Depression

[Krutch]

Anyone feel like sharing how they suffered through depression and survived?

[pennydreadful]

I'm still working on my first coffee of the morning so not up for a proper post regarding this, but if you're having a hard time with depression and want advice (or just to vent), there's a number of peeps in the After Dark section who have mental illnesses (myself included) and talk about stuff there. You can hit Leo656 up for an invite if you like.

If you're really going through the sh*ts and you need someone to talk to, you're also welcome to PM me. Honestly, that goes for anyone on these boards - even the people I'm not friendly with. Depression is the great equalizer - even if I think someone here is a complete wad (or does a really good imitation of one), I've got enough compassion to still give them a few hours out of my day to just listen to them, if it meant they wouldn't kill themselves. Petty differences aside, we're all people.

[plastroncafe]

I've elected not to join the After Dark group, because I find that I'm crap at helping other depressives. Cards on the table: I find dealing with depressives to be triggering, so...please keep this in mind should I just suddenly NOT respond anymore.

(ie: don't take it personally.)

I've yet to "suffer through" depression, because for me it's not something that has an endpoint so much as it is a wave with various crests and troughs.
I survive by means of talk/cognitive therapy, and just generally being fed up with my own sh!t.
(seriously, the only thing worse than having depression, is KNOWING you have depression...because then when it feels like the world is made of nothing but SUCK, there's one tiny, rational part of your brain that'll say: this is all in your head.)

What works best for me is stability, so because of that I try to keep to a schedule. I make all kinds of lists, even track my sleep and activities on an RPG style To Do app on my phone. I try to keep moving, and make sure to go easy on myself should things not quite go according to plan.

Jogging helped. Cycling is great. Daily yoga. I used to box.

Knowing your trigger points is also helpful.
For instance, winter is usually worse for me. It's the great combination of less sunlight and more interactions with my family that does it. So in the winter I take Vitamin D supplements, and practice mindful breathing more.

Unfortunately your mileage is going to vary, and everything I've just said could mean absolute bupkiss for you. Just keep trying something until you find a formula that works for you. And then be kind when it doesn't work quite as well as it used to...because, that'll happen sometimes too.

Just don't give up.

[ProactiveMan]

Cognitive therapy works for me. If you can get into the habit, the longer you stick to it the easier life seems to get. I was a total mess in my late teens and 20s, but the ability to contextualize events in my day to day life has made me more confident that I can deal with stuff as it comes. Confidence helps me relax and I think that makes me happier.

Exercise really does help too, but it's important to have other strategies, otherwise getting sick or injured will make you miserable.

[Netkeeper]

Leo's group is called the Despair Faction, not After Dark -- that's Penny's NSFW group. Pretty sure the DF is what you want, but AD has a lot of overlap so you can go there too.

I am terrible at helping other people with depression. I've had it since puberty and it's probably never going away. Just a fact of life. I'm on antidepressants now but I'm still in that awkward waiting-for-them-to-work period.

[PangolinFeets]

Exercise always helps me feel better, more energized, and less anxious. Eating better helps too. There's actually a good amount of research (not articles from Huffpost, peer-reviewed research articles), to show that exercise is the most effective treatment for depression due to it being cheap, low side-effect, and providing almost immediate relief. Exercise also doesn't tend to plateau, like most medication regiments do. And it can be modified for almost any body type or condition so the only excuse you can have is that you haven't found the right exercise for you yet (Or don't have the time)
My favorite is just walking outside in green areas. Try finding local hiking or walking trails and just walking around in the woods for a while. It's a really great feeling.


I'm definitely depressed now. I've also never suffered anxiety attacks before so that's a new awful thing for me too. My new job, combined with being a full-time grad student gives me absolutely no free time and I am having a really hard time handling it. I have a ton of pressure on me to get so much done and maintain what needs to get done that I feel like I'm losing my mind. Thankfully, things are starting to calm down now, but I still feel like I never get to do anything for myself anymore. I live with my boyfriend and I have two roommates and I see them maybe once or twice a week for a few hours because we all work and I either have work to catch up on or schoolwork to finish. And I always miss out on parties and hanging out and that's really starting to wear on me. I think if I had the time to work out again, it'd be different. I need to find a gym with wifi so I can just do my homework on a dang treadmill.
Like, it's Saturday, but I've already been up for the past six hours trying to finish homework so that I can finish the work that I wasn't able to finish at work this week so that I have time to study for my test Sunday and maybe get time to see my boyfriend tonight.
I don't know how people do it with kids.

[shuriken]

Last time I felt depressed was over the summer when I split from my girlfriend of 3 years. Exercise, bike riding, reading and writing help.

[Prowler]

Never been diagnosed with it, but there's been times in the last few years that I've wondered if I wasn't near it. I was feeling pretty down and apathetic around 2013 and 2014. Fortunately, I seem to have picked up a bit in the last 10-12 months and I hope I continue improving myself.

Find ways to keep yourself occupied and entertained, like a hobby or project, and try to socialize on a daily basis. Don't just alienate yourself from society. That's awful for your well-being.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

I used to suffer from depression as a teen but no longer.

I found that the root cause was a belief that I was not good enough. In a consumerist society where people seek validation via material things, college degrees, incomes, having children amd even anti depressants etc, it is easy to trick yourself into believing that you are not sufficent if you do not obtain whats considered to be good.

I used to feel like being swallowed by darkness and i believed i had a chemical imbalance, until i changed my perspective. Everything was filtered through my mind and I made my mind believe that I was content regardless of the situation. Now, I can be in the worst situation with the worst of pain, but my mind would never self-loathe or lose its inner peace.

This is precisely why many faiths and religions are so fufilling and many believers can go to incredible extents and not be phazed by material circumstances. There was a monk in south vietnam who sacrificed himself via self immolation in order to protest the persecution of buddhists by the christian dominated government. He got burned to death, but never moved a muscle while meditating and calmly left this world in a state of compassion and peace. There was another monk, name I cant remember, who spent 33 years in chinese prisons for protesting for tibet's independance. The man suffered all sorts of hellish torture, from being held upsode down outside in the coldest of days, having scalding water thrown on his head and being hit with large rods that knocked him unconscious. Yet, the man never held a grudge against his torturers and still lives by the values of peace and forgiveness.

The best advice I can give to depressed people is to believe and have faith in themselves no matter what others say because it all ultimately comes down to your beliefs and perceptions about the world around you. I know i may get heavily criticised for prioritizing it over anti depressants and what not, but ask yourself? Do I believe and have faith in myself at all times, especially when the world doesn't bow down to your will?

[plastroncafe]

I'm glad you found something that worked for you.

[Netkeeper]

Yeah religion isn't going to work like cases like mine.

Mine's gotten worse. I'm absolutely sure of that. I see a doctor in a couple days so I'm going to see what can be done about that. But I don't really have any hope left at this point since I've been depressed since I was around 11 or 12 years old and that's so many years I'll never have back. Years that I'll never get to live as myself, not the self that's plagued by mental illness.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

Yeah religion isn't going to work like cases like mine.

Mine's gotten worse. I'm absolutely sure of that. I see a doctor in a couple days so I'm going to see what can be done about that. But I don't really have any hope left at this point since I've been depressed since I was around 11 or 12 years old and that's so many years I'll never have back. Years that I'll never get to live as myself, not the self that's plagued by mental illness.

You'll only believe in your contentment if you had the years you wanted? Would you be content if you had 1, 2 or 10 years given back to you? Where's the exact standard and why not believe you are complete regardless of the circumstances? Not believing in yourself if you don't get what you want is not going to bring anything back, and basing your beliefs regarding your well being on the fluctuating physical world will only result in disaster because the world doesn't attend to our whims or care about us.

Go and see your doctor, sure, I would never stop you from doing that, but for a minute, I advise you to try and believe in yourself and disassociate yourself from the illusion of control.

And about mental illness, I am by no means denying it, but think about this, Whats the exact standard of being 'ill'? A behavior that is seen abnormal in one society is perfectly normal in another. Behaviours in the past like homosexuality were not seen as normal but now are accepted. Similar, behaviours like depression and schizophrenia might have been accepted in the past as normal occurences but are now seen as a problem to be eliminated from society because they do not fit with in the western norms of life.

The point I am trying to make is, society at large has influenced you regarding what you believe is fine or not for yourself. All societies have had their people base their self worth on things like whether they had a "perfect" childhood, a "good education", financial "security comfort" and what not. I advise you to practice non-attachment and not believe that any of these things affect you personally. In short, do not shape your perceptions of self-worth on the material world and try to legitimately believe and have faith in yourself no matter what stands in your way. It worked for Palden Gyasto, so it might work for you if you give it a try

I wish you the very best for the doctor's visit and regardless of whether i am fully right or dead wrong, I have the best of intentions for you or anyone going through this. Peace

[Netkeeper]

I will admit, I was wary of what you had to say since I'm unfamiliar with you as a person and I've been exposed to a lot of people trying to talk to me as if they're fully 100% aware of every condition in my personal life, but you didn't do any of that so thanks.

But yeah, I would be okay with getting about ten years back, if it meant I could still carry the knowledge I have with me now. Because I really think I could have gotten help sooner if I'd sought the help properly instead of distrusting it or acting aggressive.

I mean, it's impossible so there's no real point talking about it, but good god I ****ed up so bad. Well, I mean, it's not my fault at all, but I could have taken charge and tried to look after myself. Instead I didn't and turned away so much.