Dealing with sadness

i've dealt with severe depression for years.. the words of my first ever psychiatrist still ring true... she told me that the number one thing i could do to help myself was eat clean and exercise. sadly, it is not as simple as that. but eating healthy definitely makes a difference, might make it easier to cope?

Taking care of yourself is important, however sometimes you need the solace of others to help get you to a place where you are able to take care of yourself. Try to be mindful of what you are eating but take time to allow yourself to heal. Try walking once a day, even if it's a brief walk and you will likely notice a shift in your mood.

diet and exercise should be your priority.

if you're fat and smelly you'll have no friends, so you have no choice now... do the right thing.

Anyway there's been a lot of grief, trauma and loss in my family, and I find it really hard to be motivated just now.

Well of course you're sad. It's not depression when you have good cause, unless the family problems were ten years ago I suppose. As others have said, take a break from this for awhile and come back when things have settled down a bit. Just try not to throw it all out the window in the meantime. Do what you can and forget the rest. I would also seek out someone to talk to. Doctor, Minister, Counselor, Hair Stylist, Bartender, Friend--it's all good. I think your priorities are spot on.

P.S. I think your cat is gorgeous.

Also just to add, when I've had really crappy horrible times, I've needed a regular routine as well. Going to the gym gave me that bit of routine and did help relieve some stress. It's been a bit like an old friend at times. No matter how crap I felt, I went, and usually would walk out feeling a bit better...just a thought. Totally depends on what works for you though of course. For me it helped.

I can relate.

I'm bipolar and have been going through a deep depression cycle.
In the last few months, I've gained a lot of weight and I've found that the stress and emotions get even worse when I don't take care of myself.

I know it's harder than ever now thinking about where your priorities are...
but the best thing you can do for yourself which is completely in your control, is to take care of yourself.

Plus, you'll gain structure and the confidence will return.
Your depression will lift.

Even bad things come to an end.


Much love<3
:flowerforyou:

Just embrace the Dark Side like I have, and you won't need no stinkin' pills!

I have suffered great loss and tragic things, battled severe depression twice in my life....depression is different from just being sad or grieving.
Depression is a chemical imbalance and should not be taken lightly.

As others have expressed, eating right and exercising will help you both mentally and physically. It is very hard to do at times when your mind is somewhere else. A doctor said to me once, to get out and walk everyday. I have been doing that ever since. I started with 10min. then I went to 15 min....and so on. It isn't easy and many days as I walked I had tears. But, in time that walking therapy helped my depression. So get out and walk!!!!! Make that a priority! Rain or shine....you can do this!!!!!!

Also, if this has gone on for more than 3-4 weeks, you need to get to a doctor.

Feel free to add me if you think I can help you.....
Your not alone and you can get through this...

Exercise has helped me get through the tough times. I took up running right after getting out of a bad relationship. Sometimes the only part of the day when I was really at peace was during my runs. So it helped me feel healthier mentally, and the physical fitness side seemed more like a bonus than my ultimate goal.

This might not be a good time for strict calorie counting, but there are a couple general tips:
-Avoid caffeine. It will make you feel more agitated.
-Get regular sleep and have regular meals. This will help you feel more stable.

Sally, your depression isn't just out of the blue but caused by events in your life. Understandably, you have good days and bad days. Overall, you eat very healthy foods and you get regular exercise. Perhaps right now it is time to strive for maintenance more than weight loss. You look very good and have reached a point that if you never lost anymore weight you would be very healthy.

If you feel that medication would help then go talk to your dr. I know you get up every morning. You spend time with friends. You walk your dog. All good signs that you aren't severely depressed. I think you are slowly recovering equilibrium and you will have more and more good days.

Someone above said that if this has gone on for longer than 3-4 weeks you should get to a doctor. I disagree. I lost my husband and I can tell you that the pain and loss and sadness went on for a lot more than 3-4 weeks and drugging me would not have been the solution. There was only 1 actual cure and that would have been for him to have not died. That was not going to change. So, it had to be left to time and prayer and taking care of myself and my kids. Taking care of me involved eating right and lots of exercise. I needed those endorphins bad. I have days still when I will cry during a run because I still miss him. But that time is my time and it's time for reflecting and remembering and I talk to him and I talk to God. The pills simply numb the pain. You have to go through it to get to the other side.
I'm not saying that no one needs meds. But, clinical depression and situational depression are two totally different things. It is normal for our bodies (including our minds and hearts) to go through a mourning period. It sucks and it hurts but it is normal.
I disagree with the people who say to take a break from what you have been doing. I say the more normal/routine you can keep your life and the more you stay on the path of something positive, the better you will do.
Good luck and God Bless!

Go talk with a doctor. If nothing else (s)he can take away your fear that you're depressed. Sometimes just that chat will make things more clear for you. Going to a doctor isn't the same as getting medication. It's just getting a check-up because something isn't right. And in fact, there are some other medical reasons when you can't get away from your sadness or grief. It might be as easy as some vitamin pills to fix you (in case of a vitamin D shortage), so do yourself a favour and get checked up.

I've just finished an intensive 4 month therapy (3 days a week) to deal with a clinical depression, and a lot of the points people give are good. But whether or not your depressed or just down there's some things you need to be aware off.

1. Stick to your schedule. Don't cancel visits, don't call in sick, make sure you have enough 'me-time' in your schedule as well
2. Energy is limited, so keep your visits a bit shorter, don't try to work at 110%, take a break a bit more often.
3. Exercise! Exercise makes endorfines in your brain. They make you happy. But, remember rule 2, make sure to not overdo anything. Don't exercise till you can't go anymore, that'll just make it harder to do the rest of the things you need to do that day. Instead exercise at 75%. So you can feel proud of doing the right thing without being exhausted after.
4. Personal hygiene is important. So take care of yourself. You'll feel better after a nice shower, fixing your make-up, eating healthy. But again, don't overdo it.
5. Distract yourself if you're feeling down. Go paint, walk, bake cookies. Do not wallow in self pity, that'll just make you feel worse and doesn't solve anything.


It gets better. My shrink keeps telling me that there's no one who doesn't come out of a depression. It might take time, but in the long run you WILL feel better.

Edited to add point 5

Take a break. In the grand scheme of things calorie counting will wait until you are ready to start thinking about yourself again. It sucks being sad, when you feel a bit more like yourself you can get back to it. In the mean time just try to make good choices, and exercise. It honestly improves your mood. Hope you feel better soon xx

Totally agree! If your mindset is not in it right now just give yourself a break and focus on dealing with the other issues in your life and being happy again. When those issues have been mended and taken care of, you will be ready to get back at it and continue kicking *kitten*!