Quote:
Originally Posted by MonkeyGrass View Post
Are you currently on meds for depression? (sorry, can't remember if you mentioned it) Sometimes they help take the "edge" off temporarily, so you can work through standing issues, like kyrielle mentioned. If it's the issues and beliefs that accompany them that are triggering depression, you might be able to come of the meds eventually without a hitch after gaining some coping tools.
I don't take medications for depression, since I don't suffer chronic depression. This is more of an extreme acute case, of which prescription strength drugs would probably only serve to create another addict. But I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of those coping tools you speak of. Care to share some from your own toolbox?
Mine would probably look a little different than yours, since our issues are likely different. I'll share anyway, in case you see something that sparks your interest!
One of my major triggers is the convergence of several failings/criticisms at once, and it causes a loop of "old" thoughts to play in my head..without self-disclosing too much, here, it basically sounds like, "You suck! You're not worthy of anyone's effort". Forming another opinion of yourself and inserting that into the repeated negative thought loop helps sometimes. Not power of positive thinking script, but something you actually believe to be true about yourself when in your right mind, such as: "I"m not perfect, but I am capable of XYZ".
Exercise. Even if I'm exhausted, sometimes, it helps.
Stopping myself and re-evaluating my expectations for that moment. If I'm attempting too much, of course I'm going to fail.
Mental imagery helps. I do a lot of envisioning myself capturing problems in a bubble and then popping them away. Or smashing negative thoughts with a hammer. Pushing refrigerators off of cliffs. Whatever floats your boat. Word to the wise: don't tell ppl your imagery. After it's been thoroughly laughed at with tears streaming down your listener's face, it tends to lose it's potency.
I give myself a healthy dumbo's feather. For me, it's the smell of lavender (I know, totally girly), this herbal stuff that's basically a few drops of vodka and something else, or acting like a complete loon. (In the past, unfortunately, it was less healthy: burning myself with hot metal. Not really so much a long-term solution there.
) I tell myself that whatever it is will provide instant emotional release, and sometimes, it actually works. Sometimes, fooling one's self can be pretty clever.