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What helped you with depression?

JAVO

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I never sought treatment with medication or even counseling. I probably should have done counseling as a teen, but I did not understand it then. And, I wasn't about to make my psyche vulnerable to something I didn't understand. What did help me the most was:

1. Self-administered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
I didn't use this site, but it looks like an excellent resource:
All About Depression: Online Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Workshop


2. Exploring diverse interests and activities, which included everything from photography, aquariums, time spent in nature, woodworking, and learning the skills and information required to survive with nothing.
I emphasized "with nothing" because that allowed me to sever all ingrained cultural and psychological power plays which are imposed upon us by family and society. I think these are the root cause of depression for many because they impose a meaning of life upon us which is itself meaningless.


3. The social support of family and friends
 

á´…eparted

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Modern psychoanalysis. It is not enjoyable to do, and it takes many months before any differences are noticed, and for the most part it's not so much about making you feel better but about giving you tools to understand why you are the way you are and ergo how to manage them, which can lead to feeling better via properly helping yourself. Prior to this, pretty much nothing put a meaningful dent into my issues.
 

Luminous

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Therapy, pets, exercise, hobbies/nature/finding a good friend group, drugs. I needed medication.
 

Kanra Jest

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Talking about my problems with a friend or councilor. Sharing my feelings or thoughts. Especially thoughts. Problem is once I am around a councilor I'll share thinking my feelings more than actually feeling my feelings so while I express it's mostly from a more detached perspective. I'm too good at hiding things. Have to work through my own high functioning wall of dissociation and ego to get to the human substance underneath.

Goals are EVERYTHING to me and being able to do my own thing. My goals achieved helps. ANd going out and about with friends and such. Or travel. Feeling more alive. And accomplishing and 'manifesting' things I want to manifest.

And zoning off listening to music so i can explore my feelings cuz music helps me actually 'feel' something on a deeper level to fantasize.

Asmr helps a bit too. Cuz it occupies my mind with the how fascinating intimacy and different intimate sounds are (inferior si?)

Other than that just long talks about thoughts, ideas, jokes, philsophical depth, ect ect. Which most will likely be intimidated by me cuz I come on too strong. Or don't like me "playing games" with them. I've tried to "make friends"

But I always need distractions or something. ADD. Or I'll get bored or fidgety or depressed.

Unfortunately this can result in stalking around half dead forums and leaving after I realize I can't get any feedback loop.

I disappear on here on and off a lot.

Same with other places and things.
 

Saturnal Snowqueen

Solastalgia 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊
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Doing art, drinking tea, relaxing with good shows, as well as going to my favorite places. Therapy's been a mixed bag for me. Therapy's hard for me because I'm shy and awkward and it's hard for me to put my feelings into words. I also space out when I'm meditating, though I've tried some CBT stuff which was fairly relaxing. It's just hard for me to take what I learned in therapy and apply it at home. I'm a fidgety person so it's hard to for me to just sit down and practice the mindfulness exercises.

The biggest thing for me is just..time. In my personal experience, a lot of time I can just let depression "run its course". Probably not that way for some people, but in comparison to my anxiety, depression has more of a trigger(like school stress). My anxiety in comparison, it's just a constant state of mind. I get flashbacks, phobias, and self hating thoughts with little to no triggers. It's easier to pinpoint what causes my depression rather than my anxiety as a whole. Also I've noticed anxiety seems to cause my depression in a way-worrying and worrying until I just no longer care.
 

highlander

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I only had issues with this thing one time but it was pretty severe and lasted about a year. Was really awful actually. In order of effectiveness, I would say there are three things:

1. Medication – for me, it was a combination of Bupropion and Lamictal. It wasn’t a cure but allowed me to be about 60% functional. Lamictal kicked in right away but the anti-depressant took a few weeks
2. Work – keeping busy and productive made a big difference. Was the worst when I was idle or alone and by myself thinking
3. Passage of time – I put this last because it took so damn long

I had some therapy but that turned out to be pretty worthless

Edit: Correction, technically it lasted more than a year. I did notice that I had short relapses that at first occurred with some regularity with various random triggers but as time went on, they got shorter, less frequent and were less severe. I suppose it happens to some extent even today on rare occasion for a few hours even after 7 - 8 years. I don't take medication or do anything for it. It just dissipates.
 

RadicalDoubt

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Self analysis was a big one for me. I'm not really out of depression yet, but many of my emotions just became repressed and inaccessible when I started to become depressed. Self analysis started to help me to recognize them, as well as some of their origins. Setting goals to change myself and get out of scenarios which made my depression worse was another big one. Moving also helped bring about change. Time is huge as well.
 

Maou

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Ive battled with repression and depression for years till it spilled over when my long time cat died. I am a strong supporter of using CBT, and focusing on keeping a full schedual. But sometimes its still not enough. I didn't get real change till I got on SSRI. Zoloft then Lexapro, which worked way better for me. Therapy didnt really do much but inspire me to do new things. Its nice to have someone to talk to.
 

Hermit of the Forest

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Better nutrition, lifestyle, sleep. Human interaction and connection. Also, changed attitude/perspective helps tremendously. Sunlight and outdoor time is invaluable.

That said, I still struggle to work out all of those things. Depression is something I work with daily.
 

Tennessee Jed

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Depression was never my thing. In fact I had a lot of disdain for depressive people. Instead, my thing was to have a lot of anxiety going on all the time--fears about the future, paranoia attending all my actions in life, anger about the petty games people play, rage at the futility of life, and so on.

But eventually I realized that there was also some light depression lurking in the background there. Even when things were going great, I had this kind of depressive fatality about life in general and my life in particular.

So I came to see the anxiety/depression link as a progression, with anxiety as the mid-stage between stress and depression: Normal Stress -> Anxiety -> Depression. At least, that's how it seems to work for me.

I noticed that when my anxiety and rage were at their worst, they kind of served as an inoculation against depression. The rage and fear seemed to ward off the deep fall into depression. On the other hand, there were occasions when I sometimes just kind of gave up on life's problems and shut down, but that would tend to lead to a fall into deeper depression. And to fight my way back out of that depression would mean re-claiming my anxiety and paranoia and rage--sort of "taking the initiative" and fighting my way back out of that hole.

Of course it wasn't really a good way to live life, teetering between anxiety and depression, but that's how I saw it. Also I never consulted a professional about any of this. I just figured it was normal and I got by in life by self-medicating with alcohol to the point of having a sizable drinking problem much of my adult life. But it was fine, most of my peers seemed the same way; as I figured it, it was the happy ones who were nuts or simply too stupid to notice how screwed-up life is.

Anyway, after I retired I started reading a lot of psychology self-help books, and eventually focused on books about anxiety and depression in particular. A couple good overviews of current mainstream theory for the non-technical layman these days: "Anxiety for Dummies" and "Depression for Dummies" in the famous "For Dummies" series. They go right to the meat of the issue and describe the symptoms and the paranoid or circular thinking that happens with both problems, and they walk you through all the standard treatment methods. CBT comes first as the most "provably" effective treatment method, but the books also talk about things like mindfulness, stress reduction techniques, medication options (overviews of all the standard drug options), etc.

Anyway, I wasn't surprised to find that the Anxiety and Depression books both covered a lot of the same ground. CBT is deemed the most effective treatment for both, etc. It kind of bolstered my idea that there is a progression from Anxiety to Depression.

Also, with my self-help reading across the last 10 years I kind of got a handle on how stress arises and turns into anxiety. So much so that nowadays I normally feel pretty anxiety-free. Of course it helps that I'm retired: It's easier to be anxiety-free when you play life on easy mode. But still: Even retirees have stress. In fact if life gets too easy, that's a danger signal. We all need challenges. I take on new adventures on a regular basis just to keep from settling into too much of a rut.

So there are still times when stress builds up and I feel it hovering over me like a black cloud and turning into anxiety. But I know what's going on in my head when that happens, so it's easier to just view that anxiety as a warning signal and seek out some work-arounds. Or just ignore it as a nonsense signal and work through it, assuming the situation is a temporary one.

That's kind of where I'm at these days. (Still haven't seen a professional on any of this, but I don't figure there is any need for one at this point.)
 

prplchknz

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meds well they did for awhile now i've maxed out my dose and they're not working

I've asked about changing but they're like oh you're depressed because you smoke weed, and it's like no I started becoming more and more depressed before i started smoking weed again. Weed is litereally the only thing right now that is keeping me from offing myself (I don't tell them that last part because psychward food sucks)

weed
going to game night
 

The Cat

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ketamine therapy. A lot. The only thing really.
 

Totenkindly

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For me, it was having spaces where I could talk aloud (with others present) without feeling like I was going to be attacked / shot down. What I needed personally was more confidence in my perceptions of the world, which I never got living in my head, and most of my environment was gaslighting me so to speak. So I needed to learn I could engage the world and have some power to live/improve my life, rather than feeling powerless or wonder whether I was crazy.

Different people do need different things. Some people who have trouble breaking out of psychological molds benefit from hearing alternative ideas and undergoing more psychotherapy. Others who normally psychoanalyze themselves might need some insight just to ensure they are on track but might benefit more from encouragement. Etc.

Medications are helpful for some, although it depends on the person and the medication. Some drugs for some people are horrific, others find the same drugs helpful. It's not an exact science.

I think it also helped when I accepted life has no inherent meaning but what we give to it... existential depression can be crushing, especially when you feel like there is an answer that you just cannot find or experience. Going through the motions of what works for others sometimes doesn't change things a bit for oneself. It was really a mindset change. It still creates other questions (like what one is going to live for, and how do you motivate yourself without external stimuli) in that kind of situation.
 

cascadeco

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[MENTION=71]JAVO[/MENTION]

I can echo a bit of what [MENTION=22236]OldFolksBoogie[/MENTION] stated, in that I pinpointed somewhat recently that it is actually anxiety (/anger/stress/resentment) that is present initially, and if it sits with me for too long, that shifts to more depressive thoughts.

In the past I was never entirely sure which came first, though a long time ago the only time I went to a therapist for two or three months was due to being terribly anxious about my life in more of an existential way, bordering on panic.

Anyway, I have never read up on CBT but I'm kind of convinced despite that that for a very long time I've administered my own CBT to myself -- retraining thought patterns, redirecting focus, logically talking myself out of behaviors or hangups/worries, assessing perceptions and questioning whether they are valid, and so on. I feel like it's been useful enough for me -- at least to the extent that I have never felt the need to talk with anyone else further or anew.

Too I spend a lot of time simply trying not to get caught up in my head. This has been the overall shift over the past 10-ish years... just focusing more on the present, on comforts, on art, not fretting myself over unanswerable Life questions any longer, etc. I think a lot of it has been learning when to just turn it off. When it's just uselessly spinning my wheels to no avail. Some of it I admit is consciously just 'not going there' - it could be debated whether or not that is a good thing or not, but I do feel more balanced overall and I don't sit in funks like I used to. I guess to sum up - redirection. Doing things I find more pleasurable (reading fiction), hands-on things, exercise, puzzles, nature/art/photography, snapping my own self out of my head at times. Not saying I'll never enter a more prolonged funk again, but I do know that these sorts of things have helped in a kind of preventative sort of way.

Also: If I didn't have a handful of friends who I can talk about weightier things with / my actual thoughts (and even some typ-c people who have migrated to my FB page :)), and feel accepted, and also if I hadn't learned that it's better for me to just release actual thoughts to someone even if I don't 'feel' like talking, then it would also be worse. So I think too, for me, learning about my own needs and 'being real' helps. The act of containment/trying to hide makes things worse.
 

Siúil a Rúin

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For more basic help, nature walks and other sensory immersion of things that appeal and overwhelm me, and then in contrast dark, quietly soaking in the tub like sensory deprivation environment.

Since I've been a little bit less filtered lately I'll include the fact that smoking weed from a bong was helpful for me when I lived out in the desert. Pharmaceuticals were generally a bad experience for me, and I was put on various ones over the years because of ongoing anxiety and depression. I had a rough time coming off of Zoloft with disorientation and anxiety. When the pharmacy ran out of lorazepam I experienced an extended, intense anxiety attack I would not wish on anyone. Then the Cymbalta and Gabepentin combo for chronic pain, anxiety, and depression caused enough digestive problems that I was bleeding a lot out my bum. I went off of all of those when I had a boyfriend that smoked a little weed, and that felt so much better than those drugs and much gentler than alcohol. I did make sure to not mix the weed with anything else because I didn't know how they would interact.

I would say creating art and music, but when I'm actually depressed I don't feel well enough to do that. The sensory immersion or deprivation helps and then for chemical help, weed was the gentlest for me. I didn't smoke that much, but it was a lighter feeling that almost felt kind to me. The other drugs and even alcohol felt harsh, disorienting, anxiety producing, and sometimes had severe physical side-effects.
 

Yuurei

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I just get over it. I’m not bragging or trying to put anyone else down. I actually think there might be something wrong with me.

I think depression ( situational, not clinical) like all emotions, exists to motivate us in one direction or another. apeopke have limits, breaking points, where they say “ Enough is enough” and make the drastic changes they need to.

Not me. I eventually just adapt no matter how bed the situation is.

This is not at all to say that I lack motivation. Not at all. I am a very ambitious problem solver. However, all of the most untenable problems in my life have even things that are beyond my control, in fact, I believe that is why they are the greatest problems. I’m not fazed by problems I can so,ve, I just solve them. So maybe this is how I’ve learned to cope wit( things; just adapt.

It’s very relevant to my current situation, actually. The past few months I have been more depressed then ever in my 36 tears of life. But I also feel great most of the tine.
When I’m at dialysis with a headache so bad I want to die everything sucks and I hav3 no reason to live and think I should kill myself to no longer burden on m6 friends.
As soon as I’m home and the headache is gone everything is fine- great even. I hate it because I know that. I’ve alwys been a very stable, stoic person. Every time that damned awful headache pops up I that it wont last forever, that’ll be fine tomorrow but I still can’t stop feeling absolutely horrible.

But really, that’s always how depression works for me. Everything sucks an$ I just can’t keep living lije thi- oh hey! A sunny day! What was I upset about again?
 

Merced

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I just get over it. I’m not bragging or trying to put anyone else down. I actually think there might be something wrong with me.

I think depression ( situational, not clinical) like all emotions, exists to motivate us in one direction or another. all people have limits, breaking points, where they say “ Enough is enough” and make the drastic changes they need to.

Not me. I eventually just adapt no matter how bad the situation is.

This is not at all to say that I lack motivation. Not at all. I am a very ambitious problem solver. However, all of the most untenable problems in my life have even things that are beyond my control, in fact, I believe that is why they are the greatest problems. I’m not fazed by problems I can so,ve, I just solve them. So maybe this is how I’ve learned to cope wit( things; just adapt.

It’s very relevant to my current situation, actually. The past few months I have been more depressed then ever in my 36 tears of life. But I also feel great most of the tine.
When I’m at dialysis with a headache so bad I want to die everything sucks and I hav3 no reason to live and think I should kill myself to no longer burden on m6 friends.
As soon as I’m home and the headache is gone everything is fine- great even. I hate it because I know that. I’ve alwys been a very stable, stoic person. Every time that damned awful headache pops up I that it wont last forever, that’ll be fine tomorrow but I still can’t stop feeling absolutely horrible.

But really, that’s always how depression works for me. Everything sucks an$ I just can’t keep living lije thi- oh hey! A sunny day! What was I upset about again?

I'm just imagining someone coming up to you and saying "I'm depressed" and your response being "Stop that". :D
 

Julius_Van_Der_Beak

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Prescription drugs, books about positive psychology, meditation. And of course, I can't discount the fact that I was able to take steps to put myself on a more personally fulfilling path, as well as improve things about myself and my life.
 

Schrödinger's Name

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I think this is a hard one... Since right now I would say, practicing my 'coping skills' when I am not in an extreme 'low'. But of course, there are times when you seem to be stuck in rut, for months, or longer. Then the only thing you can do is 'wait' for a better time to come... Though waiting of course does not help, it doesn't come magically. But in such times, I never would've been able to use my coping skills, the one(s) I had were bad and I didn't see the point in trying something else (or it simply didn't help).

So probably, keeping some structure in my days. Not that I have much structure (my eating&sleeping schedule are still fucked), but I go out to walk with the dogs; lots of physical activity, I am forced to get out of bed. Pushing myself to go to class etc. Medication also helped me a lot (though it isn't medication for depression).
And healthy food of course. Nutrition is important and I try to pay attention to it.

I try to work with art when I am not feeling all too bad (since trying to make something can make me frustrated if it doesn't work out the way I want it to). And doing that makes it easier for me to try and use those techniques when I am feeling bad.

Sometimes I would say it's 'self-discipline' but it's of course not that black&white... Though, sometimes you must force yourself to get out there. I think the quote "Insanity; doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" kinda 'inspired' me to kick my own ass and to keep on moving, or to at least shut the negative thoughts up. You can't indeed, just sit in your room all day long and expect things to change. (Again, that's what makes depression so hard to break through... Because of course, you won't magically feel better either when you do something. It's a slow process, so slow that it almost seems as if you aren't making any.) On the other hand it's hard to say, maybe the depression just became less intense and due to that I am able to do those things now. (Since it would be disrespectful to say that people with depression 'just gotta get out'... It's not that easy of course.)
 
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