Severe depression

kiramckell

SRice4 wrote: »

I haven't read all of the other comments, so this may be completely different than what the others have said. If you are looking for a more natural approach. Essential oils have helped me greatly with my depression and anxiety. I put them in my defuser, then lay down and try to relax for about 20 minutes or so to breathing the smell of the oil. if I'm having a really bad day I will wear them in a defuser necklace, that way I have the oils with me all day. Grapefruit oil is seems to work best for me. I don't have any sound Dr advice to back it up, this is what works for me.

I have tried oils and I actually have a couple of necklaces but I haven't tried grapefruit. I'll have to see if I can find some. I've used all the other citrus ones since they're supposed to help with sadness and be uplifting. When I need it most is when I'm at work but I can't wear jewelry in the warehouse

kiramckell

Panda8ach wrote: »

SRice4 wrote: »

I haven't read all of the other comments, so this may be completely different than what the others have said. If you are looking for a more natural approach. Essential oils have helped me greatly with my depression and anxiety. I put them in my defuser, then lay down and try to relax for about 20 minutes or so to breathing the smell of the oil. if I'm having a really bad day I will wear them in a defuser necklace, that way I have the oils with me all day. Grapefruit oil is seems to work best for me. I don't have any sound Dr advice to back it up, this is what works for me.

I'm going to try this! Can you buy diffuser necklaces?

I got mine on amazon!

kiramckell

DrifterBear wrote: »

Keep seeing your doctor and taking medication. You should check out mindfulness. Do some reading on what it is and what it can do for you. There's a great mindfulness app that has guided meditations to help you learn about it. Besides that, hopefully you have a good therapist who can help retrain your brain. It's a serious thing, be patient and things will get better.

I've used a couple different mindfulness apps. I liked one of them, but they started limiting what you could use for free and since I might lose my job, can't spend money on apps...

DharmainHeels

Yoga saved my life. You can stream yoga classes online for very cheap!

ansmit4642014

I don't want medication so I force myself to leave the house everyday and be around other people. I usually go to the gym but recently tried yoga and I think that could be a pretty easy exercise as they have "gentle yoga" and teach you to think about "staying in the present"

Meowz217

Omg. It's kind of a relief to know I'm not so alone in this.. I'm 28, I work a screwy, silly mall job and it's taken me years to get my associate's ( I have not yet completed it) because everything is so... hard. Everything is an insurmountable challenge. Getting out of bed is a feature in itself. It's so hard to not compare myself to friends of mine who either have their own places, degrees,careers,etc. Depression is like being paralyzed. I don't know if there are appropriate words to describe just how sad, angry and hopeless I become. That I am. I know how you feel. Lately it has gotten even worse for me. I got back into therapy. They charge on a scale based on your income, so it's not horrible. Maybe you can locate a place like that close to you. It has been helping and I will be getting back on medication . I was on one medication and it really did help me, so I will be going back on it. I'm so over weight because eating is how I deal with it all. I have a friend who is dieting and honestly it has helped me to do it with her. She's been motivating. So maybe, even if it is only on here, you can find that inspiration here or in someone you know. I may create a "dream" board and just put pictures and quotes that motivate me. And I may make more than one so it's always where I can see it. Also, when you are depressed, because everything is such a struggle, honestly good for you that you can do 10 minutes. Don't be so hard on yourself. You want to be better, and You re obviously trying; being on here, asking for help and doing those 10 minutes. That's effing awesome and I'm so proud of you. It took me about 4 months to clean my kitchen half way. I couldn't even do 10 minutes of working out in the past year and a half. So that's already better than what I was doing. Take it slow, do it however you need to do it. Even if it's 10 minutes.

kiramckell

Meowz217 wrote: »

Omg. It's kind of a relief to know I'm not so alone in this.. I'm 28, I work a screwy, silly mall job and it's taken me years to get my associate's ( I have not yet completed it) because everything is so... hard. Everything is an insurmountable challenge. Getting out of bed is a feature in itself. It's so hard to not compare myself to friends of mine who either have their own places, degrees,careers,etc. Depression is like being paralyzed. I don't know if there are appropriate words to describe just how sad, angry and hopeless I become. That I am. I know how you feel. Lately it has gotten even worse for me. I got back into therapy. They charge on a scale based on your income, so it's not horrible. Maybe you can locate a place like that close to you. It has been helping and I will be getting back on medication . I was on one medication and it really did help me, so I will be going back on it. I'm so over weight because eating is how I deal with it all. I have a friend who is dieting and honestly it has helped me to do it with her. She's been motivating. So maybe, even if it is only on here, you can find that inspiration here or in someone you know. I may create a "dream" board and just put pictures and quotes that motivate me. And I may make more than one so it's always where I can see it. Also, when you are depressed, because everything is such a struggle, honestly good for you that you can do 10 minutes. Don't be so hard on yourself. You want to be better, and You re obviously trying; being on here, asking for help and doing those 10 minutes. That's effing awesome and I'm so proud of you. It took me about 4 months to clean my kitchen half way. I couldn't even do 10 minutes of working out in the past year and a half. So that's already better than what I was doing. Take it slow, do it however you need to do it. Even if it's 10 minutes.

Thank you.

RunawayCurves

I have bipolar so alternate between feeling like living dead and feeling amazing. I suffer from depression far more than mania. I have tried all sorts over the years including literally sitting on top of a mountain in India meditating. When depression takes hold it strips the colour and energy out of everything. I find it much easier to get a grip on my mania than I do to get out of depression. The only medication that I have found remotely helpful with depression is a very low dose of Lithium. It does not make it go away, just takes the edge off. I find it totally impossible to positive think my way out of clinical depression, been trying for 30 years and it never works. In terms of breaking free using my own mind the only method that helps for me is to fast forward process by allowing myself to acknowledge how totally awful everything is. Then I tend to get really angry and the energy of that anger can lift me out of the depression. Music also helps. I put my headphones on and listen to loud music to inject some energy into my system.

RunawayCurves

Funny videos sometomes help a little
https://youtu.be/PKffm2uI4dk

crackpotbaby

I have bipolar disorder which includes episodes of morbid depression.

Outside of pharmotherapy and psychology the single consistent thing that helps is some kind of regular exercise outside.

Currently for me that is walking or running (more of an unco jog) along the trails in a local bush land conservation park.

When I'm really deeply depressed , even sitting out the front of my house having a morning coffee in the sun helps a little.

Sometimes I have to tell myself, you're going to feel just as crap laying in bed so you might as well get up and see if this helps.

gothchiq

Ideally you should see a doctor and a therapist. If there is no money for this, some people have success with St. John's wort or Ashwagandha.

gothchiq

oh I almost forgot. There is a website called 7cups dot com where you can chat online with a therapist for free as needed.

recognitionscene

I've been struggling with depression since I can remember, but a few years ago it got to the point where I didn't shower every day, didn't clean ever, wouldn't leave my house, randomly burst into tears several times per day, not to mention gained a bunch of weight after I stopped being bulimic. I have been inching out of it since then, and this is how I did it. I don't know that any of this will help you, but maybe give you some ideas. I feel like this stuff is related to weight loss because I personally couldn't stick to a weight-loss plan when I was unbearably depressed.

1. Practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy techniques. This is helping me stick to a diet and accept the discomfort that comes with intense exorcise.
2. Get some sunlight. 20 minutes a few times a week is a good start. It helps to be somewhere pretty in nature or a park. I started out taking baby steps like that and it helped to get in the habit of exercising as well as some good ol' vitamin D.
3. Learn a new skill. I learned to play a few instruments, but learn a skill that you have been interested in learning. I found that I have learned not only the skill, but my learning style, how to be patient when things don't go as planned, and it gives me a sense of value - I feel like those benefits are helping me stick to my weight- loss plan. MOOCs such as Coursera can be good places to learn stuff.
3b. If you can't think of any skills you want to learn or don't have access to materials you would need, find other small ways to improve yourself. Look at internet resources for new hairstyles, read a few chapters of a good book every day, improve your productivity at work, floss every day. You might already do those things, but the point is to take small steps to convince yourself that you deserve to have a healthy body and a good life.
4. Focus on health more than weight.
5. Be kind to yourself when things don't go as planned. Accepting a day of eating too much or not exercising enough is superior to beating yourself up about it because stress is counterproductive.
6. Speaking of stress - when I quit caffeine, after the two-day long throbbing migraine from the caffeine withdrawals ended, my anxiety diminished by 1/3.
7. Don't look for a quick fix. When you practice mindfulness/meditation, it can take 6 months or longer before you notice improvements. The same with Exercise. 10 minutes a day is a good start! Just do it consistently, and in a month or two, you'll want to bump it up to 15.
8. Take care of your own problems when you can. When I was depressed to the point of not cleaning, it took some time but when I had the energy, I would get on UFYH (look it up if you happen to have that problem) for inspiration and do my best to improve, even if it wasn't perfect. When I burst into tears, I reminded myself that I had every right to have feelings, and that validation helped me feel that I was worth saving. When I couldn't bear leaving my house, sometimes I would walk around the block one time because I knew it a step in the right direction. It is the same with getting healthy. Eat fruits and vegetables when you can bear them. Exercise when you can. Push yourself when you can.

orangegato

I encourage you to talk to your doctor about refractory depression. If standard treatments aren't working, sometimes docs will use antipsychotic meds, and if that doesn't work then some people benefit from ECT.

threecharms

Not sure if others have already mentioned, but i strongly recommend cognitive behavioral therapy. Work on reengineering your synaptic pathways! It works. It saves lives. I'm pulling for you. ❤