Anyone with Depression/Anxiety

Yes, I have PTSD that manifests as extreme levels of anxiety, depression, and flashbacks. I've been off and on meds for years depending on my state of mind and what's going on in my life. I'm off them for now.

What helps me is journaling and making self-care a priority. I don't mean just working out but also paying attention to how I speak to myself and making time for things that I like. For example, one of the best things anyone ever suggested to me was to speak to myself as if I were 5 year old me. What would you say to a five year old if she were upset? Chances are you wouldn't berate her, call her stupid, lazy, etc. You would be encouraging and kind. And as for self care, I make things like getting my hair done or buying a piece of clothing a priority every month because those are the things that make me feel better about myself and when I feel better about myself it's easier for me to battle depressed and anxious thoughts.

I also recommend the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Workbook. DBT works much better for me than cognitive therapy.

What a great topic to start! I too try to focus on what I know will help my body when I'm in a good state of mind. So getting the workout schedule in place helps - and I try to really embrace how good I feel when the work out is over as motivation for the next time.

I have learned to read my body a little - if I drink wine at night, even 1 glass at dinner, it tends to make me more drowsy in the morning & less likely to get up & work out. So, when I know i'm a little depressed already - I don't drink. Alcohol affects & can make depression worse.

There are other nutritional things to read up on & pay attention to your body. Sugar can be not so good in big quanitities - it does affect my emotions & hormones - so I try to stear clear of sugary treats in general. I know that I'll crave them more once I eat it - and then I'll go through the emotional rollercoasters. Knowing that in advance helps me say no in the moment of temptation.

Jillian Michaels did a book on Master your Metabolism - and there is a lot of helpful nutritional information online regarding balancing hormones & emotions holistically.

After being on and then off antidepressants for quite some time I came to the realization that life, for me, is better with them. Nothing and I do mean NOTHING would make me feel better when I was in a depressed state and I just realized that life is too short to live that way. You mention side effects from the medications you were prescribed....did you ask your Doctor if you could try something else? Sometimes it takes a few tries before you find one that works for you but when you do it'll be like you've come alive. Trust me.

Suffered clinical depression since the age of 13, and have been on various medications since then, but have tried to avoid them for sometime as there is uncertainty as to whether I have bipolar and I had some really nasty, frightening side effects from some of the medications I was put on. I also suffer panic attacks and anxiety disorder, social anxiety and OCD. Life can be very difficult. When it is good, I make the most of it, but when I slump, I slump to the point of becoming suicidal and seeing no future at all. I find working out can help, but only when it hasn't hit its worst points, at which time little seems to help at all. I am currently in one of the worst slumps I have had in a long time, due to splitting with my bf and a combination of other things, including battling a few issues with eating disordered behaviour. It can be a very lonely experience, depression.

*hug*

You could try switching meds if you have a severe case... otherwise, I might try some cognitive therapy - you just have to be motivated to do it and stick with it. If you google "panic attacks and anxiety" on amazon, you can get plenty of self-help books that really do help if you don't have insurance/for some reason can not do therapy.

Reach out if you need help!

I have suffered from depression all my life and Anxiety in more recent years. How do you deal with taking care of yourself when you have moments that you just cant give a damn. I was on antidepressants but they made me apathetic and tired so I gained more weight by just laying around all day. Im off now so I am losing weight but then I will have a bad couple of days were I just dont care. What are your ways to cope with depression??

i work out. that is how i cope with it.

Sorry to hear you’re having trouble. I too have struggled with anxiety and depression my whole life (I’m actually bipolar, but that just throws an extra manic kink into the mix.) I hate being on meds as well, I have xanax for the extra debilitating panic attacks, but I only need to take that once a month if not less often.

The way I deal with it is I pretty much force myself to work out almost every day. I find it helps my mood tremendously, not just the day I exercise, but I find I get less depressed in general. There are days I feel like I’m literally forcing my gym clothes on against my will and coercing myself not to turn the car around at every stoplight, but once I’m there and my workout is over I feel better. There is some science behind that too; there have been scads of studies that show exercise can significantly reduce depressive episodes.

There have been some days I say “ef it!” and don’t do any exercise, eat everything in sight, and sit around on the verge of tears for the day, but I find if I indulge in that behavior I only feel worse the next day and it just snowballs after that- soon enough I haven’t showered in days and have ignored 3 dozen calls.

It takes a lot of willpower, dedication, and ignoring what your mind/body is saying, but it’s the only thing that really works for me. You also have to be able to know when things are getting out of hand and need some medical assistance to get out of it, there have been many times I know I need to get back on meds for a while to reset my sense of 'normal.' If you tell your doctor you don't want it to be long term medication, they'll often work with you to find a med that won't have terrible withdrawals when you start tapering off.

Good luck!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been struggling with anxiety and depression since I was very little. This last year, I tested out a few different medications and ended up gaining 20 pounds. Never again. I loved reading everyone else's responses and I plan on looking into the reading materials and supplements mentioned.

My goal is to get my body and mind as strong as it can be through clean food, yoga, cardio, and self-love. I LOVE the idea mentioned above about talking to yourself with the same kindness and consideration that you would speak to a 5 year old with. I've been working so hard every day to turn the bully inside my head into a loving + supportive friend.

Motivation to work out and eat clean can be a hard thing to come by when you have depression/anxiety and what's been working for me is my reward system that I have set up. When I lose certain amounts of weight (small increments), I'm going to treat myself to things like a new pair of heels, getting my hair colored, crest white strips, and a couple other things.

Also - I agree with everyone who mentioned avoiding alcohol. Once I get physically and mentally stronger, I will definitely celebrate with a drink (hopefully something that comes with an umbrella). But until then, alcohol has shown to be disastrous every time I have it, even if it's just a beer or small amount of wine.

I've suffered from depression for about 10 years and anxiety for about 5. I am on zoloft to manage it.

However, I do have bad days, and what I tend to do when bad days come is cry, scream, cry some more, cry than sleep. Typically the next day I am better. What that boils down too is that you have to let it out, somehow. do not keep the feelings bottled up, let them out however you need.

To be quite honest, celexa and a little therapy got me where I needed to be. A good doc will try different drugs and dosages to get you where you need to be. I did gain about 10 lbs after going on the medication, but that's when I joined MFP - I've lost 25 so far.

I'm a big bundle of anxiety and depression. I stopped taking AD's because I hated the side effects and switched to just Xanax "as needed". I take one maybe 2-3x/week when I'm feeling really anxious (sometimes ABOUT feeling depressed) and then for a few hours I stop caring about whatever made me feel anxious/upset, gain some perspective and can deal with life a little better the rest of the day. I started this 3-4 months ago and have actually been able to take it less often (despite the risk of addiction) because I know I have an "out" if things get bad so I actually feel less anxious about my anxiety & depresssion - if THAT makes any sense. :laugh:

Depression lies. It's a horrible cage that you can't really get out of, no matter what measures you take. Medication has helped me, getting my husband to finally mostly understand helped me, finding ways to hide and press my face to the bars so it doesn't seem like I'm caged helps me. The world is beautiful between the bars.

In short, I have no advice. What works for me may not work for you. The only thing that I can say is to hang in there, fight it, and be as kind to yourself as possible in whatever ways you can. Also, know you aren't alone.

In all honesty... take up running, it really is a cure.

good luck to all of you. I have never suffered in the way you have described and I am impressed with how you deal with it. I get minor depressions from time to time, despite living the perfect life ( or so it appears ). I kick myself in the *kitten* and tell myself to get on with it. But like I said, I know my experiences are minor compared to some described her. Just by being here and talking about it you are all doing so well, so a big :flowerforyou: