Skydiving and Depression

[BFK 0]

I am currently forced to take a hiatus from skydiving due to student debt. I have a contracted job that starts at the end of the summer (August 20th), and when that starts, I can jump again regularly.
Has anyone ever experienced depression from taking time off of skydiving? Man, I feel like crap mentally. I feel like a total head case. I'm seriously depressed about not jumping. I took time off before to go to New Zealand for 3 and a half months, but that wasn't hard because I was hiking and white water rafting all over the place down there.
Now being back in the real world with massive student debt, shitty and difficult classes at grad school that I am in serious danger of not passing (and if I fail one single class then there goes the job in August) and all the pressures of a "big" upcoming job, I really feel like I need to skydive to keep the sanity thing going for me. Until I was forced to take this break, I never realized how much I depend on skydiving to deal with the bullshit of the world. And there is so much damn bullshit in this world.
I know I don't know any of you and that is probably why I feel I can dump all this garbage here. Thanks for listening.
Seriously, and I mean this, when I start jumping again when this job starts in late August. I'm never going to quit. I need skydiving in my life, and I wonder if that is normal.
Anyone else use skydiving as a way to cope with and escape from all the crap that is part of this life??
Brad

[froggie 0]

aw brad.
im sorry to hear that you cant jump. Good luck in school. I know that its a pain in the ass, especially when you would rather be anywhere else, the classes are hard, and youre in danger of failing. Hope all works out for you.
Cant you still at least go out to the dz? If its not to far from your house then just swing out there. Go out back, watch a few loads come in. Go inside, start packing your friends rigs :) Youll almost feel like your at home.
welcome to these threads. Dont worry about unloading on us, its something we welcome. Good people here, theyve been by my side more than once. Good luck with it all
froggie

[Tee 0]

Hey BFK, welcome to dz.com. One thing you will realize here is that it is one BIG family, so never worry about coming on for a little advice. Tee

[tigra 0]

Hey Brad, I know how you feel.
There was a time when I first started jumping that I really did use it for stress relief from my job. Even the wait from Monday to Friday could be too much! My boss and co-workers went from thinking I was nuts to do it to begin with, and trying to tell me I couldn't when we were busy (just in case I got hurt and couldn't work- senstive caring employers they were...!) to, throw that girl out of a plane, she's much easier to get along with when she's been jumping!
Even a 1 or 2 week layoff is tough, especially when you are new to the sport. But now I can take the whole winter without going through serious altitude withdrawal. I actually look forward to the season dying down by the time falls rolls around, after 6 or 7 months of spending every weekend at the dz, sleeping in a trailer, getting up early for the first load of the day. Because between my job and skydiving, I don't spend any time at home. So for the first couple of weeks it feels good to sleep late in my own comfy bed Saturday morning, and not have to pack a bag and drive out to the dz immediately after work on Friday.
Of course, by January, I'm looking for sunny skies and unseasonably warm weather, and by February, I'm starting to get cranky and irritable again.....
Hang in there! Good luck! You can get through this!