Mood shift - concern or not?

emmies_123

Alright so I know asking strangers for mental advice is, well, mental. But I'm also not sure if what I've been experiencing lately is something to be concerned about or not.

For background:

- I'm a 30 year old woman in USA.
-I have been at my current job for 2.5 years.
-In the past I have ALWAYS been able to stay focused on my work, be it paid job or housework tasks. My motto was ingrained in me from a young age by my mom, "If you get it done now, you can enjoy the future without my nagging."
-I have gone to anxiety therapy in the past for a few months. It felt good talking to someone but I did not walk away with any coping mechanisms. I stopped going when I felt like I no longer needed it.

Concerning traits I've noticed over the last month or more:

-No ability to focus/stay motivated at work. Tasks that should take 5 minutes take hours, or get pushed off for the next day.
-Thought maybe I needed a change in job. Started job search on sites, but quickly lost drive to search out the perfect job. Part of this is lack of urgency, part is selective quality of life changes I want that are going to be hard to satisfy.
-Inability to stay focused at home to complete housework. This includes making appointments, cleaning/tidying, shopping for things I know I need in a timely manner.
-Was fixing my nutrition (from processed to home-cooked for majority of meals, no specific diet plan), over last month have lost drive to prep and slipped back into eating out or processed meals.
-No romantic/sexual drive. Husband doesn't mind, but I feel depressed about it. (In advance of questions why he doesn't mind, I've had medical concerns in the past that made physical intercourse impossible, we found a compatible work around and haven't really gone back to "normal" expectations)
-Unwilling to rearrange schedule in my best interests. Ex: on weeks where I know I'm going to be in late/leave early I could go in early and make-up time to reduce use of PTO. In the past I have always done this. Lately though, not so much, I just can't get my butt out of the house in time to significantly bank time at work early.

Things I am still motivated about (only things that seem to make me happy):

-Stitching hobby, including outings to stitch with various group of friends
-Gym class once a day, try to go 5-6 days a week. Love the others in class, love feeling/seeing progress being made
-Gaming (I see-saw between stitching and gaming with my limited free time. right now stitching is on top)
-Meals out/chocolate
-Seeing friends in social setting, even if it does fill my weekends
-Any day where I don't have to spend 8 hours at work, be it a day off or a day I go in late/leave early. Even though I don't accrue PTO fast enough to cover sometimes.

Would welcome any opinions on if I should be concerned. I'm not sure what changed, and I know if I can't get my motivation at work (at the very least) I'm self-sabotaging. It is only a matter of time before my bosses notice that I"m dropping the ball a lot more on simple tasks.

For those that suggest therapy - I'm not sure how to fit that in my work schedule currently. And as I feel I didn't get anything from it before I'm hesitant.

For those that suggest a break from work - I would LOVE to reduce work hours but not in a position financially where that is feasible. Husband has said when we get house paid off we can visit the idea of me going part time but that is years away and even then I know it would cause resentment that he works full time and carries the load while I work less. It isn't like he wants to work either, but he enjoys his career more than I do. I also can't take a leave from my current position as it is small company and I would get pushed to part-time if I tried.

ElizabethKalmbach

I would track a couple other metrics like bathroom regularity, periods, time spent sleeping, and potentially resting heart rate and take about a month's worth of stats to the PCP to look over. A lot of vitamin/mineral/hormone deficiencies are accompanied by insomnia and brain fog that can result in some of the mood-symptoms you're seeing. A therapist can't help you with a vitamin deficiency, though the good ones may spot it. Start at the primary care physician and work your way through specialists as needed after, perhaps, a few blood tests to confirm that your nutrition basics are covered. (Sometimes it's not what you're eating, but what you're absorbing that has changed over-night.)

emmies_123

Thanks. Not sure how fast it would change, but I did last get vitamins checked in June or July. I have thyroid medication and get all vitamin levels checked when i get blood drawn for thyroid check up.

I don't have a monitoring watch so I'm not sure how to monitor how much true sleep I'm getting, outside of "I go to bed at this time and get up at that time." Same with resting heartbeat (I've always been bad at finding my pulse)...

ElizabethKalmbach

The amount of time it takes for something to "show" varies wildly. An issue with B12 uptake can hide for *years*, thyroid changes can take *weeks*, and an electrolite shortage will give you a cramp in hours.

Even without a tracker, you can note down differences in quality of sleep, output, and period heaviness. (Do you feel rested when you wake up? Sluggish? Jittery?) Are you of an age where perimenopause or menopause may be wreaking havoc with your lady hormones?

Maybe do a few lists of things that have changed and things that haven't and make your focus broader than just cognitive function. It's a puzzle you should work on with your doctor for sure, but the more pieces you can identify first, the better.

88olds

Have you been screened medically for depression? I don’t recall the name for it, but in addition to depression where folks can’t get out of bed, there is also chronic low grade depression. Does that sound like you?

And this is generally a weight loss board. Not a criticism, I hope you get some useful ideas. But you don’t mention weight at all in my reading. Is it an issue?

emmies_123

88olds wrote: »

Have you been screened medically for depression? I don’t recall the name for it, but in addition to depression where folks can’t get out of bed, there is also chronic low grade depression. Does that sound like you?

And this is generally a weight loss board. Not a criticism, I hope you get some useful ideas. But you don’t mention weight at all in my reading. Is it an issue?

I was partially screened for depression when I went for anxiety therapy. Nothing concerning was found at the time I had the screening, but my anxiety was a lot higher at the time so it may have masked stuff. Right now I"m not anxious so much as pure apathy. Like, I could be fired today and it would cause some anxiety because I have nothing else lined up, but a large part of me also wouldn't care and would welcome the break from regular work commute.

I understand this is a weight loss board, but it does say "support" and that is what I was reaching out for. Chit-chat category always seems more chipper and like it wouldn't fit.

My weight is not a concern as I have hit maintenance level. I'm trying (and currently failing) to work on nutritional goals but I am not struggling to stay in calorie range to maintain...

amkita

it may be related to thyroid, which you mentioned you're taking already. I tend to get those sorts of symptoms when I'm not getting enough hormone. however, I've always felt best when I'm at a dose that puts my TSH at the low end of the normal range (<1, normal range is often 0.5-4). that might be something to discuss with your endocrinologist.

middlehaitch

How is your vitaminD?
I ask because you say it is a recent onset and now is the time most of us get less natural sunlight and this can affect some to varying degrees.

I’m with others, get your bloodwork etc checked and move on from there.

Cheers, h.

emmies_123

middlehaitch wrote: »

How is your vitaminD?
I ask because you say it is a recent onset and now is the time most of us get less natural sunlight and this can affect some to varying degrees.

I’m with others, get your bloodwork etc checked and move on from there.

Cheers, h.

Vitamin D is good, that is a vitamin I specifically take already.