Depression and eating

adrianneboyd

So I have a bit of a situation here....due to some VERY stressful things from work and kids and EVERYTHING this week, I am having an even harder than usual time battling my anxiety and depression.

My staple a few months ago (before MFP) would be to eat to feel better. I am still taking my meds for depression, but I feel like this week has just been too much.

Anyone else know or have battled themselves with depression? I need to know some different tecniques for coping. PLEASE! I really don't want to dig into the pantry for cookies or cake frosting....:sad:

healthy4self

I just posted something on this. I'm starting Prozac tomorrow. I am so relieved!!!

fireflyangel22

I either go to bed, so I forget about eating or take a long hot shower, go for a walk /to the gym.
Depression is a difficult battle. Your will power needs to be stronger than the disease.

Contrarian

Exercise. It is awesome medication.

AloyMomNwife

Tuck the kids in bed and throw yourself in front of the tv... it always help me taking my mind off of everything... even food. Feel better!

jrditt

If I need to snap out of it quickly I will usually dance around or sing to a good song. Hard to be sad when you are doing something like that. Good luck!

adrianneboyd

Thanks for some of the ideas....I guess I know that excercise is a great stress reliever, it's just pulling myself out of this mood to get myself on the treadmill.

luvmycandies

I do not suffer from it, but I would think exercise could help and maybe a support group. Just talking to people can help.

april_beth

this wont help for the here and now, BUT i wanted to say that i quit the "traditional" doctors and the "traditional" synthetic drugs a month or so ago and went to a homeopathic pyschiatrist...and he is amazing and the "treatments" he gives me, all natural, are amazing...im still in the early stages and we're playing around with what works best for me, but i am already feeling better. ive had an amazingly stressful week (not getting paid from my job and bills being late and kids and husband and car) and while i had a freakout, i didnt have a continued freakout like i normally would.

i dont expect you to take anything i type worth anything, but i just wanted to throw it out htere and if you were interested you could do some research on it. im very very happy i made the switch...

i wish you the very best of luck. this sucks...i know personally.

TheyAre3Together

I can relate, I tend to be an emotional eater at times and it's too easy to go to food when things are rough. BUT we have to try to remember that 1) that food is going to be gone in a few minutes and our original problem will still be there, unsolved. 2) that eating our way to happiness will just add more problems usually. It usually ends in me feeling guilty and feeling depressed over how I look and what I just did. So, just try to think logically and realize this is a habit that is easy to fall into and you have to correct yourself and change your habit.

Things I like to do when I'm depressed/stress: Write. I love writing. Even if it's horrible and other people would look at it and go "man she sucks at writing" I still enjoy it and most of the time I'm able to get my feelings on paper and just doing that helps me to cope with whatever is going on. I also like playing guitar. Even if it's not perfect, or some amazing song, just strumming away is relaxing, peaceful, and usually calms me down. I also talk to my best friend, if she's available, because she knows me so well and I can usually spill everything and she helps talk me through it.

Try to find some activity that you enjoy, and force yourself to do it. Life is too short to eat ourselves into a false happiness. You're stronger than your depression, you can do this

Goal_Seeker_1988

I try to just think about the screntity prayer God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.


If you overeat it's not gonna change a damn thing! It's just gonna cause more stress to you and your body

CityOnAHill

I have battled depression most of my life. That said, when I get really down about what's going on with my life, I start to think about all of the tragic things of the world:
09/11
Joplin, MO tornado
Japan's hurricane
Starving familes around the world
etc.
Yes, that seems counterintuitive. What happens though is this: it makes me put my life in perspective is this...my stuggles are nothing in comparison. ~Nothing~

If all else fails, pray. In fact, start there, find it in the middle, and remember to give thanks when you're feeling better.
(Sorry if that was too preachy - God's gotten me through a lot, though!) :flowerforyou:

jakejacobsen

I often treated my depression with food, now I am on meds it took a while to get the right ones. I am on Cymbalta, I also have Fibromyalgia.

My advice to you is

1) If your meds arent' working well enough don't take no for a answer, make your Dr find the right dose or med(s)

2) Stand up for you, you need your time, space ect... (this was the best thing for me losing weight is helping me with this, even just making time for the gym, has shown me that I am worth it. If I don't demand/ make the time no one else will)

Contrarian

Thanks for some of the ideas....I guess I know that excercise is a great stress reliever, it's just pulling myself out of this mood to get myself on the treadmill.

Just start. That's the hard part. You will feel like you don't have the energy, but once you start, you will feel strong. Trust me.

techymum

I totally understand what you mean about pulling yourself out to go on the treadmill. When I have my depressive times, I would just love to stay in bed for, well, days - weeks???!

Exercising truly has been the catalyst for me, and I'm hoping that with the winter season coming on, I will see some good results and have a better winter than usual.

Can you possibly just set aside the depression for a few minutes, and say, yep, I totally don't feel like getting up and walking/running for 30 minutes, but I AM going to get up and use that sucker for 5 minutes. Hopefully once you are on it you can increase it to longer.

Good luck :-)

CallieDerenthal

i heard a saying a few weeks ago that i really liked: "if it isn't hunger, food won't fix it" i know it's different for everyone but i finally realized that the reason i turned to food was because at the moment the food was being eaten, all i was thinking about was how much i loved the food. it was the only time i really felt totally distracted and happy. i used food a lot. but after a while i realized that i only felt good while the food was being eaten, and that as soon as i was done eating i felt even worse than i did before i started. not only was i still upset about whatever was originally bothering me, now i was upset because i had sabotaged my plan to eat healthy, felt physically miserable because i'd eaten too much of something really unhealthy, and i felt guilty and disappointed in myself for "failing" to make healthy choices. what helped me was keeping a journal. i would take time to write down the things that were bothering me. sometimes the simple act of putting my problems on paper helped to get them out of my head, even if it was just for a little bit. something else that has REALLY helped is working out. i know it sounds silly but when i feel stronger physically i also feel stronger mentally. when i push myself during a workout and accomplish something i didn't think i could i realize i'm a lot stronger than i give myself credit for, and that i really can make it thru my emotional obstacles without using food as a "crutch". i know that you are capable of getting thru this without using food, even if you don't think you are right now. hang in there, we're all here for you!

rachllp

Its about implementing positive and healthy coping skills.
Think about what makes you feel better. Good ideas include socialization with others that are supportive of you, call a friend on the phone, meet up for coffee or a girls night out!
Pampering yourself or any kind of self care, get a massage, get your nails done or buy yourself a little something.
Relaxation techniques are important too such as deep breathing exercises (as long as you dont have asthma), meditation.
You can also talk yourself through it with positive self talk, "You can do this!" "You are worth reaching your goals!" "You are a (fill in positive statement here)!"
Journaling can be helpful to put your ideas down on paper and get any racing thoughts our of your head.
Of course, I have to mention exercise but remember exercise has so many benefits including the release of hormones (endorphins) that make you feel better plus exercise is a great way to get a lot of that negative energy out of your body and reduce stress.
Remember, eating is a coping skill but a negative one. So you have to replace it with a positive one.
Take care!

adrianneboyd

Again, thank you for the ideas! I will give EVERYTHING a try. I have looked into the non-traditional medicine also, but I'm in a rural part of Idaho so there's not much in the way of "experts" here...It's been a while since I've checked around though, so I'll take a look again!

tiptoeketo

Stop what you're doing and take a walk. It may be the last thing in the world that you want to do, but I can guarantee that it will make you feel better.

I pulled this from a blog: slowyourhome.com


When you’re feeling stressed or anxious or stretched or pinched or overwhelmed or at a complete loss, try this:



Take a deep breath. And think of your five senses.

Touch: what can you feel at this very moment?

Taste: what can you taste right now?

Sound: what can you hear?

Smell: can you smell anything?

Sight: what do you see in front of you?


Be specific, really explore your senses. Slowly take stock of each of them.


Touch: I can feel the carpet beneath my feet. The seat under my butt. My shirt on my shoulders. My fingers are cold.

Taste: I can taste Milk Arrowroot biscuit and chamomile tea.

Sound: I can hear both of my littles stirring in bed, the rain outside and the tap of my keyboard.

Smell: I can smell… Nothing much really. Dust?

Sight: I can see my computer monitor, a glass of water, a cup of pencils, the shadow from the blinds on the windowsill.


The act of immersing yourself in your immediate surroundings, of actively thinking about each of those things, means you’re taken out of your own head for a moment. That pressing issue, that rising anxiety, that thing that’s stressing you out – it’s gone. At least for those moments.

And once you’re back, dealing with life, you will always feel lighter, brighter and calmer. (I should know – I use this technique at least three times a day!)

BondBomb

I have battled depression most of my life. That said, when I get really down about what's going on with my life, I start to think about all of the tragic things of the world:
09/11
Joplin, MO tornado
Japan's hurricane
Starving familes around the world
etc.
Yes, that seems counterintuitive. What happens though is this: it makes me put my life in perspective is this...my stuggles are nothing in comparison. ~Nothing~

If all else fails, pray. In fact, start there, find it in the middle, and remember to give thanks when you're feeling better.
(Sorry if that was too preachy - God's gotten me through a lot, though!) :flowerforyou:

Unfortunately preaching will get a perfectly nice thread shut down since it's against the Mfp rules.

BondBomb

this wont help for the here and now, BUT i wanted to say that i quit the "traditional" doctors and the "traditional" synthetic drugs a month or so ago and went to a homeopathic pyschiatrist...and he is amazing and the "treatments" he gives me, all natural, are amazing...im still in the early stages and we're playing around with what works best for me, but i am already feeling better. ive had an amazingly stressful week (not getting paid from my job and bills being late and kids and husband and car) and while i had a freakout, i didnt have a continued freakout like i normally would.

i dont expect you to take anything i type worth anything, but i just wanted to throw it out htere and if you were interested you could do some research on it. im very very happy i made the switch...

i wish you the very best of luck. this sucks...i know personally.

Do you mind sharing what types of alternatives your doc is using? I have found that 5 http does wonders for me.

unicornassassin

I have depression, too, and used to overeat or just plain binge eat to cope. I still do at times, but less and less. I did a week or two ago, but it was so unfulfilling that I don't think I'm going to do it again for awhile. (I kind of think for me that's how I'm going to unlearn it, by doing it and realizing it sucks, and then doing it less and less frequently until I get it into my big fat skull that it doesn't work anymore )

Now, since I still love eating, I cook big pots of vegetable soup and eat the **** out of that when I want to stuff my face. Or I knit or go to the gym or surf the web, or do something else to distract myself. Good luck

healthy4self

Ooh, also... I've been trying to replace late night munching with listening to a book on tape. I don't always want to exercise to distract myself from eating! Listening to a book is really relaxing.