How do you fight depression?

WesternCalGirl

I have had moderate to severe depression intermittently since childhood, so I believe I know the ins and outs of it pretty well. I personally don't like drugs, but don't judge anyone for taking that route. That said, there are several facets of my life that seem to work together, and giving each of them proper attention is like an amplifier for happiness. On the flipside, the less I attention I give them, the less happy I feel.

Here is what works for me – I slowly have introduced these practices over the last year or so and depression has become the exception rather than the norm:

NUTRITION
1) Eat more fresh and unprocessed food - Over the years I have found that engineered junk food tends to have a rebound effect the next few days for me; the withdrawal feels like quitting smoking did for me many years ago. I suspect some of the same ingredients put in cigarettes to make them more addictive are also used as flavorings in some processed food. I never get these reactions from minimally processed food. In fact, when I keep a pretty clean diet that has lots of vegetables and fruit with whole grains, I feel energetic and positive. I slowly introduced new healthy foods in my diet over time and realized how great they made me feel. I bought a juicer and make fresh vegetable and fruit juices a few times a week that make me feel wonderful.

2) Take a fish oil supplement - I really like Trader Joe's Sea Gummies with DHA

3) Take a multi-vitamin and mineral complex a few times per week or more often as needed, depending on how nutritionally sparse the diet is.

4) Swap virgin coconut oil (medium chain triglycerides--MCTs) for olive oil or butter in recipes – helps brain health and regulation of blood sugar/satiety

KICK ADDICTIVE HABITS TO THE CURB
Nothing brings on severe depression like a cycle of addictive withdrawal. Whether it’s from binge eating, drinking too much, or smoking, you’ve got to kick the habit because the elation-depression cycle will never go away until you do. I’ve quit smoking, limited drinking to one glass of wine on Friday night, and am working very hard on curbing binge eating despite the urges that come up (they get easier to say no every time you do say no! It’s just mental conditioning and habit.), and combined with my other good habits, I feel so much better than before.

MODERATE EXERCISE
…is better than an antidepressant, IMO; studies show at six weeks of either exercising moderately daily or taking an SSRI that both groups had greatly improved mood and the SAME levels of serotonin in the brain. Skeptically, I put it to the test, and you know, it took about six weeks for me to feel amazing almost every single day, save for two days a month when hormonally I feel horrible about two days after my TOM (been that way since 14 years old!), when my estrogen and norepinephrine are at all-time lows. But even that with daily exercise even those two days are very muted and able to be handled with minimal effort. It’s awesome. In any case, with exercise:

1) Find your sweet spot. I personally found that 45 minutes daily is the magic number for me to alleviate depression. In past years I was only doing 15-30 minutes of exercise each day, and didn't see the kind of lift in mood I was looking for, but after increasing the intensity and duration to 45 minutes, I saw a drastic change in outlook and mood. I use exercise videos so I can change them up easily and reduce boredom by trying new things. Vigorous low-impact cardio seems to be the best for alleviating depression and improving mood to dare I say, happy levels.

2) Experiment with new forms of activity. While I have favored aerobics in the past, I tried a qigong video the other day that blew me away with how calming it was, and I’ve just ordered a dance video. While I have “two left feet” (am super uncoordinated lol), I’m in the privacy of my own home with this video, so I’m going to have fun with it and see if I can’t teach myself a new skill while getting some exercise in.

QUIET “ME” TIME
Discover or rediscover activities that you used to find enjoyable. I schedule actual “me” time on a daily basis and really look forward to it.

1) Reading. At first it was just getting in the habit of reading before bed, which got me relaxed and ready to sleep and allowed me to catch up on stuff I’ve been meaning to read for a while. Now I’m reading cool stuff of interest all the time, which keeps my curiosity piqued and less focused on ruminating on me.

2) Take numerous mental breaks during the day. I like to break up my work day with “get away from the computer moments” every few hours to go outside for a quick walk or even just to do a full-body stretch. It’s good to unplug and feel like a human being.

3) Contemplative time. Whether you call it meditation, prayer, or just “figuring stuff out” time, I like quiet time a few days a week to figure my stuff out. I’ve also found that morning journaling before checking e-mail is amazing for finding out what’s eating at you and to move beyond it. In my journal for each entry, I first empty my head, then I solve the problem by offering solutions as if I were a therapist, and then I move beyond it and set goals. It’s a great tool.

SOCIAL TIME
1) Real people! Social media is sometimes a good replacement for social interaction, but ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby. Instead of poking someone on Facebook, pick up the phone and call them. It means more to both of you. Go out and talk to people, even if it’s just the mailman for a minute or the girl at the grocery store in the checkout line. Real human interaction is necessary to feel part of the world. Technology has isolated our world, but the good news is that it’s easily remedied by reaching out to other people in real life.

2) On that note, avoid real but toxic people. The family I grew up with, honestly, is a mess, and interacting with most of them, even by phone only, is so stressful that it’s usually a one-way ticket to depression and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for days on end. So, I’ve had to work hard at finding the right balance of distance with them. For some people in my family, that means no contact at all, and for others, that means only every now and then. This past year I’ve also had to make some hard decisions and face difficult truths about friends who are simply mediocre friends; I’ve backed away from those who are “bad friends” and while at first it hurt a lot to face the truth that maybe I was a doormat for many years because I had self-esteem issues and put up with it, it feels great now because I’ve opened up the door for better friends who are just as invested in the friendship as I am.

3) Find other people interesting. Ask them about their interests, thoughts, and feelings, and not simply as a vehicle to air out your thoughts and feelings. Finding other people interesting is a magical way not to think about yourself—and everything you don’t like about you and your life.

4) Strive to help other people and you will help yourself in the process. Every person in this life has problems and everyone goes through hardship that challenges them. Seeing that you’re not so different from others in that regard will help you get off the pity train.

REGULAR SLEEP
The brain likes regularity. Try to shoot for at least 7-8 hours daily and around the same time. If you have the luxury of napping during the day and feel so inclined, go for it.

PERSONAL GOALS
1) Set goals and stick to achieving them, and once you master them, set more. Finding purpose is as easy as setting goals and making progress toward them. They don’t have to be big and lofty (but it’s OK if there are a couple of those in there, too). Start small, with easily achievable goals. I started with a to-do list for daily errands, and now find that I set goals to challenge myself in many ways because it makes life more of a fun game with rewards and payoffs. So, for instance, I set weekly goals for exercise, diet, writing and reading. Working on these goals and knowing that I need to put forth practice on them daily in order to achieve them gets me out of bed in the morning and gives me something to do. In other words, I have purpose. I find that my goals are now getting larger, and it’s more exciting. I’m actually going to try to write a book that I’ve had in mind for years. I’m scared of failure, but what the heck. I’m not going to tell anybody about it; it’s more of a personal goal.

2) Learn something new, no matter how cheesy, tacky, or silly others might think it is. Ever wanted to know how to square dance or bird watch or make music or cook something amazing? How about race a car or climb a mountain? Do something you’ve always been curious about and stick with it for at least two months. Learning stimulates dopamine and relates to goal setting, two things that alleviate depression. You just may find an activity or new form of study that makes you happy, and isn’t that better than feeling like crap about everything all of the time?

This is what has worked for me. Hopefully some of it can work for you, or at least inspire you to explore and discover what works for you.

Best of luck

As much sadness as there is in this world, there is as much happiness. Choose it consistently, and it chooses you.

jeannine71

Professional help. Seriously. That having been said, I use vodka.

Love it! I was already to give a serious reply but this is so much better.

Regardless, my 2 cents - talking to a professional and possibly medication if it's really bad - like sleeping too much or too little, affecting your work/friends/ability to have fun and anything worse than that, of course

SeahawkFan1

i have never had severe depression to be medicated but when i'm feeling down in the dumps i listen to music, shop and do laundry. I find laundry relaxes me lol

SuffolkSally

I have had moderate to severe depression intermittently since childhood, so I believe I know the ins and outs of it pretty well. I personally don't like drugs, but don't judge anyone for taking that route. That said, there are several facets of my life that seem to work together, and giving each of them proper attention is like an amplifier for happiness. On the flipside, the less I attention I give them, the less happy I feel.

Here is what works for me – I slowly have introduced these practices over the last year or so and depression has become the exception rather than the norm:

NUTRITION
1) Eat more fresh and unprocessed food - Over the years I have found that engineered junk food tends to have a rebound effect the next few days for me; the withdrawal feels like quitting smoking did for me many years ago. I suspect some of the same ingredients put in cigarettes to make them more addictive are also used as flavorings in some processed food. I never get these reactions from minimally processed food. In fact, when I keep a pretty clean diet that has lots of vegetables and fruit with whole grains, I feel energetic and positive. I slowly introduced new healthy foods in my diet over time and realized how great they made me feel. I bought a juicer and make fresh vegetable and fruit juices a few times a week that make me feel wonderful.

2) Take a fish oil supplement - I really like Trader Joe's Sea Gummies with DHA

3) Take a multi-vitamin and mineral complex a few times per week or more often as needed, depending on how nutritionally sparse the diet is.

4) Swap virgin coconut oil (medium chain triglycerides--MCTs) for olive oil or butter in recipes – helps brain health and regulation of blood sugar/satiety

KICK ADDICTIVE HABITS TO THE CURB
Nothing brings on severe depression like a cycle of addictive withdrawal. Whether it’s from binge eating, drinking too much, or smoking, you’ve got to kick the habit because the elation-depression cycle will never go away until you do. I’ve quit smoking, limited drinking to one glass of wine on Friday night, and am working very hard on curbing binge eating despite the urges that come up (they get easier to say no every time you do say no! It’s just mental conditioning and habit.), and combined with my other good habits, I feel so much better than before.

MODERATE EXERCISE
…is better than an antidepressant, IMO; studies show at six weeks of either exercising moderately daily or taking an SSRI that both groups had greatly improved mood and the SAME levels of serotonin in the brain. Skeptically, I put it to the test, and you know, it took about six weeks for me to feel amazing almost every single day, save for two days a month when hormonally I feel horrible about two days after my TOM (been that way since 14 years old!), when my estrogen and norepinephrine are at all-time lows. But even that with daily exercise even those two days are very muted and able to be handled with minimal effort. It’s awesome. In any case, with exercise:

1) Find your sweet spot. I personally found that 45 minutes daily is the magic number for me to alleviate depression. In past years I was only doing 15-30 minutes of exercise each day, and didn't see the kind of lift in mood I was looking for, but after increasing the intensity and duration to 45 minutes, I saw a drastic change in outlook and mood. I use exercise videos so I can change them up easily and reduce boredom by trying new things. Vigorous low-impact cardio seems to be the best for alleviating depression and improving mood to dare I say, happy levels.

2) Experiment with new forms of activity. While I have favored aerobics in the past, I tried a qigong video the other day that blew me away with how calming it was, and I’ve just ordered a dance video. While I have “two left feet” (am super uncoordinated lol), I’m in the privacy of my own home with this video, so I’m going to have fun with it and see if I can’t teach myself a new skill while getting some exercise in.

QUIET “ME” TIME
Discover or rediscover activities that you used to find enjoyable. I schedule actual “me” time on a daily basis and really look forward to it.

1) Reading. At first it was just getting in the habit of reading before bed, which got me relaxed and ready to sleep and allowed me to catch up on stuff I’ve been meaning to read for a while. Now I’m reading cool stuff of interest all the time, which keeps my curiosity piqued and less focused on ruminating on me.

2) Take numerous mental breaks during the day. I like to break up my work day with “get away from the computer moments” every few hours to go outside for a quick walk or even just to do a full-body stretch. It’s good to unplug and feel like a human being.

3) Contemplative time. Whether you call it meditation, prayer, or just “figuring stuff out” time, I like quiet time a few days a week to figure my stuff out. I’ve also found that morning journaling before checking e-mail is amazing for finding out what’s eating at you and to move beyond it. In my journal for each entry, I first empty my head, then I solve the problem by offering solutions as if I were a therapist, and then I move beyond it and set goals. It’s a great tool.

SOCIAL TIME
1) Real people! Social media is sometimes a good replacement for social interaction, but ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby. Instead of poking someone on Facebook, pick up the phone and call them. It means more to both of you. Go out and talk to people, even if it’s just the mailman for a minute or the girl at the grocery store in the checkout line. Real human interaction is necessary to feel part of the world. Technology has isolated our world, but the good news is that it’s easily remedied by reaching out to other people in real life.

2) On that note, avoid real but toxic people. The family I grew up with, honestly, is a mess, and interacting with most of them, even by phone only, is so stressful that it’s usually a one-way ticket to depression and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for days on end. So, I’ve had to work hard at finding the right balance of distance with them. For some people in my family, that means no contact at all, and for others, that means only every now and then. This past year I’ve also had to make some hard decisions and face difficult truths about friends who are simply mediocre friends; I’ve backed away from those who are “bad friends” and while at first it hurt a lot to face the truth that maybe I was a doormat for many years because I had self-esteem issues and put up with it, it feels great now because I’ve opened up the door for better friends who are just as invested in the friendship as I am.

3) Find other people interesting. Ask them about their interests, thoughts, and feelings, and not simply as a vehicle to air out your thoughts and feelings. Finding other people interesting is a magical way not to think about yourself—and everything you don’t like about you and your life.

4) Strive to help other people and you will help yourself in the process. Every person in this life has problems and everyone goes through hardship that challenges them. Seeing that you’re not so different from others in that regard will help you get off the pity train.

REGULAR SLEEP
The brain likes regularity. Try to shoot for at least 7-8 hours daily and around the same time. If you have the luxury of napping during the day and feel so inclined, go for it.

PERSONAL GOALS
1) Set goals and stick to achieving them, and once you master them, set more. Finding purpose is as easy as setting goals and making progress toward them. They don’t have to be big and lofty (but it’s OK if there are a couple of those in there, too). Start small, with easily achievable goals. I started with a to-do list for daily errands, and now find that I set goals to challenge myself in many ways because it makes life more of a fun game with rewards and payoffs. So, for instance, I set weekly goals for exercise, diet, writing and reading. Working on these goals and knowing that I need to put forth practice on them daily in order to achieve them gets me out of bed in the morning and gives me something to do. In other words, I have purpose. I find that my goals are now getting larger, and it’s more exciting. I’m actually going to try to write a book that I’ve had in mind for years. I’m scared of failure, but what the heck. I’m not going to tell anybody about it; it’s more of a personal goal.

2) Learn something new, no matter how cheesy, tacky, or silly others might think it is. Ever wanted to know how to square dance or bird watch or make music or cook something amazing? How about race a car or climb a mountain? Do something you’ve always been curious about and stick with it for at least two months. Learning stimulates dopamine and relates to goal setting, two things that alleviate depression. You just may find an activity or new form of study that makes you happy, and isn’t that better than feeling like crap about everything all of the time?

This is what has worked for me. Hopefully some of it can work for you, or at least inspire you to explore and discover what works for you.

Best of luck

As much sadness as there is in this world, there is as much happiness. Choose it consistently, and it chooses you.

Awesome advice - and I totally agree. There's a virtuous upward spiral. It's still somewhat slippery for me - my life is a liitle like the board game of snakes and ladders, where you climb a ladder (which in real life is rewarding but aslo hard work, getting easier as you go up), with occasional slitherings down an unexpected snake! I think learning that the downs aren't as catastrophic as they seem, and DO go away, is part of it as well...

mallorygp

i've been on celeza for three years and it has helped loads and loads but i still have those days where i just break down. believe it or not, good diet and exercise tend to help me the most--plus my doctor recommended them both!

somemansdream

I knew others have this problem and I am now so very glad I asked for more ideas.
I only knew of a few things that would help me but there are a lot of ideas here that I know would work for me too.

Bless you guys for sharing what you do to get through it. I know that depression can be seen as a personal problem and some people may not want to discuss it.

I consider my depression now to be something I can handle as long as I do something other than sink. I lost 2 1/2 years of my life to it. It makes me mad when I think of it, because I dont have any memories of that time and I have kids so I missed that. So, when it hits me now, that anger is useful in not letting it defeat me. Now, back when I had a reaction to a product and it started this whole thing it was really bad. Never under estimate the power of an article that lead me to the idea that a product was causing all my problems. I am not sure if there is an imbalance somewhere now or I'm just getting older and hormones are making me crazy. No insurance of any kind so this will continue to be something I deal with on my own.

I do know that supplements like fish oil and vit D etc help. I have bought some. I am horrible with pills though, and choke on the smallest ones. Needless to say that the only ones I take now are the ones I must have.

I know grieving for Boots is only right and fair to him. He was part of the family.

Again, thank you guys for sharing.

teacheatsleep

Citalopram, my puppy, staying around people who care about me, and staying busy.

tekwriter

For me it is Cymbalta. I can tell you though that I worked full time, with a family and kids and got my bachelors gradutation Summa Cum Laude, and then went on to grad school. You can do this, it is hard at times, just keep putting one foot after the other. If I can help please let me know. Been there before.

ripemango

st. john's wort

mrso97

i tried paxill....i felt better but i got FAT! went off the paxill...slow and very very difficult..and began to exercise...exercise til sweat is running down your face...it hasnt been that long....but i have a whole different attitude..i feel great...whenever i get down i get on the elliptical or go outside and walk....sometimes when its really cold the walk helps.....clears your head....i get on my elliptical...blast music turn on the tv...and jam!! i sleep better, i wake up better and i have amazing energy...you can get thru this...medication sucks!!

mortyfit

I run.
Pills never did anything for me except disrupt my sleep or decrease my level of alertness.
While I'm running I can turn off my brain and just pay attention to what my body is telling me, how the road feels, the music in my playlist.....there's no problems. After the run, the endorphins keep me going for most of the day. Then I'll run again tomorrow.

domgirl85

I gave myself tasks, both big and small. It gave me something to work towards with helped me spend less time worrying. Start making a list of things you want to do. Since money is an issue (as it was with me), you can even make one of your goals to do money saving projects! I would look at what I had in the house and figure out something to do with it. If I had to buy something for it, it had to be under $5 or $10. As you do smaller projects, you'll feel like you've accomplished something and you can move into bigger projects.

I'm a busy body so that was great for me.

NextChapter60

Depression is a broad umbrella, and can be physical/chemical, psychological, or both. If it's lasting more than a week or two, talk to someone. And talk to someone else. And someone else. Keep talking until you get the right help.

I went through a rough break-up followed by two years of depression. In retrospect I should have immediately gone into therapy. Finally went to a "counselor" who was mostly useless. Found this book about cognitive therapy, and wished i had read it at the beginning of my depression. There's also a workbook - I bought both, but the workbook would have been sufficient.

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. David D. Burns, M.D.

I hadn't realized how down and distorted my thinking was until I finally came out of the tunnel. I caught myself laughing again, and I hadn't even realized that I had stopped.

ashlinmarie

I have been clinically depressed since I was 8 years old. I sought counseling, was on medication, self medicated with marijuana and alcohol...I've been through the ringer to treat my depression. In the end, I made the conscious decision to wake up every morning, no matter how bad the day before was or how anxious I was about the upcoming day, and I put a smile on my face. I told myself that no matter what happened, it would make me a strong person to get through it and after a few months, I started seeing results with no medication, no therapy...nothing. I also left myself positive post-it notes around the house to keep myself motivated to stay upbeat. It is not something that can be expected in every situation, but for me, it worked. I have lived for 5 years with very few depressed days...definitely within the normal realm of feeling depressed. Now that I'm here, I also found exercise and once I started being able to run, I found my stress levels went down further. Exercise is a great way to cope and if you can devote even 30 minutes a day, it will help.

barbbrauner

I have been on Effexor and Welbutrin for about 5 years. It took me a long time to accept that I need Meds. I went off them twice in the last 13 years. I did do it with a doctors assistance. Both times I hit rock bottom. The last time it took me 2 years to find the right combination that worked. My advice is to see a psychiatrist. Do not go through your regular doctor or gynocologist like I did in the beginning. Make sure you really need the Meds and do whatever you need to do to not go on them. Both my parents were depressed and it is hereditary. My depression started when my twin boys turned 3. I also quit work when they were 2 which created financial issues. Even though finances are better now, we still have some hard times. Financial issues create all kinds of bad feelings. I read personal growth books all the time and enjoy the guidance I get from my reading. Recently I read something that got me to do cardio like I have never done before. For so many years I told myself how much I hated it. Now I can do 45 minutes on an elliptical and actually get a lot out of it, including feeling great mentally! Barb, 53.

BeautyFromPain

Zoloft, psychologists, my pets and exercise.

Amy911Gray

We have 2 three way bulbs in the house. Seasonal light deprivation so I usually sit under a light on dark dreary days. I'm very lucky to have an office at work that gets afternoon sunshine, which is my trouble-time of the day.

Songs help--fast paced and usually have good things going on (I'm walking on Sunshine is my favorite).

I'm very very lucky (my doctor said so) that light helps me keep in check.

Heather_Rider

while grieving doesnt help matters - its still depression. You mentioned sunlight helps... might i ask, have you had your blood tests checked lately?

My vitamin D levels were extremely low, and SO MANY people with depression have low vitamin D levels and their depression can be stabilized with a vitamin, instead of medications that can alter their minds!

Now, i am NOT anti-pills... i take PLENTY! :laugh: I am on xanax for my social anxiety and lortab for a chronic pain disorder, but.. my depression is leveled because I am on 50,000 units of vitamin D!

Its a simple blood test! Have it checked! You might feel much better!

NOTE: It takes 3 weeks or so before you start to feel better, and if infact you level IS low, you will need (most likely) a prescription of the Vitamin D because if not, you will be taking like 50 over the counter vitamin pills per day to get the proper dosage, so please dont try to over the counter medicate.

MemphisKitten

Anything to boost dopamine in the brain. . . exercise, spending time with kids, talking to others who suffer from depression, eating healthier, and singing are my faves. :flowerforyou:

rosesigil

Prozac.

Yes, the depression is often caused by some kind of chemical imbalance in the brain--also situation depression can exaccerbate the chemical problems. Medication does work. It works best with a combination of medication and therapy with a good therapist. Therapist can suggest medication and then you go to a psychiatrist (one that can proscribe meds) and talk to him about what the therapist and you think. Mostly, the depression is really helped with wellbutrin or prozac, there's other types too. i advise you to avoid effexor. It's good but highly addictauive in the sense that you have bad withdrawal if you miss even one dose. Plus it's expensive.
For weight loss try Phentermine. You need a prescription and have to be umder a drs. care, but if you're a good candidate for it you WILL lose weight--plus for a few days when you start taking it, you feel GREAT, lots of energy.