Great ways to deal with depression?

[iDateRapeZ]

I'm extremely new to posting things, but i'm not new around here i guess I still can't believe how much everything has grown. I've been here for years and i've always just been really afraid to post. I've been going through a really rough patch and I was looking for ideas or just wanted to here what makes the people here happy. Like hobbies what do you enjoy doing in your down time etc.

 

[Reptillicus]

Oh well, RPing here has really helped me find happiness again. I know it sounds weird but for someone like me, who loves making stories, there is no better medicine for my pained heart.

 

[Ratchet Hundreda]

Yeah, it's something which can be way different for certain people.

It is a really good sign that you actually realize the problem and want to help yourself. Back in my younger days after a really rough love-sorrow it was drawing which actually lent me the ladder out of the depths of depression. I was even thinking of suicide so it basically saved my life in a way.

I hold it a strong theory of mine that healthy people are their own psychiatrist. Just try to interrogate yourself what it is that makes you happy, what it is that you love and find your own answers. Even if it feels hard at first to do so, it is definitely possible. You just have to get to know yourself better.

I also find it a really bad thing when others around you try to cheer and nag you to get better. I hate to see people doing that to depressed people. There is only one person who can cure your depression and that would be yourself. I hear a lot that depressed people are weak and dumb and that's also stupid as fucking hell. Depression is a scar not a physical one but a mental one, one on your heart which can be extremely painful and it may require great amounts of strength to overcome. You have to stay strong and don't let it overwhelm you.

However don't take love as an enemy. There is a really nice scene in Naruto where Yashamaru, Gaara's caretaker sais the following: "A wound of a heart is different from a flesh wound. Unlike a flesh wound, there are no ointments to heal it, and there are times when they never heal... But there is one thing that can heal a wound of the heart. It's a troublesome medicine and you can only receive it from another person... The thing that can heal a wound of the heart is... love". I probably cried my fucking ass off at this point in that episode like the pathetic twat i am... but seriously that was a great fcking episode...

As a temporary treatment, i find playing video games, watching anime or other series and cycling or any other sports you can do by yourself pretty good ways to distract you from the negative feelings. For me drawing would be the ultimate solution but that is really a personal thing.

 

[cool.alexia]

As somebody who is dealing with a diagnosed depression, the most important thing is GET PROFESSIONAL HELP. I sometimes had the feeling that maybe I should get help. I should have talked to a doctor a year ago, but I didn't. So if you are in a rough spot for a longer time, if you sometimes have a hunch that maybe you should get some help. THEN DO IT. Go to a doctor. Don't worry, they won't laugh at you, and neither will they throw you into a mental asylum. (Well, I kinda was, but it was with my consent and it was a good anti-depression clinic thing, not Shutter Island).

Mental illness is tricky. Even though I have a depression, even though it was bad enough that I was sick BY LAW, I never FELT sick. I am tired, I cannot concentrate. And before I had the pills, I couldn't sleep. For 6-8 Months I slept around 3 hours a day. But that was it. When I finally went to a doctor, I thought I would just get a bit of help, not that I was really ill. The weird thing is, when I talked to people... there was not a single thought that I had and they didn't. The difference was that it did not keep them awake all night.
With normal sickness, it is clear who is sick:
PersonA: "Hey my leg hurts!"
PersonB: "Mine does too. Every Saturday morning it hurts. Weird huh?"
PersonA: "Yeah, but mine has a bone sticking out of it. Do you think I should see a doctor?"
This doesn't happen with mental illness. It is really hard to know when you should go and seek professional help.

As for the actual 'things' I do are simple:
Get outside regularly
exercise regularly in a way that is fun. If you don't like going to the gym like me, search a sport hobby that is fun for you.
Sleep regularly and at least 8 hours
Have fun with people regularly
Talk to a professional regularly
(this may be just for my situation): Accept that you are not as concentrated and don't have as much energy as normal. This isn't you, it is the sickness.

There is no simple way of getting out of a depression. If you are in a rough spot for a longer time, and you are searching for ways to alleviate it on the internet, then maybe you should talk to a doctor.

E: According to the 3 Psychologists I talked to, it is very rare for people to seek help early. The depression that everybody can get normally starts as a mild depression. When you get treated at this level, you get over it in 4-8 weeks. It is the same with back problems. Get treated early.

E2: OK, as I read your post again it didn't seem that bad anymore. I MAY have overreacted a bit. But the general answer is still the same: Exercise, Socialize, and don't be afraid to go to a doctor.

 

[Ratchet Hundreda]

As somebody who is dealing with a diagnosed depression, the most important thing is GET PROFESSIONAL HELP...

TBH it may help but in my case it didn't. In fact it made my case even worse. I wasn't even willingly put into mental care. I was basically forced under supervision. It was terrible. If not for the serenity of drawing landscapes and all sort of shit, it would've surely drive me insane.

Even if you get under care it is you who will cure your own illness. I think getting your depression cured by a doctor or some shit is fake as hell. It may even have worse consequences in the long run. At least for some people. Again this is just my experience i can absolutely imagine this working totally different with other people. It's just that it's good to know about the other side of the same coin.

Socializing and sports are absolutely essential, i have to agree on that.

I'm not saying you shouldn't go to see a doctor but take it as a warning that if you feel it would just make the case worse, try to overcome it yourself. I believe it is certainly possible especially if you have the right people around you. Like this hell-dump of a community for example here on Fenoxo forums

 

[cool.alexia]

TBH it may help but in my case it didn't. In fact it made my case even worse. I wasn't even willingly put into mental care. I was basically forced under supervision. It was terrible. If not for the serenity of drawing landscapes and all sort of shit, it would've surely drive me insane.

Wooow... but then your doctor was shit?! This might depend on where you live. I've never heard of something like this here. People with mental illnesses like depressions and friends are treated in places where you are free to go any day every day.

And I am with you, you bring yourself out of depression. The doctor won't make it go away. Thing with depression is, that it is often normal. I mean when you work for a company for 30 years and suddenly get fired because they hate you, then congratulations, you are depressed. That doesn't mean you need professional help. You will figure it out yourself. The dangerous part (according to the two Behavior Psychologists) is when you have mechanisms that feed into the depression. Like when the guy gets a new better job where they appreciate him very much, yet he still does not feel better. Then something is wrong. There you should seek professional help to find out what you do that feeds into the depression and how you stop yourself. There it can get worse if you try it all alone. As it did with me.

 

[Ratchet Hundreda]

Wooow... but then your doctor was shit?! ...

Yeah well, here in Hungary heath care is basically non existent or at least the form which it exists in is basically fcking clowns pretending that they know what they are doing. I have a chronic heart disorder i think it's called extrasistole something... it's basically a heart arrhythmia. It could be fixed with surgery but i shit you not i would rather shoot myself in the head than to allow those fucks to poke around in my heart. Both would yield the same result anyways... so yeah i guess if you trust your country's healthcare you will probably have a better time. Oh, and trust me i'm not over exaggerating it.

Yeah well, my method is actually kinda takes a lot of luck as well, if you don't know what you are doing it may even be lethal... I got lucky that my head let made me meditate on it and allow myself to overcome it. This is most likely not a usual thing, so asking for help may be the best course of action here, now that i think about it.

I think in case of the OP it's a pretty mild one he realized the problem and wants to fix it so i would hope he is in a pretty good situation coming here and talking with us. However i can imagine cases where this would not be enough indeed. Again, you kinda have to be lucky as well a bit with this stuff. You either have the proper background or you fix the issue yourself.

... I mean with all the crazy stuff happening now a days, getting worked up seems counter productive from my point of view.

Most definitely. The other method which even if it's just as much counter productive, is making fun of it. Just look at 4chan/pol/. It's a fcking shit show of people making fun of actually really serious issues. Counter productive but damn, they have a good time there.

You know what they say, what does not kill you...

 

[FairyWanderer]

i just tire myself, and get a peaceful sleep

 

[XBoxMaster131]

Search "Wedgie in my booty // meme titania" on YouTube. Trust me, depression don't stand a chance against this !

 

[Kesil]

If we're going by YouTube therapy, I somehow ended up watching

Spoiler

last time I felt depressed... and it made me smile.

I also tried most things that have already been namchecked, such as reading, writing, sleeping properly, having baths, going for walks or listening to music that "keeps my soul warm", so to speak. Talking to friends, family members and acquaintances may also work.

 

[Magic Ted]

Going outside, mostly.

 

[ShySquare]

When I feel depressed, I lose myself in fictional universes and their fandoms: I read fanfiction, analyse the show/plot/subtext... It's more escapism than anything but it works in that it makes me forget for a bit and reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog really helped me when I was a teen (but that's just me -- I guess most people wouldn't like the books they are supposed to read for class?).

(I tried seeing therapist a few years back -- didn't work because I didn't trust them, but I wish I could find one who I could trust)

 

[Steve3344]

Unfortunately, there are many people who suffer from depression. My doctor prescribed antidepressants to me, but I read the information about them and found out that they can be addictive. So, I decided to look for the alternative ways of treatment. I'm currently using CBD oil when I feel that I can't cope with depression. But I also changed my lifestyle (sport, healthy food, no bad habits) and noticed that it really works for me.

 

[Paradox01]

Do cats help with depression

Yes, as do fish and threadomancy.

 

[Paradox01]

The fish answer was serious, BTW. Staring at a fishtank has been shown to lower stress levels. That's why you see them in dentists' offices.

 

[Tinman]

The fish answer was serious, BTW. Staring at a fishtank has been shown to lower stress levels. That's why you see them in dentists' offices.

Pretty sure soundproofing would do more to lower stress in a dentist's office. Nothing sets your nerves on edge like the high pitched whine of that drill.

 

[Stemwinder]

Being around nature, as well as simply getting some sun, improves mood but it should also be part of living a lifestyle that cultivates satisfaction. A good diet, exercise, and getting outside for your vitamin D are where to start and from there get into doing some sort of work, whatever it may be, that provides a tangible result that you can see, feel, and take pride in. Most modern jobs don't provide this and as a result they don't tend to provide a sense of purpose. Breaking up bad dopamine cycles is another and very new one. With our ability to constantly stimulate ourselves we actually overload our brains and get caught in "dopamine loops" where we'll end up doing things like cycling between several websites looking for new content - it's very unhealthy! A good dopamine cycle is one that comes after getting something done, so learn to recognize when you're caught in a bad cycle, remove yourself from it, and allow your brain chemistry to normalize again.

Managing stress is the other big factor. If your life is particularly stressful then you need to have ways of calming yourself down and dealing with anxiety. Many people find meditation and yoga to be helpful. Someone mentioned fishing, I see, that's another good one.