How do you treat your depression?? Lets Share!!!

quirkytizzy

Hi, I find that what I put in media wise has a big impact on how I feel. I try to keep the things I watch, read and listen to lighthearted. I also take 5htp and St. John's Wort, and together they help a lot with depression and anxiety.

Paying attention to the media I am consuming is a major tactic I use when dealing with my mental health issues as well.

I take my medication faithfully, write, and concentrate on "small victories." I write my goals for the day. Very simple things, such as shower, or make the bed. Eat two meals or scoop out the litter box. Very simple, small things, as when I'm in the grips of it, even breathing is difficult. And then I do at least one thing on my goal list.

If I only get one of those things done, that's still a victory. It means I am not completely helpless or useless. Remembering to be positive about small victories is kindness to myself,and that helps A LOT.

And if things get really bad, I work on being willing to call my treatment team and make adjustments to my medication and routines.

dbanks80

1. Go for a nice long run outdoors
2. Pray or read my Bible
3. Watch silly comedies Night at the Roxbury, Dodgeball, Anchorman anything silly and funny
4. Eat chocolate or something sweet.
5. Have a glass of wine.
6. Play with my doggies. They always put a smile on my face.
7. Read a good book.
8. Shop for pretty shoes
9. Take a whirlpool bath

PennyM140

Following for later, struggling with this right now.

must_deflate

Good drugs. Specifically, Lexapro and Wellbutrin.
I refused to use drugs for nearly 20 years- wish I hadn't.. Counseling, exercise, good diet, meditation, herbs, vitamins.... all that helped keep my head above water, but barely. Drugs are awesome.
Unfortunately I think the Lexapro makes it harder to maintain my weight. But that could also be due to the wonderful world of aging.

toutmonpossible

Exercise specifically Zumba and walking. Taking a mutivitamin, b-complex vitamin, caltrate (for the vitamin D) and a fish oil pill. (per my MD). Way better than taking some other prescription.

If that works for you, good. Many people require prescription medication. No need to stigmatize people who do.

QuietBloom

Exercise specifically Zumba and walking. Taking a mutivitamin, b-complex vitamin, caltrate (for the vitamin D) and a fish oil pill. (per my MD). Way better than taking some other prescription.

If that works for you, good. Many people require prescription medication. No need to stigmatize people who do.

QFT

quirkytizzy

Exercise specifically Zumba and walking. Taking a mutivitamin, b-complex vitamin, caltrate (for the vitamin D) and a fish oil pill. (per my MD). Way better than taking some other prescription.

If that works for you, good. Many people require prescription medication. No need to stigmatize people who do.

QFT

Word.

LilBritGettinFit

Exercise specifically Zumba and walking. Taking a mutivitamin, b-complex vitamin, caltrate (for the vitamin D) and a fish oil pill. (per my MD). Way better than taking some other prescription.

If that works for you, good. Many people require prescription medication. No need to stigmatize people who do.

QFT

Word.

Super sorry, what I meant was FOR ME it works way better than previous prescriptions I was on. Never meant to stigmatize anyone. :frown:

BlueBombers

I take Citalopram/Celexa every night....works well for me.

mommyof4cpa

has anyone ever tried a light therapy lamp for depression? I think I might suffer from seasonal affective disorder, and it is getting dark here fast. I haven't tried one yet.

We lived in Alaska for three years. The first winter was AWFUL with little to no daylight. The next two years were tolerable with my sunlamp. Be sure to choose one that is meant to treat SAD - Light boxes for SAD should be designed to filter out most UV light. Look for a light box that emits as little UV light as possible.


My list of coping skills for depression include: music, reading, tv, and eating (need to delete this last one off the list!!!)

lol...at your last comment. re: sunlamps...any suggestions in terms of manufacturer or places to purchase? Thanks for the info, by the way.

Oh boy, I don't have the lamp anymore....it's been 12 years and 4 military moves since then.

Try http://www.sadlightsreview.com/ for some prodcut review. You can also find many on Amazon.com

mrsjas2000

I struggled for years and finally broke down and talked to my Dr. so now meds are helping me

Sandytoes71

I pray to God. He helps me put things into perspective.♥

Mjconnelly586

Good friends, my dog, exercise and Vitamin D.

Depending on where you live, you are prob slightly suffering from SAD because the sun just is not out enough to give us the amount of vitamin D we need. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of vitamin D to take,

I used to be a therapist and I had multiple clients who used light therapy. The key for it to be most effective is you need to use the lamp prior to the sun rising, so you need to get up wicked early. It is tricking your brain into thinking you are absorbing vitamin D from the sun. You may get results otherwise, but to truly get the benefits you will want to use it before sun rise.

MisterDerpington

With meds and therapy. Therapy helps the most. Still not really "better" though.

TheSlorax

alcohol and medical grade cannabis

KerriPerske

Believe it or not.... Exercise has made my depression better.
I never would have believed that a run would have helped me a couple of years ago, but after losing my exercise routine for a month I can tell my mood has changed.

ryry_

eliseofthejungle

By sending my little Goober off to a babysitter and drinking large amounts of rum. Seriously.

MisterDerpington

Contrarian

Some of these answers show me that many of you have not experienced depression. That is a very good thing. For those that have, however, exercise does help, but there is no shame in getting medication. If you had a heart condition or diabetes, you would take your medication, wouldn't you?

Clinical depression is an illness of the brain - not the mind.

quirkytizzy

Some of these answers show me that many of you have not experienced depression. That is a very good thing. For those that have, however, exercise does help, but there is no shame in getting medication. If you had a heart condition or diabetes, you would take your medication, wouldn't you?

Clinical depression is an illness of the brain - not the mind.

Myhaloslipped

Haha this is my profile quote (paraphrased) ! Love NPH.

Myhaloslipped

Some of these answers show me that many of you have not experienced depression. That is a very good thing. For those that have, however, exercise does help, but there is no shame in getting medication. If you had a heart condition or diabetes, you would take your medication, wouldn't you?

Clinical depression is an illness of the brain - not the mind.

Also some of us have just learned from experience that discussing some of this stuff in detail on the internet can have a way of coming back and biting you in the *kitten*. But everything you said is true.

taunto

You don't treat it. You live with it. You face it. You fight it. Everyday. You pray to all the powers that be everyday that it don't win. And on days that it does win, you gamble with lady luck that the safety in that gun is on and since you don't know how to operate a gun or turn off the safety, you live.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Exercise and chocolate and sex

Myhaloslipped

You don't treat it. You live with it. You face it. You fight it. Everyday. You pray to all the powers that be everyday that it don't win. And on days that it does win, you gamble with lady luck that the safety in that gun is on and since you don't know how to operate a gun or turn off the safety, you live.

Virtual hugs for Taunto. :flowerforyou:

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Some of these answers show me that many of you have not experienced depression. That is a very good thing. For those that have, however, exercise does help, but there is no shame in getting medication. If you had a heart condition or diabetes, you would take your medication, wouldn't you?

Clinical depression is an illness of the brain - not the mind.

I like to simplify things for online. I've dealt with deep rooted depression that had me in the grip of eating disorders, cutting, medication overdosing "to see what would happen," a near compulsion to ram the car into a tree. There is no simple answer except time, persepective, retraining, and taking advantage of the things that you enjoy . . . outside of my family that would be exercise, chocolate, (and more related to the home) sex.

dbanks80

I guess there is a difference between feeling down or stuck in an emotional rut and clinical depression.

GnosisGnosis

Some of these answers show me that many of you have not experienced depression. That is a very good thing. For those that have, however, exercise does help, but there is no shame in getting medication. If you had a heart condition or diabetes, you would take your medication, wouldn't you?

Clinical depression is an illness of the brain - not the mind.

Who are you to hold claim to objective truth in the matter of depression? You don't know any of us, and assuming people who don't get treated with pills don't have depression is offensive. I'm not going to get into my background, but I assure you I had clinical depression - Which I treated through sheer power of Mind, after refusing meds for many years, even while undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. I am not a special snowflake; We all have this power, and you are severely underestimating the power of the human mind.

I know you weren't talking to me, but I saw the post and felt the need to reply. There is nothing wrong with taking meds either, if it works for you, I'm glad it makes you happy. But it's certainly not necessary. I could get into the FDA, about how America and the UK are some of the only places in the world where they are allowed to advertise drugs, but I won't.

bacitracin

I've found the ketogenic diet has helped my depression and general mental cognition/capacity a lot

My issues have gotten a lot less severe and more manageable under ketogenic lifestyle as well.