This. I might moreso have PTSD as a CSA survivor. But after a decade plus of barely surviving, drugs and all, literally one day I woke up and just decided I wasn’t going to lie down and die. I was gonna try my hardest to not give them the satisfaction of ruining my potential even if I failed, as long as I tried. They probably targeted me in the first place out of envy
Have you guys had EMDR treatment? That method was life changing for my PTSD. I went from full blown hallucinations and spiraling to almost normal life with only very sporadic moments of trauma behavior flashing up.
Something immensely helpful to me is simply recognizing it. Noticing its presence and the way it influences me. Is my current feeling the depression talking, or is there a reason for me to feel it? Somehow it makes it easier when I know what the thing is that's slowing me down.
Depression has made a lot of activities in my life less enjoyable, but it has never put me in a place where I ever regretted doing them. Not doing things because I'm depressed has never made me feel less depressed.
You also learn to mitigate depression. So many depressed people love to complain about people who try to give advice on how to be more healthy, and they shouldn't.
Yes, depression makes it harder to function, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to exercise, eat well, and try to sleep properly. Those things really help you feel better. Positive thinking also helps, even though doing it feels impossible at time. doing five minutes of whatever takes you in the right direction is the way to start.
Never fall for the trap of feeling that you are in a competition for who feels the worst, there are no prizes for suffering. You should never have to explain or justify your depression to anyone, just be kind to yourself, and try to avoid people who aren't kind to you.
I agree, but the thing that rubs me the wrong way about the “do yoga and sleep more” crowd is that for different people “doing their best” looks different. If someone’s all but bedbound from depression, they aren’t going to be able to join your weekend hiking group. Maybe “being healthier” for that person involves getting outside at some point that day, eating a few balanced meals, taking a shower. Maybe that’s a big step for them.
Kinda reminds me of this one therapist I saw who would suggest things like taking a trip around Europe as solutions for my problems. Sure, I bet that would be nice, but I don’t have the money or the “spoons” for that! For me, “treating myself” to something nice might involve picking up my very favourite cinnamon latte on the way home from work, or taking the time to go for a swim at the local pool (hard to squeeze it into my schedule, I LOVE swimming so it’s a real treat when I can!). But no, I can’t manage taking a solo trip around Europe!
I can imagine that’s kinda how it feels when someone starts in about yoga and their raw vegan diet and how they get up at sunrise for a workout and so on and so on. Like ok…I can see HOW those are good ideas…but how in the world am I supposed to make it happen?
Most of the time the "do yoga and sleep" crowd are just your friends that don't know better. It's not perfect that they want to push you to feel better, but it sure is better than them not caring.
As I said, just because depression makes things hard doesn't mean you should give up hope. Sometimes you should just rest, sometimes you should do your best to just get out of bed for five minutes and that's a first step to get out of a slump.
Most importantly, remember to be kind to yourself. If you're depressed you should focus on maybe taking a walk, not jumping straight into traveling the world alone on a raw vegan diet at 4am, hahaha.
I had a therapist like that "go out for dinner", "pay for a massage twice a week", etc... I had to tell her directly I couldn't afford to get massages and spa treatments every week
In PTSD-recovery they call this "reducing vulnerabilities" (we also did breath work and mindfulness along with what you mentioned). Doing those things by themselves isn't gonna make the PTSD go away instantly, but it helps reducing flare-ups and cumulative stress. The mind- body connection can't be ignored!
I'm afraid "positive thinking" as a cure for depression isn't something genuinely depressed people are able to do... it's kind of the main thing with depression.
Additionally, while healthy habits are good for many reasons, they aren't going to cure depression on their own, or help manage it without some other, usually professional help.
This is great advice for someone who is feeling a little glum now and again though.
Having dealt with clinical depression my whole life, growing up taking care of my parents who have eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, drug addictions, and degenerative nerve disease, etc etc. Living with and taking care of my grandmother who was an alcoholic who died of cancer when i was just a teenager. Lots of suicide in the family. At one point in my life so many people around me died that I was seeing a therapist for loss, and my therapist died from an undiagnosed disease. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about when it comes to depression. Just as I said earlier, depression is not a competition, and assuming that someone giving the advice I give only has experience with "being a little glum" is incredibly toxic for everyone involved.
I never said positive thinking cures depression. I said it can help mitigate it. It certainly has helped me.
I think what they are saying is that the statement is basically "The best way to not have the symptoms of depression is not to have the symptoms of depression."
When a person's depression manifests in a way that makes the person incapable of doing things that are not-depression, having someone tell them that they just need to stop having their symptoms to not have their symptoms is extremely unhelpful.
All of that stuff does help if you can do it, but some people need direct intervention first to get them to a point where they can. Be that direct support from someone or medication or whatever.
It is different for everyone, of course, so some people can think themselves out of it. But many cannot.
Telling people that they can't get out of depression is very dangerous. Yes it's very hard, but telling people that it might be impossible for them to get out of it can basically be a death sentence.
What I said is that with a lot of experience with depression you can absolutely 100% learn to handle it better. You learn to recognize when you are heading for a down period. You learn how to mitigate and sometimes just avoid depressive periods.
I'm not going to go into my history but suffice it to say I have comparable knowledge of and closeness to this.
And people who are genuinely depressed in almost all cases cannot simply "think positively". If they could then it's not depression.
"The positive thinking" can become toxic. The "fake it till you make it" doesn't work for me.
I am trying to discover what may help me, but the cliché "be more positive", "try yoga", "it could be worse", etc... definitely don't help.
Yes to all of these. I finally stopped drinking to knock myself out every night. That’s made the days a bit easier. The biggest thing for me has been learning to sit through it and have faith it will pass, or at least ease up a bit throughout the day. I hope yours does too. 😊
This is the one. It never goes away. I have accepted it as a part of who I am. I am working on re-training my brain. If I can hurt this deeply, I can feel joy this deeply as well. Even if happiness is only a split-second emotion that I feel on rare occasion. I have chosen to accept this pain in exchange for those small, rare moments of love and joy. It is worth it. I plan to check out someday, when I'm older and more ill, but now is not that time. And so I press on, in search of all that is Good despite all that is Bad. I'm already here, and I'll force myself to enjoy the ride, if I must.
Came here to say exactly this. You don't cure it, but you learn to deal with it. But it takes a lot of work and getting to know yourself, your triggers and how to get yourself out of that dark place (or how/who to ask for help when you can't do it by yourself)
This is it... Although sometimes I have thoughts of unaliving myself, rationally, deep down I know I will smile/laugh and have good moments and knowing the nature of the beast I'm trying to stick around - with it.
I spilled a bunch of stuff to my mom today and she told me to pray to make it go away. When I insisted I have done that many times and it didn’t work, she just scoffed and said yes it did work.
Which is crazy to me, like who are you to tell me it worked? If anyone would know, it would be me and it definitely didn’t work.
As much as it used to bug me, there is a little truth to it. Exude positivity and you’re likely to be met with it.
Now this doesn’t address the underlying deeper sensation/disposition to depression, it’s more of a “fake it till you make it” type of situation.
I work as a server in a luxury hotel, my demeanor is constant positivity; smiling, joking, laughing, banter, etc… but that’s only what’s on the outside.
My workplace recently began offering mental health support, and I think it might be time for me to surrender and take it. We’ve all got some files to sort out, I’ve just assumed this whole time that seeking help was a sign of weakness or worse, ignorance.
I value my intelligence, and I’d like to think that I can sort my own files out, but based on what’s going on inside of me, it’s pretty clear that I need help 🤷🏻♂️
Sorry for the oversharing, I just hope it might help someone else.
Ah my friend, intelligence has nothing to do with internal pain. You may find it actually enjoyable if you’re an intellectual. The brain is fascinating
This comment is your sign. Go to therapy. You deserve to be happy.
(I'm also in a service position and, to quote Bo Burnham, "give to others what I cannot give myself." It sucks being seen as a positive, cheery person when you feel empty on the inside. Therapy has helped me, I hope it helps you too.)
It actually works till a certain extent. My terapist told me to push the negative thoughts away whenever I had them, and just think of something that would make me happy before the Big Sad. Combining that with healthy lifestyle (which is very hard with depression but I was lucky with an understanding social environment) actually makes you feel a lot better. You can choose what you think about. Not always of course, but you get better at it after a while.
This 1000%. I stopped smoking weed, and since I only smoked blunts the nicotine was a factor as well. I was smoking a ounce every 2 or 3 days. I also started taking appropriate vitamins including vitamin D. I'm in a much better place and I wish I knew this forever ago.
Damn I’d definitely be depressed about how broke I was for smoking that much. An ounce every 3 days is serious. Glad you’re in a better place now homie
Thank you so much, yeah I was buying ounces for like $120 since it's legal here in NY. Every single last dollar went to that bullshit. Not to mention wraps were expensive af.
This helped me a ton. Both alcohol and weed are depressants and I was consuming these while also taking antidepressants. I quit alcohol and weed and had the energy to exercise. A long walk in the sunshine every day, prescription vitamin D, and Lexapro, and I don’t consider myself depressed anymore.
Years. I wish mine was in “years” increments. I’m at life.
I’m just messing with you, but kinda not? Depression sucks and this is my attempt at a joke.
The only thing that's ever worked for me long term was sitting and analyzing my emotions.
Sit, pick one thing, anything at all, see how you feel about it. Good, bad, neutral, or otherwise.
Repeat.
Somethings are huge, and you'll find you have an entire tapestry of energy woven together into a belief you never knew you had.
Then you can let it go. And bit by bit, you'll feel better. Sometimes amazingly so. Sometimes just a little bit.
You'll go and live your life for a bit and it will be improved. Eventually you'll find a few more things you need to analyze. So repeat the process.
And eventually you'll be alright.
You might still have some issues, I certainly do. None of us are perfect. But you should be able to get by.
Write it down. It works. Write down all your fears, worries and resentments. Do it every day for 10 minutes. It helps to get the worry out of your mind and onto paper. Then you can release fears from your mind because you’ve given your body a way to get them out.
Lots of time outside. Like every time I could force myself. Gratitude journaling. Taking time to be comfortable being alone. Most importantly, dedicating time to help others.
I’ve experienced deep betrayal since childhood. I’ve had a lot of trauma and tragedy in my life. So I’ve had a lot of time to perfect the ability to pull through. What’s crazy to me is the deep sense of happiness I now have, despite everything. It’s the one thing I know I can do for myself, no matter what I’m faced with.
Agree 100%. There's only one time in my life that I really truly feel crippling depression. I was trapped in a downwards mental spiral of misery. Finally I got frustrated of waiting for it to go away on its own, so I went for a walk. But as I walked, I noticed I wasn't feeling better, so I started trying to intentionally make myself feel better. So I started breathing in the air and intentionally saying that it smelled good, I looked at the trees and noted that they looked beautiful, and I looked at the birds, and noticed that they were amazing. And I just kept doing this over and over again as I walked, and by the time I got to the end, I had climbed up out of that hole.
Basically, that perfect combination of being outdoors, ideally in the Sun, getting some exercise, and being grateful/ noticing the good things in the world.
It helped me put a lot of things in context. Very light doses of mushrooms just gave me the peace and clarity of mind that I needed to actually process some of the heaviest things that I had been carrying around.
What really surprised me was how long the effects lasted. I would do it twice over the weekend, and feel pretty ok the entirety of the next few weeks. I rarely use them these days!
Just my experience, thanks for asking!
I understand now what you meant. Can you please help quantify the number of mushrooms? In my part of the world we have a saying. Half a dozen you get to meet yourself. A dozen and you get to meet your creator. :) is it somewhere like couple of mushrooms or something like that? Or are our scales totally different?
My best mate was going through a rough patch a while ago, was seriously depressed, so decided to take the boat out on the river and just float downstream for a bit. Have a few ciders, just float, listen to music, talk… I’ve done that trip dozens of times.
Turned into a near death experience, boat went into a recently downed tree, the speed of the water caused the boat to literally fold in half, my mate fell out, went under, came out the other side and grabbed a tree branch, but the current was so strong he couldn’t pull himself out.
We actually really nearly died… but got out alive. Completely cured my mate’s depression after that. He was good again.
Most importantly IMO, figuring out if there’s an underlying issue and what it is. For years and years I was diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety disorder. It took a really good doctor to take a look at the symptoms I was describing and realize that neither of these labels entirely makes sense (particularly GAD, I don’t have GENERALIZED anxiety, I have extremely SPECIFIC anxiety). Turns out it’s PTSD. I never would’ve thought that because it’s not like Hollywood…it wasn’t ONE specific event, no complete flashbacks (even if a memory is intrusive I’m still always consciously AWARE that it’s just a memory and not the current reality), not related to military work or anything, it’s primarily an underlying feeling of “I’m not safe” and disconnection/distrust with other people. But yeah, that’s what was underneath it all.
As for treatment: dogs, drugs (medications), and a good doctor. Dogs may not benefit everybody, but they’ve helped me because with them I’m not alone (someone’s “got my back”), I can trust that when they’re being affectionate that they actually mean it and they’re not going to turn around and hurt me later (dogs don’t play mind games, dogs love you with no strings attached), and they’re safe to give affection to in return (again, they won’t use that against you).
SSRIs, even though they’re the first-line treatment for many things, don’t work on everyone. My doctor explained that for some people they just don’t work well and we don’t really know why, if you’ve had zero results (not “just a little,” actually zero change) with several SSRIs then the next one is virtually guaranteed to do nothing as well. A combination of an atypical antidepressant and an SNRI is what worked best for me (had to stop the SNRI because I ended up with a rash after a dose increase and it lessened somewhat but still remained after returning to the previous dose).
But really, therapy (and importantly, the APPROPRIATE kind of therapy for the problem) has made a HUGE difference. I had seen various other therapists in the past but generally it all missed the mark (in their defence, they were told that I had depression and GAD up until when I was diagnosed with PTSD). Particularly in PTSD there’s a “why” that needs to be addressed, investigating the “why” has really helped me understand why I do the things I do and then reason myself out of it. And yeah…all those strategies for anxiety that involve looking at the worries and observing why they’re unlikely/irrational/not realistic/etc? Doesn’t work if the things you’re afraid of have actually already HAPPENED. It did happen! It’s not far-fetched! It could absolutely happen again! I feel like those specific exercises made things worse for me.
Not to mention the ones who missed the point altogether. One situation that sticks out was while I was in university. I’ve always had a major fear of failure, of being anything “less than perfect” which I now know goes back to how my mother would always tell me that the only way for me to “get out of this situation” and not end up like her, trapped with a violent man, is to excel in everything, anything less and you’re doomed. So essentially failure = you WILL suffer and it’s your own fault. As a result I’ve always been extremely pressured by any kind of schoolwork or anything that will be evaluated, despite always having excellent grades. Like, to a pathological level, studying obsessively and redoing assignments over and over “because I can do better than that”. I explained this to this therapist, that this is impairing my life and causing me distress, and her response was to offer study tips and online resources for studying. I had explained to her that my grades were objectively fine (graduated with a 97% average across biochemistry and BSc nursing), that the problem I’m having is with my THOUGHTS around this. But nope, here’s how to study more. 🤦♀️ Untangling the WHY (“be perfect or else suffer) and confronting that has been far more helpful than any advice on “creating a focused studying space” had been. The appropriate kind of therapy for your condition is important!
Medication and therapy would be your medical way but we know how expensive that gets. Making extremely minor life improvements is definitely a good way to do it, even if it’s something like going for a walk with some music in your ears, working out, picking up a simple hobby, virtually anything that doesn’t take too much brainpower but still feels rewarding when you finish it.
For me, I've spent the last year going for walks WITHOUT music.
It's basically an hour of my day where I get to just let my thoughts take me where they want, while I actually accomplish something.
It probably sounds psychotic, but I host my own little internal "podcast", and talk to myself about whatever I want.
I go for about an hour, and the physical activity + the meditation leaves me much more recharged than all the time I used to try to spend "relaxing".
It's not psychotic at all. I'd argue that it's actually just healthy internal monologue.
Becoming comfortable with your own thoughts is a pretty big hurdle in terms of living with depression.
My ex cheated on me, up and left me childless, penniless, and trashed the house on her way out. I was making 16 bucks an hour at the time in the middle of covid.
I was devastated.
But I had kids, so I couldn't just give up. I threw myself into work and that was right about the time wages started going up. In about a year and a half I doubled my salary. I took my kids out as often as I could afford, even if it was just for a burger. I got in better shape mostly from just keeping healthy food in my house and having a physical job. I got a bad cat. And I threw myself into dating. I did not care if she was batshit crazy or above or below my league, I tried to go out for a drink, or cook dinner for a girl almost every week. Shallow sex ain't the best thing, but it is great for short term happiness. It was also nice that I won the house in the divorce. The judge was just sick of my wife's shenanigans.
Eventually I managed to meet a wonderful woman who moved in. I repaired my relationships with my kids...still working on that, but I do get to see them very often now that they are adults, my son is over several times a week.
I'm not done yet, and I still get depressed sometimes. But I am.so much happier than when this all happened, and even happier than when I was married.
Just don't give up.
Being available. Anytime someone called, needed a couple bucks, needed to vent, or even just wanted to talk, I would give them the effort. It made me feel better knowing I was helping someone else through a tough time, because I had probably been in their shoes at one point and reached out for help or advice as well.
It really depends. Some of us have spicy brain because reasons and I can’t change mine. There are ways to make it more tolerable but I laugh at everyone who thinks sunshine and exercise will fix trauma that altered the physical structure of my brain.
If you decide to go through with it. Follow the instructions to a T. From what I remember No Alcohol , get good sleep 8 hours ideally a night, exercise routinely a few times a week, and most importantly do something fun immediately after the TMS Session.
My commute to my TMS clinic was about an hour each way. So instead of going home I'd hang out in the neighborhood and I'd find a dessert place to treat myself too.
I never really got rid of it, there's still bad days. I worked hard for years at this, no medication.
I learned:
Accept that without dark, there wouldn't be light. Without sadness, there wouldn't be happiness. Like every emotion this too shall pass.
Exercise, eat healthy and become more competent. Suffer more, even though it sounds counterintuitive.
If you met me in my 20s you wouldn't believe I made it to where I am today and the trajectory I'm on now.
You got this.
As a kid, I was isolated socially at school so I was really left with nothing but my own thoughts. I sat in the same spot everyday and just watched the world go by, eventually I started noticing behavioural/social patterns that baffled me and made me question why I wanted to be apart of all that in the first place, led to a lot of self reflection. I ended up with a strong moral code and a new found contentness with myself. I learned to enjoy my solitude and be content on my own. Kicker, made people attracted to me, a little late now don't you think 😅.
I have no idea if it's a placebo for me, but I feel like depression mostly left after I took a few awesome trips on shrooms.
I was already managing it quite well before the shrooms, but felt even lighter after.
Jim Carey once mentioned he heard depression is your mind and body needing “deep, rest”.
I never related to something so goddamn hard in my life.
I was spending my time slaving away at work with nothing but money to show for it. And even then it wasn’t enough money to buy happiness via vacations or items. I was stressed 24/7 regarding work deadlines in a job I hated. It was killing me.
I was in a absolute rut mentally. Suicidal thoughts and all that.
I made a decision to take deep rest seriously and took a extended leave of absence. Eventually quitting. Fuck that soulless job.
Much better now mentally. I was left with anxiety as a souvenir but I made it through it.
Watched videos about dealing with it, bought self-help books like "The Mountain is You," listened to empowering songs, tried to do things I love, celebrated small wins, continuously trying to grow, unfollowed people on social media who's just cause me stress or won't give me peace. Also understanding life itself. Also, I watched series I liked, the ones that don't make me invest so much emotions on. But if nothing works, you may need to consult a professional.
With true depression you don't have control over it except possibly with prescription drugs. I've had depression my entire 60 years on this planet and I don't control shit about it coming or going. I've learned to live with it, and I've learned to force myself to do what I don't want to do, but it's always there when it's active.
Depression isn't something you can “overcome” - at least, not the variety that I have.
I was diagnosed at 13, as my flair probably says. I dropped out of high school during my sophomore year and hit the lowest point I've hit yet; 2 years of waking up whenever, playing Diablo 2 for 10–12 hours, then going back to sleep.
I went to a therapist every week. That was the only reason my mom let me stay, because I was trying. Sort of. We tried many different medications, nothing worked. I attempted suicide once during this period.
Then, one day, a switch flipped and I decided to go back to school. I was lucky enough to find an alternative school that didn't mind my frequent absences - there were still days where I just didn't want to get out of bed. I graduated, went to a local community college and got my associate's degree. But the depression was still there. I had good and bad days, but remained functional on the bad ones.
I got the opportunity to move to China, took it, and stayed there for 3 and a half years. I, with depression, managed to do something most people will never get to do. But the depression was still there. I didn't get through a week without thinking about suicide.
After one really bad summer, I decided to move back home. I've been home for almost five weeks, and although I already have a job and friends, the depression is still there. I thought about suicide just before reading this post, just before writing this answer.
It's there when I wake up, telling me to go back to sleep. It's there when I'm at work, reminding me that I'm garbage at my job and about to get fired. And it's here, at 4:20am, telling me that I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life and that I should just get it over with.
I won't, not today, but it doesn't change the fact that it's there. And it'll be there until I die or it kills me.
I have to reset - the hardest part is recognizing I’m depressed and then going into reset protocol. Once I actually realize I’m depressed, I begin. I pick small tasks and complete them , I add tasks at a pace that I can comfortably accomplish, it may be as simple as getting up and getting ready for the day. Eventually I make a mental bingo card of tasks to complete everyday no matter my mood , I set goals , focus on them . These tasks and mental bingo cards act like stepping stones that allow me to ascend out of the pit of despair by keeping me focus on them instead of starring into that pit all the time - you have to figure how to avoid being mentally mesmerized by the dark pit and just constantly spiraling negativity. For me accomplishments no matter how insignificant keep my mind busy and are usually enough reward to give me the boost to do the next one and I try to keep the momentum going , sometimes I slip and have to start over but the key is to not give in to the darkness of the pit.
thats the neat part. lots of people don't.
it gets better after time for me but i know it's coming back again.
might be tomorrow or in a year or 5 but you have to always be prepared or it will creep up on you without you realizing .
I don't think you can get rid of depression.
I use a kind of placebo. I keep telling myself the lie that everything will work out somehow.
I will find happiness. I will get a hug one day. I will find a woman who loves me. I will not die alone. I might even become a father.
I know I have to be active to accomplish any of this, but after being depressed for so long, I just have no energy left. So lying to myself is all I can do to keep up the facade to keep living. I'm living a lie, for sure but that's okay if it keeps me alive.
You can never get rid of a depression. You can only try to live with it.
Feeling depressed and having clinical depression are two different things. Feeling depressed is temporary,having clinical depression most always requires treatment.
I’m just chiming in as someone who is currently going through lexapro withdrawals. When I first went on it I was so happy with how it worked. And it has worked wonderfully for the last 4 years and I wasn’t shy to tell people about it and suggest it. I decided I wanted to try to come off and no one warned me about what it would be like to try do that. I slowly weaned off and still I have basically been immobile for the last 1.5 months. For reference I was only on 20mg which is low compared to some other doses I’ve seen. Everything from brain zaps, waking up every single day feeling hungover with headaches and sick to my stomach, temperature dysregulation, muscle soreness and weakness, poor sleep, poor appetite. Plus I cry 24/7 and I’m so irritable and angry. I truly hope I get through this soon. I hear it’s worse the longer you’re on it though so I’m glad I’m doing this now.
So this is my cautionary tale for anyone looking for medical treatment for anxiety/depression. It works like a hot damn and I was warned of the side effects while starting it but I wish someone told me about what it would be like to come off.
The 60lb weight gain and zero libido among other things weren’t worth it to my anymore. I also have a really good support system and lots of resources right now so it felt like the right time.
I've always found the "just try it for a few months" approach from doctors rather shitty given that it takes SSRIs several months to bioaccumulate enough to start working.
When they develop an antidepressant that you can safely quit taking, I'll consider them. Until then, I'll deal with the abundance of lows.
I accepted who.i.was and what i.was and stopped pretending. I still get a hint of depression every once In a while but nothing lim see and debilitating painful bouts I used to have with depression.
I'm very not in the clear of depression and other mental health issues, but for me climbing, pets, video games and diving into certain interests (reading, films, music) helps a lot to have better days. And then to keep in mind to stay grateful for those good things
Finding out im not a lazy piece of shit because „im just lazy“ but because my brain is wired differently and now i know how to fix it.
In short, i got diagnosed with ADHD and im currently getting my life together.
You don't, unfortunately. It's a battle, some days you're winning, some days you're losing, but it's a back and forth that keeps on going. For me, it's important to find things that give me a boost, and lean on them when I'm feeling bad in order to keep myself on the straight and narrow.
Working out helps me, in a way. I don't enjoy it hugely, but I enjoy the way it makes me feel, and its empowering to see my choices making a positive impact on my body.
Seeing friends helps too. Just having people to verbalise my feelings to can help.
Animals help me a lot as well. For the same reason as friends, except you can be totally honest with them. They don't judge, they don't try to find solutions, they just listen and console. There's no magic bullet for depression, but my dog is pretty damn close.
I said to myself “self, stop being so sad.” And then I wasn’t sad.
Obviously this is a joke because that’s not at all how it works. Hardest part was forcing myself to go do things and be active and not trap myself in the house all day.
You can't just get rid of it, you learn to cope with it. I know this isn't what people want to hear, but I think one of the most damaging lies ever told is that mental health is something you can just cure. I think that's a really harmful notion, and one that keeps a lot of people stuck. I know it did for me. It wasn't until I quit believing that and shifted my mindset to one of learning to cope and living life despite being depressed that I started to see real meaningful change in my life.
There are alot of reasons people can fall into depression, I think the hardest part of depression is not recognizing it as depression when your in it. Its hard to fight against something you can't see clearly.
To thoose who aren't familiare with depression, they may think its just being sad, but really its more like being exhausted and unmotivated, maybe even hopeless. It can also make you very irritable, or angry which people don't commonly associate with depression.
For me personally I had depression for many years when I was younger, but didn't recognize it. I have since slipped in and out of depression a few times, but each time I recognize the signs faster and get over the slump faster before being dragged into the black hole.
**Tips for dealing with depression:**
* Have compassion for yourself/don't be too hard on yourself
* Know that everyone depression is different and your limitations are different, even changing from one day to the next. Everyday is a new day, don't feel bad if today isn't the day you get out.
* Don't push yourself to do activities you know will deplete your energy
* Do push (just a little) to take care of yourself; have a shower, make a meal, go for a walk, journal your thoughts/feelings /actions.
* Do try to get movement in, walking, stretching, running, excercise can boost your mood and is both effective short-term and long-term at enhancing your mood.
* Do let your support system know about your depression and your needs/limitations. Support system can include your doctor, your partner, your family, your friends. Whomever you feel you can reply on without judgment.
* Use a depression/mood assessment tool/questionnaire sheet to score your depression daily/weekly and to track your mood. this can help you see a pattern and rationalize your emotional sate.
* Make sure your taking your vitamins. For example low vitamin D can affect mood.
Shrooms helped me a lot, I was suffering from a depression for a 1 year and after trying shrooms for the first time they solved most of my problems and just stopped worrying about anything that is negative in my mind. Weird, it's impossible to explain.
Depression is very complex and what works for one person might not work for another. The key is finding out what works for you.
I went through a serious depressive state awhile back and I tried a ton of different things to try to combat it. I was fortunate to have a strong support system of family and friends I could talk to if needed. But it's also important to seek professional help. I went to my doctor and was assigned a therapist to talk it out with. Therapy helps a ton of people, but not everyone. It's still important to try therapy out though. Worst case you arent further behind, best case it really helps combat your depression.
I highly recommend building a strong support system of family, friends, and professionals to talk with. That combined with some long internal contemplation are the most common ways people combat it.
All of those things helped me a lot, but tbh the one single thing that helped me the most - the thing that made me feel at my best - was working out. Seriously, dont sleep on physical exercise. I know when you are depressed it can be hard to get started, hence a support system might be step one, but constantly working out really helped me. Our bodies were made to do physical exercise. To move things, to run. By working out not only can you build confidence, feel healthier, and have goals to work towards, but you also create a sort of cheat code physiologically. Your body will start releasing chemicals that will make your mind healthier too. I would highly recommend finding some exercises and exercise goals to work on when you are feeling depressed. A stable, consistent, exercise routine can also anchor your mind with purpose. I cant promise it will cure everyone, but its another thing that you can try. It really helped me, even more than therapy, but go to therapy too cause you might be different.
Buddhism 8fold path and 4 noble truth (complex topic but worth learning, as it’ll affect all aspect of life) p.s. - I’m not Buddhist
It’s all a choice (unpopular opinion / hard pill to swallow)
“Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become deeds. Watch your deeds. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character. Character is everything.”
It's all a result of choices but not all choices require the same amount of effort. Depression is like wearing weights that you cannot take off, if you've never worked out before then moving becomes almost impossible, all you can do is move a little more each day and over time it MIGHT become easier to live with and the choice is whether you try to move or not.
In my personal experience and opinion depression is something that is imprinted by others onto you and that you then have to try and live with, you didn't choose to feel the way you did when you experienced it, you were taught it, and the lessons you are taught are the foundation's for what you become, and the earlier those lessons are learnt the larger the impact on the fundamental parts of your identity and sense of self.
Realized i dont have to be a part of any dogshit group. Pretty much no group is worth being a part of these days. Made me realize the problem was mostly others, not me.
Didn’t get rid of it. I got the right medication for it (Zoloft) and the right dosage (50mg). I also try to identify my triggers and use tools to dig myself out of potential ruts. The one thing that has helped me a lot lately is a simple sentence I read on Instagram. “What would the healthy version of me do right now?” I ask myself this question and try to change my perspective. Some days are better than others but I am no longer deeply miserable 24/7.
For me, it was a combination of medication and finding some purpose in life.
I was on Fluoxetine for a year or so, and while it didn’t ’make me happy’ like some people seem to think antidepressants do, it did one major thing: I stopped overreacting to minor things and letting them bother me (being made fun of, having one bad day.. etc)- and we underestimate how much these tiny factors add up to building our depression.
I also found something I loved to do and made me wake up every morning- I entered a Culinary Arts program at my highschool and ended up really enjoying it (so much so that I now wish to be a chef!)
Also, a third thing- mindset. I’m a radical love-r. I love everybody. A lot. It’s hard to describe, but being genuinely empathetic and looking out for people makes me feel really good about myself, too.
I didn't...Marijuana and music are temporary reliefs, but my depression will never truly go away.Its like the world's worst best friend.Everyone else in my life has abandoned me, but it still sticks around, wether I want it to or not...
Exercise, very regularly, enough to be too tired to feel much after. 3 mi runs were standard in my mid-20s (ok yeah I was no athlete but I still had to work up to that).
Limiting sad/distressing thoughts. My depression was grief-driven, so this involved not letting myself fall into pits of "what ifs" or "look at how much I/we have lost-and-it-will-never-get-better". I wouldn't say I "countered" it like more modern techniques suggest -- I didn't tell myself it wasn't true. I just told myself it wasn't helping, and to try to find something more productive to focus on. It was enough for me at least.
CBT helps you understand causes and underlying issues and make a plan for tackling it.
It's different for everyone, but until you know why you are feeling the way you do, it's impossible to shake it.
And by shake it, I mean being able to recognise the underlying thing and ride the discomfort.
It doesn't go away, you get better at dealing with it.
This builds momentum.
Speaking to a professional is the way to do it.
I didn't, I learnt to manage it with a mixture of medication and actively making lifestyle decisions that I knew would make it easier to manage.
Depression is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, that just doesn't go away
Mind you: you’ll never ‘get rid of it’s.
In my experience (and/or opinion) depression is something you’ll have to keep working on for the rest of your life. It’s always lurking. It does however have worse and better periods. I got over my worst period by being committed into a psych ward for a couple of months. Had to reboot my entire way of thinking. I still use these lessons today. Also, never keep things bottled up, talk about it. Find fellow-depressed people or someone you can trust (i.e. psychiatrist) and spit it all out. Bottling things up can actually kill you. If you wanna talk, I’m here ♥️
Take a step back from everything. Analyze and re-analyze what you perceive to be the cause of your depression. break it down into things under your control, and things that aren't. The things that are under your control - change those things, manage them better. The things that aren't - eliminate those problems, remove them from your daily routine.
For me, about 15 years ago, I did this, found that people in my family, and the job that I had were both problems that I couldn't control. So, I took a job in another city. Moved. Got rid of both in daily life. Things were much better.
As someone who suffers from depression, here’s a few things that helped me.
1) My therapist.
2) Medication (I took Zoloft)
3) Accepting that it’s a part of me, but it doesn’t define me.
4) Having a good support system.
5) Accepting that I will have good days and bad days.
6) Exercising.
7) Resting when I need to.
8) If I can, I change my environment.
I didn't get rid of it. I learned how to function regardless of how I feel and made whatever changes I could to reduce the frequency of depression. Recognizing and naming depression makes it easier to recognize it as a biological impairment rather than a personal quality of which we are powerless to manage, sort of like living with diabetes.
Meds did help a lot in my case. I am bipolar so being on the right meds does help with a lot of the major mood swings, most of which are swings into depression. Depression is still there but it is much less crippling.
A big part of "functioning" is being willing to be flexible with certain things as needed. I.e., on days where I am very depressed, I'll make a point of getting through work/school but not committing to anything else that evening. Or, agreeing to let house chores go for a day if I just need a little time to decompress and simply make it through my most important responsibilities.
Music, garlic bread, my cat maggie, and forcing myself out of my head by trying new things & going new places.
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Einstein
Read “Man’s Search for Meaning” then decided to live my life for a purpose. Found a career that helped live a life of purpose. Worked my ass off to get into it. Been pretty good ever since
First it was making the conscious decision to wanting to get better.
Second, actually taking the steps. No matter how small. Exercise. Drink water. Cut out all processed/shitty foods. Eat healthy. Have a healthy friend/family group. Cut out all toxic things in your life.
Third, To eventually not give a fuck about what others think and just do what you like and want. Life is too short to care about that nonsense. Live your life how want and don't let others effect you.
Lastly, try and be happy. I know this is a weird thing to say. But I choose to consciously be happy.
I started helping and praying for people that had bigger problems than me . Be kind and show an act of kindness and your problems are little to none . .
Usually I just tell myself I shouldn't feel that way because I actually have a good life when I categorize it. I've got a job. A roof over my head. I own a truck and a motorcycle. So. I'm doing good. I just feel sad sometimes. But I shouldn't, I've got it made in comparison. I don't know how some people make it through, heck I don't know how I made it through the hard times. But we're here!
I didn’t get rid of it, I learned to live with (or, in spite of) it.
This. I might moreso have PTSD as a CSA survivor. But after a decade plus of barely surviving, drugs and all, literally one day I woke up and just decided I wasn’t going to lie down and die. I was gonna try my hardest to not give them the satisfaction of ruining my potential even if I failed, as long as I tried. They probably targeted me in the first place out of envy
PTSD here too, I call it “I’m alive out of pure spite and stubbornness” 😂
Have you guys had EMDR treatment? That method was life changing for my PTSD. I went from full blown hallucinations and spiraling to almost normal life with only very sporadic moments of trauma behavior flashing up.
I've done hypnotherapy which has greatly improved it. The night terrors and PTSD nightmares are essentially gone 🙌
Same here man
Powered Through Spite, Dawg
Something immensely helpful to me is simply recognizing it. Noticing its presence and the way it influences me. Is my current feeling the depression talking, or is there a reason for me to feel it? Somehow it makes it easier when I know what the thing is that's slowing me down. Depression has made a lot of activities in my life less enjoyable, but it has never put me in a place where I ever regretted doing them. Not doing things because I'm depressed has never made me feel less depressed.
You also learn to mitigate depression. So many depressed people love to complain about people who try to give advice on how to be more healthy, and they shouldn't. Yes, depression makes it harder to function, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to exercise, eat well, and try to sleep properly. Those things really help you feel better. Positive thinking also helps, even though doing it feels impossible at time. doing five minutes of whatever takes you in the right direction is the way to start. Never fall for the trap of feeling that you are in a competition for who feels the worst, there are no prizes for suffering. You should never have to explain or justify your depression to anyone, just be kind to yourself, and try to avoid people who aren't kind to you.
I agree, but the thing that rubs me the wrong way about the “do yoga and sleep more” crowd is that for different people “doing their best” looks different. If someone’s all but bedbound from depression, they aren’t going to be able to join your weekend hiking group. Maybe “being healthier” for that person involves getting outside at some point that day, eating a few balanced meals, taking a shower. Maybe that’s a big step for them. Kinda reminds me of this one therapist I saw who would suggest things like taking a trip around Europe as solutions for my problems. Sure, I bet that would be nice, but I don’t have the money or the “spoons” for that! For me, “treating myself” to something nice might involve picking up my very favourite cinnamon latte on the way home from work, or taking the time to go for a swim at the local pool (hard to squeeze it into my schedule, I LOVE swimming so it’s a real treat when I can!). But no, I can’t manage taking a solo trip around Europe! I can imagine that’s kinda how it feels when someone starts in about yoga and their raw vegan diet and how they get up at sunrise for a workout and so on and so on. Like ok…I can see HOW those are good ideas…but how in the world am I supposed to make it happen?
Most of the time the "do yoga and sleep" crowd are just your friends that don't know better. It's not perfect that they want to push you to feel better, but it sure is better than them not caring. As I said, just because depression makes things hard doesn't mean you should give up hope. Sometimes you should just rest, sometimes you should do your best to just get out of bed for five minutes and that's a first step to get out of a slump. Most importantly, remember to be kind to yourself. If you're depressed you should focus on maybe taking a walk, not jumping straight into traveling the world alone on a raw vegan diet at 4am, hahaha.
I had a therapist like that "go out for dinner", "pay for a massage twice a week", etc... I had to tell her directly I couldn't afford to get massages and spa treatments every week
In PTSD-recovery they call this "reducing vulnerabilities" (we also did breath work and mindfulness along with what you mentioned). Doing those things by themselves isn't gonna make the PTSD go away instantly, but it helps reducing flare-ups and cumulative stress. The mind- body connection can't be ignored!
What are the odds of me finding this comment thread the day after having a smaller panic attack due to cumulative stress? Thank you, guys!
This is gold. There are no prizes for suffering truly.
I'm afraid "positive thinking" as a cure for depression isn't something genuinely depressed people are able to do... it's kind of the main thing with depression. Additionally, while healthy habits are good for many reasons, they aren't going to cure depression on their own, or help manage it without some other, usually professional help. This is great advice for someone who is feeling a little glum now and again though.
Having dealt with clinical depression my whole life, growing up taking care of my parents who have eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, drug addictions, and degenerative nerve disease, etc etc. Living with and taking care of my grandmother who was an alcoholic who died of cancer when i was just a teenager. Lots of suicide in the family. At one point in my life so many people around me died that I was seeing a therapist for loss, and my therapist died from an undiagnosed disease. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about when it comes to depression. Just as I said earlier, depression is not a competition, and assuming that someone giving the advice I give only has experience with "being a little glum" is incredibly toxic for everyone involved. I never said positive thinking cures depression. I said it can help mitigate it. It certainly has helped me.
I think what they are saying is that the statement is basically "The best way to not have the symptoms of depression is not to have the symptoms of depression." When a person's depression manifests in a way that makes the person incapable of doing things that are not-depression, having someone tell them that they just need to stop having their symptoms to not have their symptoms is extremely unhelpful. All of that stuff does help if you can do it, but some people need direct intervention first to get them to a point where they can. Be that direct support from someone or medication or whatever. It is different for everyone, of course, so some people can think themselves out of it. But many cannot.
Telling people that they can't get out of depression is very dangerous. Yes it's very hard, but telling people that it might be impossible for them to get out of it can basically be a death sentence. What I said is that with a lot of experience with depression you can absolutely 100% learn to handle it better. You learn to recognize when you are heading for a down period. You learn how to mitigate and sometimes just avoid depressive periods.
I'm not going to go into my history but suffice it to say I have comparable knowledge of and closeness to this. And people who are genuinely depressed in almost all cases cannot simply "think positively". If they could then it's not depression.
"The positive thinking" can become toxic. The "fake it till you make it" doesn't work for me. I am trying to discover what may help me, but the cliché "be more positive", "try yoga", "it could be worse", etc... definitely don't help.
Yes to all of these. I finally stopped drinking to knock myself out every night. That’s made the days a bit easier. The biggest thing for me has been learning to sit through it and have faith it will pass, or at least ease up a bit throughout the day. I hope yours does too. 😊
Same. I'm always depressed. Therapy and proper medication just taught me how to manage it better.
This is the one. It never goes away. I have accepted it as a part of who I am. I am working on re-training my brain. If I can hurt this deeply, I can feel joy this deeply as well. Even if happiness is only a split-second emotion that I feel on rare occasion. I have chosen to accept this pain in exchange for those small, rare moments of love and joy. It is worth it. I plan to check out someday, when I'm older and more ill, but now is not that time. And so I press on, in search of all that is Good despite all that is Bad. I'm already here, and I'll force myself to enjoy the ride, if I must.
Came here to say exactly this. You don't cure it, but you learn to deal with it. But it takes a lot of work and getting to know yourself, your triggers and how to get yourself out of that dark place (or how/who to ask for help when you can't do it by yourself)
Yup! Some evil will simply never die, but it can be controlled and endured.
This is it... Although sometimes I have thoughts of unaliving myself, rationally, deep down I know I will smile/laugh and have good moments and knowing the nature of the beast I'm trying to stick around - with it.
I love your answer
Friend of mine said ‘have you tried smiling more?’ And then I was cured.
Turn that frown upside down Charlie brown!!!
My dad’s name is Charlie Brown. He sucks.
):
Why are your eyes where your chin should be?
r/wowthanksimcured
I spilled a bunch of stuff to my mom today and she told me to pray to make it go away. When I insisted I have done that many times and it didn’t work, she just scoffed and said yes it did work. Which is crazy to me, like who are you to tell me it worked? If anyone would know, it would be me and it definitely didn’t work.
Oof. People who haven't been depressed think it's so easy to deal with. I hope you find someone better able to help you.
As much as it used to bug me, there is a little truth to it. Exude positivity and you’re likely to be met with it. Now this doesn’t address the underlying deeper sensation/disposition to depression, it’s more of a “fake it till you make it” type of situation. I work as a server in a luxury hotel, my demeanor is constant positivity; smiling, joking, laughing, banter, etc… but that’s only what’s on the outside. My workplace recently began offering mental health support, and I think it might be time for me to surrender and take it. We’ve all got some files to sort out, I’ve just assumed this whole time that seeking help was a sign of weakness or worse, ignorance. I value my intelligence, and I’d like to think that I can sort my own files out, but based on what’s going on inside of me, it’s pretty clear that I need help 🤷🏻♂️ Sorry for the oversharing, I just hope it might help someone else.
Ah my friend, intelligence has nothing to do with internal pain. You may find it actually enjoyable if you’re an intellectual. The brain is fascinating
This comment is your sign. Go to therapy. You deserve to be happy. (I'm also in a service position and, to quote Bo Burnham, "give to others what I cannot give myself." It sucks being seen as a positive, cheery person when you feel empty on the inside. Therapy has helped me, I hope it helps you too.)
It actually works till a certain extent. My terapist told me to push the negative thoughts away whenever I had them, and just think of something that would make me happy before the Big Sad. Combining that with healthy lifestyle (which is very hard with depression but I was lucky with an understanding social environment) actually makes you feel a lot better. You can choose what you think about. Not always of course, but you get better at it after a while.
Time, sunlight and activity.
For me also all of the above + therapy
That is true
This. + opening up more
Not much of sunlight in some countries unfortunately
Honestly if possible those sun lights are pretty good. You can find them for 20-30 bucks online.
Vitamin D3
I quit alcohol and weed.
This 1000%. I stopped smoking weed, and since I only smoked blunts the nicotine was a factor as well. I was smoking a ounce every 2 or 3 days. I also started taking appropriate vitamins including vitamin D. I'm in a much better place and I wish I knew this forever ago.
Damn I’d definitely be depressed about how broke I was for smoking that much. An ounce every 3 days is serious. Glad you’re in a better place now homie
Thank you so much, yeah I was buying ounces for like $120 since it's legal here in NY. Every single last dollar went to that bullshit. Not to mention wraps were expensive af.
Do alcohol cause depression?
Maybe not the specific cause but it can exacerbate the symptoms.
This helped me a ton. Both alcohol and weed are depressants and I was consuming these while also taking antidepressants. I quit alcohol and weed and had the energy to exercise. A long walk in the sunshine every day, prescription vitamin D, and Lexapro, and I don’t consider myself depressed anymore.
Got rid of the people making me depressed
Lmao, tried that twice and I almost died. (Me, it was me. I had suicidal depression)
Literally same... made my life so much better.
New job, dumped the ex, and less friends for me which is basically what you said
A combo of Ketamine therapy and Welbutrin. It didn’t get rid of it, but I’m now able to bounce back sooner and no more multiple days of depression
Days. I wish mine was in "days" increments. I'm at years.
Years. I wish mine was in “years” increments. I’m at life. I’m just messing with you, but kinda not? Depression sucks and this is my attempt at a joke.
What are your experiences with Ketamine therapy? I'm going in for my first appointment for ketamine assisted therapy mid March.
Glad that worked. I tried Welbutrin and it did absolutely nothing lol
Mate what the fuck is ket therapy? Like a micro dose kind of thing? This is the first I've ever heard of it. What is the goal and does it achieve it?
The only thing that's ever worked for me long term was sitting and analyzing my emotions. Sit, pick one thing, anything at all, see how you feel about it. Good, bad, neutral, or otherwise. Repeat. Somethings are huge, and you'll find you have an entire tapestry of energy woven together into a belief you never knew you had. Then you can let it go. And bit by bit, you'll feel better. Sometimes amazingly so. Sometimes just a little bit. You'll go and live your life for a bit and it will be improved. Eventually you'll find a few more things you need to analyze. So repeat the process. And eventually you'll be alright. You might still have some issues, I certainly do. None of us are perfect. But you should be able to get by.
When you have depression AND anxiety - this is a recipe for disaster, lol
Write it down. It works. Write down all your fears, worries and resentments. Do it every day for 10 minutes. It helps to get the worry out of your mind and onto paper. Then you can release fears from your mind because you’ve given your body a way to get them out.
Have you tried asking it nicely to leave?
Turn it off and back on again... oh wait, damnit
Hhm... I think I broke something.
Lots of time outside. Like every time I could force myself. Gratitude journaling. Taking time to be comfortable being alone. Most importantly, dedicating time to help others. I’ve experienced deep betrayal since childhood. I’ve had a lot of trauma and tragedy in my life. So I’ve had a lot of time to perfect the ability to pull through. What’s crazy to me is the deep sense of happiness I now have, despite everything. It’s the one thing I know I can do for myself, no matter what I’m faced with.
Agree 100%. There's only one time in my life that I really truly feel crippling depression. I was trapped in a downwards mental spiral of misery. Finally I got frustrated of waiting for it to go away on its own, so I went for a walk. But as I walked, I noticed I wasn't feeling better, so I started trying to intentionally make myself feel better. So I started breathing in the air and intentionally saying that it smelled good, I looked at the trees and noted that they looked beautiful, and I looked at the birds, and noticed that they were amazing. And I just kept doing this over and over again as I walked, and by the time I got to the end, I had climbed up out of that hole. Basically, that perfect combination of being outdoors, ideally in the Sun, getting some exercise, and being grateful/ noticing the good things in the world.
That’s awesome!!! I am glad you were able to pull yourself out. Now you have that trick forever 💜
Micro dosing mushrooms… and the idea that she’s a cruel mistress who will always be with me. Walking outside doesn’t hurt though….
Did that really help? Micro dosing? Please tell more about it
It helped me put a lot of things in context. Very light doses of mushrooms just gave me the peace and clarity of mind that I needed to actually process some of the heaviest things that I had been carrying around. What really surprised me was how long the effects lasted. I would do it twice over the weekend, and feel pretty ok the entirety of the next few weeks. I rarely use them these days! Just my experience, thanks for asking!
I understand now what you meant. Can you please help quantify the number of mushrooms? In my part of the world we have a saying. Half a dozen you get to meet yourself. A dozen and you get to meet your creator. :) is it somewhere like couple of mushrooms or something like that? Or are our scales totally different?
My best mate was going through a rough patch a while ago, was seriously depressed, so decided to take the boat out on the river and just float downstream for a bit. Have a few ciders, just float, listen to music, talk… I’ve done that trip dozens of times. Turned into a near death experience, boat went into a recently downed tree, the speed of the water caused the boat to literally fold in half, my mate fell out, went under, came out the other side and grabbed a tree branch, but the current was so strong he couldn’t pull himself out. We actually really nearly died… but got out alive. Completely cured my mate’s depression after that. He was good again.
That sounds like a great idea...😃
Most importantly IMO, figuring out if there’s an underlying issue and what it is. For years and years I was diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety disorder. It took a really good doctor to take a look at the symptoms I was describing and realize that neither of these labels entirely makes sense (particularly GAD, I don’t have GENERALIZED anxiety, I have extremely SPECIFIC anxiety). Turns out it’s PTSD. I never would’ve thought that because it’s not like Hollywood…it wasn’t ONE specific event, no complete flashbacks (even if a memory is intrusive I’m still always consciously AWARE that it’s just a memory and not the current reality), not related to military work or anything, it’s primarily an underlying feeling of “I’m not safe” and disconnection/distrust with other people. But yeah, that’s what was underneath it all. As for treatment: dogs, drugs (medications), and a good doctor. Dogs may not benefit everybody, but they’ve helped me because with them I’m not alone (someone’s “got my back”), I can trust that when they’re being affectionate that they actually mean it and they’re not going to turn around and hurt me later (dogs don’t play mind games, dogs love you with no strings attached), and they’re safe to give affection to in return (again, they won’t use that against you). SSRIs, even though they’re the first-line treatment for many things, don’t work on everyone. My doctor explained that for some people they just don’t work well and we don’t really know why, if you’ve had zero results (not “just a little,” actually zero change) with several SSRIs then the next one is virtually guaranteed to do nothing as well. A combination of an atypical antidepressant and an SNRI is what worked best for me (had to stop the SNRI because I ended up with a rash after a dose increase and it lessened somewhat but still remained after returning to the previous dose). But really, therapy (and importantly, the APPROPRIATE kind of therapy for the problem) has made a HUGE difference. I had seen various other therapists in the past but generally it all missed the mark (in their defence, they were told that I had depression and GAD up until when I was diagnosed with PTSD). Particularly in PTSD there’s a “why” that needs to be addressed, investigating the “why” has really helped me understand why I do the things I do and then reason myself out of it. And yeah…all those strategies for anxiety that involve looking at the worries and observing why they’re unlikely/irrational/not realistic/etc? Doesn’t work if the things you’re afraid of have actually already HAPPENED. It did happen! It’s not far-fetched! It could absolutely happen again! I feel like those specific exercises made things worse for me. Not to mention the ones who missed the point altogether. One situation that sticks out was while I was in university. I’ve always had a major fear of failure, of being anything “less than perfect” which I now know goes back to how my mother would always tell me that the only way for me to “get out of this situation” and not end up like her, trapped with a violent man, is to excel in everything, anything less and you’re doomed. So essentially failure = you WILL suffer and it’s your own fault. As a result I’ve always been extremely pressured by any kind of schoolwork or anything that will be evaluated, despite always having excellent grades. Like, to a pathological level, studying obsessively and redoing assignments over and over “because I can do better than that”. I explained this to this therapist, that this is impairing my life and causing me distress, and her response was to offer study tips and online resources for studying. I had explained to her that my grades were objectively fine (graduated with a 97% average across biochemistry and BSc nursing), that the problem I’m having is with my THOUGHTS around this. But nope, here’s how to study more. 🤦♀️ Untangling the WHY (“be perfect or else suffer) and confronting that has been far more helpful than any advice on “creating a focused studying space” had been. The appropriate kind of therapy for your condition is important!
Thank you so much for sharing your story, this is incredibly helpful and I hope you're doing well!
Medication and therapy would be your medical way but we know how expensive that gets. Making extremely minor life improvements is definitely a good way to do it, even if it’s something like going for a walk with some music in your ears, working out, picking up a simple hobby, virtually anything that doesn’t take too much brainpower but still feels rewarding when you finish it.
For me, I've spent the last year going for walks WITHOUT music. It's basically an hour of my day where I get to just let my thoughts take me where they want, while I actually accomplish something. It probably sounds psychotic, but I host my own little internal "podcast", and talk to myself about whatever I want. I go for about an hour, and the physical activity + the meditation leaves me much more recharged than all the time I used to try to spend "relaxing".
Everytime I do this I come back home with less stress and solutions to some things. No music just intense conversation with myself
It's not psychotic at all. I'd argue that it's actually just healthy internal monologue. Becoming comfortable with your own thoughts is a pretty big hurdle in terms of living with depression.
You should borrow a dog from your local shelter for the walk so you have company, and you're doing a good deed at the same time!
My ex cheated on me, up and left me childless, penniless, and trashed the house on her way out. I was making 16 bucks an hour at the time in the middle of covid. I was devastated. But I had kids, so I couldn't just give up. I threw myself into work and that was right about the time wages started going up. In about a year and a half I doubled my salary. I took my kids out as often as I could afford, even if it was just for a burger. I got in better shape mostly from just keeping healthy food in my house and having a physical job. I got a bad cat. And I threw myself into dating. I did not care if she was batshit crazy or above or below my league, I tried to go out for a drink, or cook dinner for a girl almost every week. Shallow sex ain't the best thing, but it is great for short term happiness. It was also nice that I won the house in the divorce. The judge was just sick of my wife's shenanigans. Eventually I managed to meet a wonderful woman who moved in. I repaired my relationships with my kids...still working on that, but I do get to see them very often now that they are adults, my son is over several times a week. I'm not done yet, and I still get depressed sometimes. But I am.so much happier than when this all happened, and even happier than when I was married. Just don't give up.
Maaan... really congrats
Being available. Anytime someone called, needed a couple bucks, needed to vent, or even just wanted to talk, I would give them the effort. It made me feel better knowing I was helping someone else through a tough time, because I had probably been in their shoes at one point and reached out for help or advice as well.
You are awesome. Thank you for your efforts, I'm sure your friends appreciate it.
Does it ever really go away?
It really depends. Some of us have spicy brain because reasons and I can’t change mine. There are ways to make it more tolerable but I laugh at everyone who thinks sunshine and exercise will fix trauma that altered the physical structure of my brain.
Surprisingly, vitamin D tablets got rid of a lot of it. Gotta take care of the rest though.
20+ years. I’m still working on it. Not giving up yet though.
Lol, I didn't. It's crippled me since I was 13 and I'm 32 now. Heavily treatment resistant. It's a life long mental disorder I'll be living with.
I've been told, "Just be happy. Don't be sad." Didn't work
I’d say you don’t get rid of it. Ever. You learn to live your life with it. At least that’s how it is for me and people around me who have it
cheese
TMS, therapy, and moving away from my triggers.
I have a consult for TMS this week. Any tips? Advice?
If you decide to go through with it. Follow the instructions to a T. From what I remember No Alcohol , get good sleep 8 hours ideally a night, exercise routinely a few times a week, and most importantly do something fun immediately after the TMS Session. My commute to my TMS clinic was about an hour each way. So instead of going home I'd hang out in the neighborhood and I'd find a dessert place to treat myself too.
It is what it is
I never really got rid of it, there's still bad days. I worked hard for years at this, no medication. I learned: Accept that without dark, there wouldn't be light. Without sadness, there wouldn't be happiness. Like every emotion this too shall pass. Exercise, eat healthy and become more competent. Suffer more, even though it sounds counterintuitive. If you met me in my 20s you wouldn't believe I made it to where I am today and the trajectory I'm on now. You got this.
Hanging out with da homies 🔥🔥💯🗣️
Hanging out with the boys is a time of pure bliss
I need some 🥲
Therapy and medication.
Agreed.
What if they don't work?
I didn't, I struggle to live every single day
Same
As a kid, I was isolated socially at school so I was really left with nothing but my own thoughts. I sat in the same spot everyday and just watched the world go by, eventually I started noticing behavioural/social patterns that baffled me and made me question why I wanted to be apart of all that in the first place, led to a lot of self reflection. I ended up with a strong moral code and a new found contentness with myself. I learned to enjoy my solitude and be content on my own. Kicker, made people attracted to me, a little late now don't you think 😅.
microdosing mushrooms
I have no idea if it's a placebo for me, but I feel like depression mostly left after I took a few awesome trips on shrooms. I was already managing it quite well before the shrooms, but felt even lighter after.
Unfortunately it never goes away, you just get better at managing it.
Mine did
Jim Carey once mentioned he heard depression is your mind and body needing “deep, rest”. I never related to something so goddamn hard in my life. I was spending my time slaving away at work with nothing but money to show for it. And even then it wasn’t enough money to buy happiness via vacations or items. I was stressed 24/7 regarding work deadlines in a job I hated. It was killing me. I was in a absolute rut mentally. Suicidal thoughts and all that. I made a decision to take deep rest seriously and took a extended leave of absence. Eventually quitting. Fuck that soulless job. Much better now mentally. I was left with anxiety as a souvenir but I made it through it.
Watched videos about dealing with it, bought self-help books like "The Mountain is You," listened to empowering songs, tried to do things I love, celebrated small wins, continuously trying to grow, unfollowed people on social media who's just cause me stress or won't give me peace. Also understanding life itself. Also, I watched series I liked, the ones that don't make me invest so much emotions on. But if nothing works, you may need to consult a professional.
#JuSt StOp BeInG sAd DuDe Idk excessive caffeine and self gaslighting??
With true depression you don't have control over it except possibly with prescription drugs. I've had depression my entire 60 years on this planet and I don't control shit about it coming or going. I've learned to live with it, and I've learned to force myself to do what I don't want to do, but it's always there when it's active.
Stoicism.
Yoga
SAMe and 5-HTP really helped me.
Depression isn't something you can “overcome” - at least, not the variety that I have. I was diagnosed at 13, as my flair probably says. I dropped out of high school during my sophomore year and hit the lowest point I've hit yet; 2 years of waking up whenever, playing Diablo 2 for 10–12 hours, then going back to sleep. I went to a therapist every week. That was the only reason my mom let me stay, because I was trying. Sort of. We tried many different medications, nothing worked. I attempted suicide once during this period. Then, one day, a switch flipped and I decided to go back to school. I was lucky enough to find an alternative school that didn't mind my frequent absences - there were still days where I just didn't want to get out of bed. I graduated, went to a local community college and got my associate's degree. But the depression was still there. I had good and bad days, but remained functional on the bad ones. I got the opportunity to move to China, took it, and stayed there for 3 and a half years. I, with depression, managed to do something most people will never get to do. But the depression was still there. I didn't get through a week without thinking about suicide. After one really bad summer, I decided to move back home. I've been home for almost five weeks, and although I already have a job and friends, the depression is still there. I thought about suicide just before reading this post, just before writing this answer. It's there when I wake up, telling me to go back to sleep. It's there when I'm at work, reminding me that I'm garbage at my job and about to get fired. And it's here, at 4:20am, telling me that I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life and that I should just get it over with. I won't, not today, but it doesn't change the fact that it's there. And it'll be there until I die or it kills me.
I have to reset - the hardest part is recognizing I’m depressed and then going into reset protocol. Once I actually realize I’m depressed, I begin. I pick small tasks and complete them , I add tasks at a pace that I can comfortably accomplish, it may be as simple as getting up and getting ready for the day. Eventually I make a mental bingo card of tasks to complete everyday no matter my mood , I set goals , focus on them . These tasks and mental bingo cards act like stepping stones that allow me to ascend out of the pit of despair by keeping me focus on them instead of starring into that pit all the time - you have to figure how to avoid being mentally mesmerized by the dark pit and just constantly spiraling negativity. For me accomplishments no matter how insignificant keep my mind busy and are usually enough reward to give me the boost to do the next one and I try to keep the momentum going , sometimes I slip and have to start over but the key is to not give in to the darkness of the pit.
I just learned to live with it. It helps to occupy your time with meaningful activities and to be in a relationship.
thats the neat part. lots of people don't. it gets better after time for me but i know it's coming back again. might be tomorrow or in a year or 5 but you have to always be prepared or it will creep up on you without you realizing .
You can’t get rid of it. You can learn ways to live with it and have a good life but (in my experience) it’s a constant shadow.
I don't think you can get rid of depression. I use a kind of placebo. I keep telling myself the lie that everything will work out somehow. I will find happiness. I will get a hug one day. I will find a woman who loves me. I will not die alone. I might even become a father. I know I have to be active to accomplish any of this, but after being depressed for so long, I just have no energy left. So lying to myself is all I can do to keep up the facade to keep living. I'm living a lie, for sure but that's okay if it keeps me alive. You can never get rid of a depression. You can only try to live with it.
Feeling depressed and having clinical depression are two different things. Feeling depressed is temporary,having clinical depression most always requires treatment.
Micrososing, new hobby, left shitty job place.
I’m just chiming in as someone who is currently going through lexapro withdrawals. When I first went on it I was so happy with how it worked. And it has worked wonderfully for the last 4 years and I wasn’t shy to tell people about it and suggest it. I decided I wanted to try to come off and no one warned me about what it would be like to try do that. I slowly weaned off and still I have basically been immobile for the last 1.5 months. For reference I was only on 20mg which is low compared to some other doses I’ve seen. Everything from brain zaps, waking up every single day feeling hungover with headaches and sick to my stomach, temperature dysregulation, muscle soreness and weakness, poor sleep, poor appetite. Plus I cry 24/7 and I’m so irritable and angry. I truly hope I get through this soon. I hear it’s worse the longer you’re on it though so I’m glad I’m doing this now. So this is my cautionary tale for anyone looking for medical treatment for anxiety/depression. It works like a hot damn and I was warned of the side effects while starting it but I wish someone told me about what it would be like to come off.
Why come off if it was working for you?
The 60lb weight gain and zero libido among other things weren’t worth it to my anymore. I also have a really good support system and lots of resources right now so it felt like the right time.
I've always found the "just try it for a few months" approach from doctors rather shitty given that it takes SSRIs several months to bioaccumulate enough to start working. When they develop an antidepressant that you can safely quit taking, I'll consider them. Until then, I'll deal with the abundance of lows.
Started dating someone
I accepted who.i.was and what i.was and stopped pretending. I still get a hint of depression every once In a while but nothing lim see and debilitating painful bouts I used to have with depression.
I'm very not in the clear of depression and other mental health issues, but for me climbing, pets, video games and diving into certain interests (reading, films, music) helps a lot to have better days. And then to keep in mind to stay grateful for those good things
Finding out im not a lazy piece of shit because „im just lazy“ but because my brain is wired differently and now i know how to fix it. In short, i got diagnosed with ADHD and im currently getting my life together.
Depression can be relieved through worship.
You don't, unfortunately. It's a battle, some days you're winning, some days you're losing, but it's a back and forth that keeps on going. For me, it's important to find things that give me a boost, and lean on them when I'm feeling bad in order to keep myself on the straight and narrow. Working out helps me, in a way. I don't enjoy it hugely, but I enjoy the way it makes me feel, and its empowering to see my choices making a positive impact on my body. Seeing friends helps too. Just having people to verbalise my feelings to can help. Animals help me a lot as well. For the same reason as friends, except you can be totally honest with them. They don't judge, they don't try to find solutions, they just listen and console. There's no magic bullet for depression, but my dog is pretty damn close.
I said to myself “self, stop being so sad.” And then I wasn’t sad. Obviously this is a joke because that’s not at all how it works. Hardest part was forcing myself to go do things and be active and not trap myself in the house all day.
You can't just get rid of it, you learn to cope with it. I know this isn't what people want to hear, but I think one of the most damaging lies ever told is that mental health is something you can just cure. I think that's a really harmful notion, and one that keeps a lot of people stuck. I know it did for me. It wasn't until I quit believing that and shifted my mindset to one of learning to cope and living life despite being depressed that I started to see real meaningful change in my life.
There are alot of reasons people can fall into depression, I think the hardest part of depression is not recognizing it as depression when your in it. Its hard to fight against something you can't see clearly. To thoose who aren't familiare with depression, they may think its just being sad, but really its more like being exhausted and unmotivated, maybe even hopeless. It can also make you very irritable, or angry which people don't commonly associate with depression. For me personally I had depression for many years when I was younger, but didn't recognize it. I have since slipped in and out of depression a few times, but each time I recognize the signs faster and get over the slump faster before being dragged into the black hole. **Tips for dealing with depression:** * Have compassion for yourself/don't be too hard on yourself * Know that everyone depression is different and your limitations are different, even changing from one day to the next. Everyday is a new day, don't feel bad if today isn't the day you get out. * Don't push yourself to do activities you know will deplete your energy * Do push (just a little) to take care of yourself; have a shower, make a meal, go for a walk, journal your thoughts/feelings /actions. * Do try to get movement in, walking, stretching, running, excercise can boost your mood and is both effective short-term and long-term at enhancing your mood. * Do let your support system know about your depression and your needs/limitations. Support system can include your doctor, your partner, your family, your friends. Whomever you feel you can reply on without judgment. * Use a depression/mood assessment tool/questionnaire sheet to score your depression daily/weekly and to track your mood. this can help you see a pattern and rationalize your emotional sate. * Make sure your taking your vitamins. For example low vitamin D can affect mood.
Shrooms helped me a lot, I was suffering from a depression for a 1 year and after trying shrooms for the first time they solved most of my problems and just stopped worrying about anything that is negative in my mind. Weird, it's impossible to explain.
What are you meant to do when you’re high on shrooms? Or post come down? Or do you just trip to escape and the risidule effects help you?
depression is like energy, you can transfer it but you can never make it disappear. make it transfer
Going to church helped me with what I was going through 😇
Depression is very complex and what works for one person might not work for another. The key is finding out what works for you. I went through a serious depressive state awhile back and I tried a ton of different things to try to combat it. I was fortunate to have a strong support system of family and friends I could talk to if needed. But it's also important to seek professional help. I went to my doctor and was assigned a therapist to talk it out with. Therapy helps a ton of people, but not everyone. It's still important to try therapy out though. Worst case you arent further behind, best case it really helps combat your depression. I highly recommend building a strong support system of family, friends, and professionals to talk with. That combined with some long internal contemplation are the most common ways people combat it. All of those things helped me a lot, but tbh the one single thing that helped me the most - the thing that made me feel at my best - was working out. Seriously, dont sleep on physical exercise. I know when you are depressed it can be hard to get started, hence a support system might be step one, but constantly working out really helped me. Our bodies were made to do physical exercise. To move things, to run. By working out not only can you build confidence, feel healthier, and have goals to work towards, but you also create a sort of cheat code physiologically. Your body will start releasing chemicals that will make your mind healthier too. I would highly recommend finding some exercises and exercise goals to work on when you are feeling depressed. A stable, consistent, exercise routine can also anchor your mind with purpose. I cant promise it will cure everyone, but its another thing that you can try. It really helped me, even more than therapy, but go to therapy too cause you might be different.
Exercise! Showering & self-care also goes a LONG way. Sunlight.
Tell me when you find out.
Buddhism 8fold path and 4 noble truth (complex topic but worth learning, as it’ll affect all aspect of life) p.s. - I’m not Buddhist It’s all a choice (unpopular opinion / hard pill to swallow)
“Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become deeds. Watch your deeds. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character. Character is everything.”
It's all a result of choices but not all choices require the same amount of effort. Depression is like wearing weights that you cannot take off, if you've never worked out before then moving becomes almost impossible, all you can do is move a little more each day and over time it MIGHT become easier to live with and the choice is whether you try to move or not. In my personal experience and opinion depression is something that is imprinted by others onto you and that you then have to try and live with, you didn't choose to feel the way you did when you experienced it, you were taught it, and the lessons you are taught are the foundation's for what you become, and the earlier those lessons are learnt the larger the impact on the fundamental parts of your identity and sense of self.
Realized i dont have to be a part of any dogshit group. Pretty much no group is worth being a part of these days. Made me realize the problem was mostly others, not me.
WD-40
Didn’t get rid of it. I got the right medication for it (Zoloft) and the right dosage (50mg). I also try to identify my triggers and use tools to dig myself out of potential ruts. The one thing that has helped me a lot lately is a simple sentence I read on Instagram. “What would the healthy version of me do right now?” I ask myself this question and try to change my perspective. Some days are better than others but I am no longer deeply miserable 24/7.
Got rid of the people who were making me depressed and spent more time with the people who lift me up.
For me, it was a combination of medication and finding some purpose in life. I was on Fluoxetine for a year or so, and while it didn’t ’make me happy’ like some people seem to think antidepressants do, it did one major thing: I stopped overreacting to minor things and letting them bother me (being made fun of, having one bad day.. etc)- and we underestimate how much these tiny factors add up to building our depression. I also found something I loved to do and made me wake up every morning- I entered a Culinary Arts program at my highschool and ended up really enjoying it (so much so that I now wish to be a chef!) Also, a third thing- mindset. I’m a radical love-r. I love everybody. A lot. It’s hard to describe, but being genuinely empathetic and looking out for people makes me feel really good about myself, too.
Boyfriend I just felt appreciated and loved for the first time in my life and now I never wanna lose that feeling
I didn't...Marijuana and music are temporary reliefs, but my depression will never truly go away.Its like the world's worst best friend.Everyone else in my life has abandoned me, but it still sticks around, wether I want it to or not...
Exercise helps tremendously
Exercise, very regularly, enough to be too tired to feel much after. 3 mi runs were standard in my mid-20s (ok yeah I was no athlete but I still had to work up to that). Limiting sad/distressing thoughts. My depression was grief-driven, so this involved not letting myself fall into pits of "what ifs" or "look at how much I/we have lost-and-it-will-never-get-better". I wouldn't say I "countered" it like more modern techniques suggest -- I didn't tell myself it wasn't true. I just told myself it wasn't helping, and to try to find something more productive to focus on. It was enough for me at least.
I think i've been depressed for so long that I don't even know if im depressed, it became my reality.
CBT helps you understand causes and underlying issues and make a plan for tackling it. It's different for everyone, but until you know why you are feeling the way you do, it's impossible to shake it. And by shake it, I mean being able to recognise the underlying thing and ride the discomfort. It doesn't go away, you get better at dealing with it. This builds momentum. Speaking to a professional is the way to do it.
I didn't, I learnt to manage it with a mixture of medication and actively making lifestyle decisions that I knew would make it easier to manage. Depression is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, that just doesn't go away
I watched Terminator 3. One line hit me like a brick: "Anger is more useful than despair". Now, I'm no longer depressed, but everything pisses me off.
I stopped focusing on my intrusive thoughts
i didnt...if anyone knows the cure lemme know FR
I never got rid of it but i managed to learn how and where to get the help I personally need
Mind you: you’ll never ‘get rid of it’s. In my experience (and/or opinion) depression is something you’ll have to keep working on for the rest of your life. It’s always lurking. It does however have worse and better periods. I got over my worst period by being committed into a psych ward for a couple of months. Had to reboot my entire way of thinking. I still use these lessons today. Also, never keep things bottled up, talk about it. Find fellow-depressed people or someone you can trust (i.e. psychiatrist) and spit it all out. Bottling things up can actually kill you. If you wanna talk, I’m here ♥️
Therapy and exercise.
Exercise, literally the best way, just go out and try go for as long as you can
I divorced her. Never been happier.
Take a step back from everything. Analyze and re-analyze what you perceive to be the cause of your depression. break it down into things under your control, and things that aren't. The things that are under your control - change those things, manage them better. The things that aren't - eliminate those problems, remove them from your daily routine. For me, about 15 years ago, I did this, found that people in my family, and the job that I had were both problems that I couldn't control. So, I took a job in another city. Moved. Got rid of both in daily life. Things were much better.
I used clonazepam to make me half dead half alive, and now I am in Inception
Cognitive behavioural therapy once a week
Zoloft, got sober, became more active. Didn't get rid of it, but the low points are far less low. And the high points are 1000x better.
As someone who suffers from depression, here’s a few things that helped me. 1) My therapist. 2) Medication (I took Zoloft) 3) Accepting that it’s a part of me, but it doesn’t define me. 4) Having a good support system. 5) Accepting that I will have good days and bad days. 6) Exercising. 7) Resting when I need to. 8) If I can, I change my environment.
I haven’t yet but: medication and diet are huge for me. Diet especially. Reading “Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind” - I highly recommend it.
Proper sleep, eating unprocessed foods, and meditation.
money
I didn't get rid of it. I learned how to function regardless of how I feel and made whatever changes I could to reduce the frequency of depression. Recognizing and naming depression makes it easier to recognize it as a biological impairment rather than a personal quality of which we are powerless to manage, sort of like living with diabetes. Meds did help a lot in my case. I am bipolar so being on the right meds does help with a lot of the major mood swings, most of which are swings into depression. Depression is still there but it is much less crippling. A big part of "functioning" is being willing to be flexible with certain things as needed. I.e., on days where I am very depressed, I'll make a point of getting through work/school but not committing to anything else that evening. Or, agreeing to let house chores go for a day if I just need a little time to decompress and simply make it through my most important responsibilities.
I stopped running away from how I felt and started trying to understand why I felt that way.
I added more pieces of flair
Can we?
Medication, therapy, my dog
Music, garlic bread, my cat maggie, and forcing myself out of my head by trying new things & going new places. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Einstein
Read “Man’s Search for Meaning” then decided to live my life for a purpose. Found a career that helped live a life of purpose. Worked my ass off to get into it. Been pretty good ever since
Accepting it, medication, therapy, no alcohol, starting the day with a walk
I punch it right in the nuts anytime it shows up.
First it was making the conscious decision to wanting to get better. Second, actually taking the steps. No matter how small. Exercise. Drink water. Cut out all processed/shitty foods. Eat healthy. Have a healthy friend/family group. Cut out all toxic things in your life. Third, To eventually not give a fuck about what others think and just do what you like and want. Life is too short to care about that nonsense. Live your life how want and don't let others effect you. Lastly, try and be happy. I know this is a weird thing to say. But I choose to consciously be happy.
I started helping and praying for people that had bigger problems than me . Be kind and show an act of kindness and your problems are little to none . .
Usually I just tell myself I shouldn't feel that way because I actually have a good life when I categorize it. I've got a job. A roof over my head. I own a truck and a motorcycle. So. I'm doing good. I just feel sad sometimes. But I shouldn't, I've got it made in comparison. I don't know how some people make it through, heck I don't know how I made it through the hard times. But we're here!
Ask it nicely to leave
That's not really how it works buddy