How do you fight depression? - Let's help each other

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Sometimes, part of the problem is worrying too much about things we don't really have any control over. Something crappy has happened - can you do anything to change it? No? Then stop worrying about it. What is worrying going to do? It's only going to make you miserable, and you'll have neglected the things that you care about and yourself as a result.

Instead, focus on what you can control. Figure out what you want from life, what you value, and take the steps that you can to accomplish this.

And accept as well that you aren't going to be happy all of the time, or even a lot of the time - who truly is? There's always going to be something along the way to put a damper on your mood... that's just life for you. So why strive for something that's impossible? Rather, accept that there will be both good times and bad. We can't understand one without knowing the other, after all. It's quite freeing realising this, and it helped me to appreciate the good times even more.

You might find that this book helps you. (Mobi file for Kindle users.) I'm not big on self-help books normally, but I found it helped me to think about things in a less neurotic way, giving me a new and more useful perspective and basis for tackling issues and problems I experience.

To give a basic example - and I think the book may even use this as an example - if I'm going to be late to work because of traffic, and there's nothing I can do to change that, should I get angry and frustrated about this? Will ranting and raving achieve anything other than prolong my being pissed off? Will it get me to work any sooner? No, so why put myself into that state, when I could just use the time to listen to some music I like or catch up on a podcast I enjoy? I'm still going to be late either way, so may as well make the most of it.

You do get less neurotic as you age, too, so things will get better with time regardless. Keep on and at it, frens.
 

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I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but if you have to keep yourself constantly occupied to distract from the unbearable reality of your own existence, doesn't that seem to indicate something important?

Like it's been said before, depression often happens when you operate under the idea that you are powerless and/or unable to change for some reason. This is why depression is tricky to get rid of, because rational thought is replaced with endless dooming.

When that happens, I simply debate if what I thought was rooted in reality or not. If it is, I act to make sure it's not anymore. Thus, my personal issues require action. Not because I want to escape reality, but because I want it to be better.

I admit it's a very simple way of looking at things, but it's very liberating.
 
Well alcohol and hard narcotics tend to be a popular and effective way to fight depression
That's a very bad advice. Alcohol causes the same processes in the brain as depression. No wonder I've always hated drinking.

I keep myself busy to distract myself from the mental noise and the exhaustion.
That's actually a thing I can recommend too. Working around the house always helps.

Start exercising.
I already do and from my personal experience it can make things worse. When shit hits the fan it's better not to go overboard with lifting, since it fucks nervous system further. Everything is good in right amounts.
 
That's a very bad advice. Alcohol causes the same processes in the brain as depression. No wonder I've always hated drinking.


That's actually a thing I can recommend too. Working around the house always helps.


I already do and from my personal experience it can make things worse. When shit hits the fan it's better not to go overboard with lifting, since it fucks nervous system further. Everything is good in right amounts.
Of course. That’s why I specifically stress the importance of low-intensity but regular exercise - because if that’s all you can maintain, it’s still significantly better than nothing at all.
 
Before you do anything else, before you pay money to tell a stranger how fucked up you are, before you start popping 5 different pills a day, try living a healthy life.
Eat healthy (lean meat, fish, eggs, raw vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, vitamin supplements, drink only water), exercise regularly (30 minutes per day is a solid start), sleep 7-ish hours per day and do your best to go to sleep at the same hour.

Several people told me that it doesn't work but when you ask those people, they never tried living this way.
They would rather get drunk, high or take something made by Pfizer to feel good instead of trying to treat their bodies better... because the brain is totally not connected to the rest of the body and the way you live and the food you eat totally doesn't affect the way your brain works in any way.

Have something to keep you going.
I've got so many things I want to do, I'll be like 63 before I'm done and by then, I'll probably want to rest a bit... or I'll have more stuff to do by then.
A lot of very successful people become successful partially thanks to depression because they fight it by getting shit done.

Do stuff with other people.
Don't just sit at home alone all the time.
Even if you're an introvert, some human contact every now and then is important.

I think those will help with majority of depression.
Some of it is caused by trauma or some brain anomaly but the most isn't.
Most depression is the result of how we treat ourselves.
 
I'm trying to get through some tough mental shit right now. Not gonna powerlevel all over here but I should have been hospitalized and instead just plugged along because "I need to go to work tomorrow." That being said, having a good work family definitely helps if you can make one for yourself. It gives you something to look forward to go to every day. The other thing I've done is gotten back into crocheting. I'm making my mother a blanket with a really dense stitch to keep me busy. Whenever I catch myself idling at home I force myself to work on it.

Something else that absolutely does help, like everyone has said, is working out. I go to circuit classes whenever I can make it in. We all have a blast chatting away while we work out so the hour long classes fly by. Classmates make fantastic therapists and pals.
 
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I think, I've found the ultimate motivation for everyone interested.
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Exercise, eating healthy food and getting a good sleep work wonders. Last but not least if you can get some good weed that too can help with upplifting your spirits.
 
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NoReturn's patented depression attack plan:
  1. Drink more water
  2. Get more sun/Vitamin D
  3. Fix food
  4. Fix bed
  5. Lift heavy objects at least once a week and put them back down again
All this is easier said than done, so do take it seriously. If you have tried them all, really and honestly tried them all, choose your add-ons:
  • Take an honest inventory of the things that suck in your life. What sucks about them? Ignore all the stuff that you wish you had or things you imagine might be better (e.g. "I'd be happier if I lived in [X]") and just evaluate what blows now. See what you can do to make it suck less, or replace/remove it from your life entirely.
  • Take a dabble into Zen Buddhism (I recommend the book "Zen Speaks: Shouts of Nothingness" because it has pictures, and that makes it easier to read when you're feeling shit.)
  • SSRIs work for people who need them, but treat them with the severity they deserve. They aren't happy pills and they shouldn't be treated as an easy answer.
Spoilering this one because it's dumb, but it works.
Figure out what you really, really want.
A lot of time people will wish for things, or even bust their ass working towards things that aren't want they want, they just think that thing is the way to get what they want.
To do this, imagine you're dealing with a malicious genie or a monkey paw.
E.g. You might say "I wish I had a million dollars." and the genie would say "Ok, you have a million dollars, but I've also adjusted inflation and that million is now only worth however much money you had before you made the wish."
You didn't want a million dollars, you wanted whatever you planned to buy with that million.
 
Spoilering this one because it's dumb, but it works.
Figure out what you really, really want.
A lot of time people will wish for things, or even bust their ass working towards things that aren't want they want, they just think that thing is the way to get what they want.
To do this, imagine you're dealing with a malicious genie or a monkey paw.
E.g. You might say "I wish I had a million dollars." and the genie would say "Ok, you have a million dollars, but I've also adjusted inflation and that million is now only worth however much money you had before you made the wish."
You didn't want a million dollars, you wanted whatever you planned to buy with that million.
I hear this a lot, but it makes no sense to me. If I could identify anything I "really, really want", I'd be out pursuing that thing - that seems self-evident.

It's the very fact of not being able to find anything I want (along with feeling unsatisfied after acquiring the trappings that most other people seem to want) that causes a problem.
 
I hear this a lot, but it makes no sense to me. If I could identify anything I "really, really want", I'd be out pursuing that thing - that seems self-evident.

It's the very fact of not being able to find anything I want (along with feeling unsatisfied after acquiring the trappings that most other people seem to want) that causes a problem.
Then you're already ahead of the game. For a lot of people this isn't the case. You'd be surprised how many people haven't reached that point yet, or never reach it at all.
It's absolutely a piece of advice you can discard if you're past it.
 
I take vitamin B and D and try to make time for myself to go outside, especially when it’s cooler outside. I’ve also learned that eating better has helped a lot as well.
 
Walking and reading has helped me quite a bit recently.
Walking or running is a great way to stop caring about things and just live in the moment. More people should just go on a jog or take a walk through a trail if they ever feel the need to step away from society and just not care about anything except moving forward.
 
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Start exercising.

It doesn’t have to be anything hardcore. If you’re particularly out of shape, even just walking for half an hour a day and doing some basic dumbbell exercises with 5lb weights is a good start to get a routine going.

A lot of depression revolves around feeling powerless to change anything about your situation, and I think physical exercise is one of the best ways to internalize that your effort will see near-immediate improvements. While you’re not gonna get ripped in a month, what you WILL see is a rapid increase in the amount and intensity of exercise you’re able to handle. After a week or two working out with 5lb weights, you’ll notice that suddenly that five pounds doesn’t feel so heavy anymore, and it provides a very natural path of progression for you to move forward (e.g. add 5 pounds). For the autists, it’s literally like leveling up your muscles in real life, complete with a number value to go along with it.

Unless you’re literally bedbound and dying from cancer-AIDS, regular physical activity no matter how low-intensity WILL benefit you.

Being outside will also help with your mood, especially on nice sunny days. Taking walks in areas with lots of nature or animals is also good.
 
I don't know. Sometimes I think I will better off dead. Everyday it is a struggle with my PTSD and schizophrenia but I force a smile on my face as my cousin took his own life and my family don't won't to bury another relative. For them I stay strong but everyday I have that voice that tells me to just end it already.
 
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