterranean diet. I still think it is Endorphins or lack thereof

[NathanDavis]

I've exercised actively for 30 years... have not had major health problems, never needed medications, my diet has not been the best at times, lol... but in the last decade it's been the healthiest

and I still go checked with a doctor on a regular basis, twice a year... precisely because some little things might be genetic, and other things do develop regularly...

the healthiest of the people also run into trouble with heart conditions, hormonal conditions, blood and gut

sometimes, you will run into trouble because of bacteria, and/or viruses that can remain inactive for years and then trigger something way later

so, you are also 40's as well... and this means you should start screening regularly, for cancer, for heart conditions, circulation, bone structure and what not... so if you have not done it properly before

the time is now

[Bricealan]

@NathanDavis Yes, I am away ahead of the curve on all of those things, and have bone density things, Annual visits etc My doctor says I am away ahead of the general public in my health and conditioning. I guess I should be thankful, for my well being, but dealing with depressing is a 'passing' thing for me luckily.

[NathanDavis]

well, yes... you know, similar to what an alcoholic does

I've never ever considering my depression to be gone, I just see it as dormant, and aware that it could come back as intense as it was for "no reason" or for "actual reasons" that life might throw at me and drag me back to these situations, so... yes

I definitely feel fortunate that for the most past, it has passed and has remained distant and dormant for a long while now

[Sonorous]

For me I notice that it's mainly gut health & hormonal related & sleep related. All of the times that I'm more neurotic, I can almost count on having more inflammation or poor recovery along with it. I can almost guarantee that I'll be lower in neuroticism when I make sure to eat enough food (especially fats & fiber), sleep well & not be around negativity.

[Sonorous]

oh and when I make efforts to avoid inflammatory foods & instead eat anti-inflammatory foods while not being deficient in vital nutrients (especially ones for cognitive function)

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

I remember reading this story a while back.


A newspaper interviewed two men on the same day: one had just won the lottery jackpot, and the other had lost his legs in a car crash. Obviously one was riding a very tall high that day, and the other was abysmally low. Fast forward about 6 months the same newspaper does two follow up interviews and finds that the two men are, emotionally speaking, about the same. The lottery winner ran through his winnings quickly, he still suffers through daily solicitors who found his name from his public win, and his finances were back to what they were before he won, so he got his old job back and he was working again. The man who lost his legs had learned to adjust to his new way of living, he had a good pair of wheelchairs and he was working on saving up money for a pair of prosthetic legs, he had gotten used to a wheelchair and had even made friends in a disabled basketball team.


The point of the story was to show that there are no constants either good or bad. Joy is great, but temporary. So is sadness and grief. With time, we all move back to that middling state of contentment and continue living without any problems. If you enjoyed running, that’s great and if you want to get back into it there’s nothing stopping you and nothing should, but don’t assume that your life is miserable now just because you’re not riding that same high.

[Nikki1989]

It has been many years since I had a down day. They are usually self-inflicted anyway.