Depression

Try getting a dog. I know this sounds weird but they help with depression and there is no sitting around. Dogs need a walk no matter how you feel, or what the weathers like. And best of all you will be befriended by a really nice group of people :-)

i also suffer from depression so i know how you feel, it is difficult to get motivated but you have to push yourself a little at a time and you will feel better for it.
use your time wisely if your just sat at home by chatting to people on here, they can offer great advice and tips and you might even make a few online friends.
ive managed to loose 22lb since the 1st jan 13 so dont give up, i dont excercise, ive just been eating 1200 calories a day and watching what i eat.
good luck :-)

A combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, medication (SSRI such as Lexapro), and exercise should vanquish the depression, but it is easier said than done.

StacieHof makes a great point regarding B vitamins; B vitamin deficiency (B12, folate, etc) *could* be linked to depression according to the Mayo Clinic and other sources.

Good luck!

#1 way to fight Depression is through exercise no excuses just do it!

This is what I was thinking. Get to the gym. Take some classes so you meet some positive, optimistic, energetic people.

If all else fails though, see your doctor. Feeling down is one thing, depression is a medical condition.

Try getting a dog. I know this sounds weird but they help with depression and there is no sitting around. Dogs need a walk no matter how you feel, or what the weathers like. And best of all you will be befriended by a really nice group of people :-)

This is a great idea! I got a dog back in December and she has turned my life around. I recently moved from Chicago to Cleveland for work and did not know a soul in OH. When I got my dog, I made a lot of new friends, met a wonderful man and burn at least 85 calories per walk. The more you start walking and getting active the better you will feel. Good luck!

I struggled with depression for a long time. Was on meds, everything. I even had my kids around and it didn't make things better. When you feel depressed, you feel depressed! There are two things that have helped me. First was getting principled chiropractic care. This is not the kind of chiropractor where they twist you, snap you, wring your neck around. Instead they use a device that my kids and I call a "clicker" and they move individual joints back into place with a gentle click. Within one month of this care I was completely off my meds and feeling better. The second thing that helped me to not just be not depressed, but to feel happy again was exercise. I am not talking about having to get to a gym and do 2 hours of weights and cardio a day....nope! I do all of my exercise at home. I find videos on youtube, I play wii games like just dance or wii fit or even wii sports. I have a couple of videos on DVD, but rarely use those. I have found that it only takes 15min of exercise to give me that little emotional boost I need.
I really hope you get freedom from this! I have been there and it SUCKS sometimes! If you can find someone in your area who does principled chiropractic, I really think you should look into it!!!!


Edited to add:
Not sure how close Farifield Township is to you but found this one that uses the technique I was talking about: http://www.principledchiropractic.com/

I had to go on a small dose of meds. It was about 25mg and it gave me to push to help me start making changes. Also, changing the food I was eating made a really big impact! You put crap in your body, you will feel like crap! Then I started making the efford to do work out videos at home. I was 183lbs at the time, to fat in my mind to go to a gym. So I started with the 30 day shread. It was so hard! I cried the first two weeks when I was doing it because it was so hard for me. But I kept up with it. I could not get over the change in my body and the depression. Iv gotten to the point that im slowly moving off of it. Also, I keep reg. appts. with my Dr and I very honest with her about what I am going through and feeling. I wish you luck! Know you are not alone :-)

Turn off the tv and turn on lively music that you like. Trust me, you have to make yourself do it for awhile, then it feels good so you don't want to miss it. Get outside and take a walk around the block. That's it. Just one block. The fresh air and sunshine help ease depression. (I suffered with it for 20 years) If you don't have a pet, get one. Taking care of another creature helps, plus they love you unconditionally. For me, church helps. And lots of prayer. If you cannot make yourself get up and do things for yourself, then please go see your doctor. *Sometimes* medication is in order to make you feel your old self again. Depression is a lonely and scary place to be. If you want another friend, feel free to friend me and or message me. I've been there.

I honestly was very depressed until I started getting in shape. I spent too much time watching TV and drinking. Now that it's May and the weathers nice (nearly) everywhere, I suggest walking and biking, when the pools open go swimming! Even though I had very little motivation and stamina when I started, I did it last may and I would always be able to get myself to go swimming after work, I'd swim for like 10 or 15 minutes, go down the slide as a treat and then lay out for a half hour or so, get back in and do it again! Once I started losing weight I alternated swimming with water jogging when the pool was on "break" and the kids were out of the water. People looked at me like I was a nut, but it got it done and I dropped 30 lbs over the summer, felt so much better by the end of it!

I use exercise to beat depression. It takes a couple of months, but I know it works so I just push myself to go to the park and walk.

I could not beat it with exercise this last time however. I knew that I didn't want to go on an anti-depression medication. There are to many side effects. I searched for a different solution and ended up taking SAM-e by nature made. I managed to take the lowest dose recommended for depression, which is 400 mg. (You can take up to 1800mg for depression but you are supposed to start at the lowest dose and work your way up.) After being on that for a few weeks, the "foggy" feeling of depression started to go away and I started to be able to function again. I started walking and that helped more. I took the SAM-e for about a year and I have been off of it for a year and am still depression free. Do not try SAM-e if you have bi-polar though because it will put you in a manic state.

Oh yea, I got a dog but that did not help me. The poor dog just didn't get the exercise he needed until I started on the SAM-e and could function again. A dog will work well if you are able to function some.

...the 1 thing which helped me overcome it all was, I believe, not the medication at all but just learning to understand that I wasnt the only one and that I didnt have to suffer. After all it is only yourself keeping yourself ill, no one else. You have the right to change how you feel , no one can tell you different, its your body after all getyourself a routine going.. exercise is the best release for depression, also tell yourself every night in a mirror how amazing you are because you are! We all are!! also dont suffer alone. Telling people your story and advising them how you deal with it. you will be amazed how much better you feel when you understand your depression can serve a purpose by educating others

I agree wholeheartedly with the post above--you have to be really purposeful about finding a way out of depression. Saying you want help is one thing, but committing to change your life is something infinitely more difficult. Before you try to do it all on your own, find someone, somehow, that you can be accountable to, whether it's a counselor, psychiatrist, friend, or family member. If you're not ready for that, try something like group therapy or an art class--anything that has an established schedule--so you can begin a routine of getting out of the house, getting some fresh air, and socializing with others.

Whatever happens, please don't continue to isolate yourself--it is all too easy to get lost in your own thoughts and feelings of negativity, hopelessness and exhaustion.

It does take time to get healthy (I have battled depression for 25 years), so please be patient with yourself and know that you are worth whatever hard work you put in.

Wow! I wish I had that much time to exercise.

I would be over-the-moon happy if I could get a great workout in every single day. Exercise is the best antidote to depression. Exercising outside in the sunshine is a bonus. Turn off the TV and go outside, or go to the gym.

I understand depression, but I also know that it's not an excuse to avoid doing things that will make your life and health better. Sometimes you just have to rise above your adversities and do the things that will improve your circumstances. No one else can do it for you.

Go outside, take up an exercise regime, get a hobby... definitely stop sitting around watching TV or on the computer.
Depression does not NEED medication, it's an option but it's not the only one and you will just end up depending on that instead of fixing the root of your problems.

Depression is very treatable!! However, only a doctor can really diagnose it. If you can afford it and have benefits, go and see a psychiatrist. A combination of therapy and medicine can work wonders. I suffer from depression as well but I'm loath to give specific advice on fighting it because I'm not a medical doctor and no two people's depressions are similar. I see a doctor and I'm on medication. Please do seek professional help because depression can have deleterious effects on the brain and body. MFP is not really the right forum for this kind of thing.

Wow there are some great suggestions in this thread! I go through periods of depression, it runs in my family, but have not wanted to do medication. It got really bad last year when my mom died. What helped the most was forcing myself to take a daily walk outside, I viewed this as my "medicine" - sunlight and movement and it helped a lot. I also made myself get back into some hobbies that I enjoy (writing and painting) and that was a great comfort. Now I get so much happiness and a sense of accomplishment from being in better shape, and improving my creative skills. Plus it was all free and something I could easily do myself and fit into my schedule.

Hope you get to feeling better soon!