Hello, how do you guys cope with depression and anxiety? I’ve been struggling with this for years.
hi -mike---i think your concern ties into my self expression post--just a though but I think you bring out up great discussion topic
One of the ways I handle my depression/anxiety is to ask myself if the fears that brought about the bad feels are based in reality or not then I think about what the worst thing that could happen if the fear(s) were real. Generally, this is helpful.
Deep breaths, cry when you need to, remove yourself from triggering situations and people when you need to.
You are the best you there is, remember that.
If I eat sugar or white flour, I can feel that way. So, my suggestion is the book “Potatoes not Prozac.” It’s for sugar addicted or sugar sensitive people.
you mean diabetics? that's depressing !
Therapy is the only way. Depression and anxiety are symptoms. There's all sorts of conflicting advice for calming yourself down, getting past depression, and the like. Some will be helpful, some will be destructive. The only fix is to address the cause.
Gotta agree with @IronLemon therapy is the way to go, you gotta treat the cause. No one cam truly give you the correct advice since we are all different, that's why there are professionals for this stuff.
Seek professional help. It’s no different than if you had a broken leg or heart disease. You need a medical professional to assess your condition.
Music and walking has been helping me with my depression and anxiety
I agree with the others; if you can afford it, therapy is the best thing if you’re struggling with your mental health. I personally find EFT to be pretty helpful for anxiety.
First you need to know why you are depressed in the 1st place. Once you figure that out, go from there. Sometimes all you can do is let the time heal it, cut off whoever is causing it, seek therapy, or simply cry it out and occupy your time with a hobby.
@Jack62 No, I don’t mean diabetics. That is different. I’m not diabetic, I’m sugar sensitive. So when I eat sugar it can make me chemical imbalanced, which can make me feel anxious or depressed.
I treated with drugs and alcohol for a lot of years before I found out I was ADHD. After I started treating for ADHD the anxiety and depression got a lot better.
Hello! Thanks for the insight everyone. Much appreciated.
"Cope" is a strong word. I don't even aim for "cope".
I am fortunate that I was very clearly brought up to aim high and do my best. My dad, for example, never cared what grades I got in school: what he cared about was, did I do my best.
So, especially on bad days, I just do my best. In the long run this has helped - things are much better now than a few years ago.
@BriiBrii
First you need to know why you are depressed in the 1st place. Once you figure that out, go from there.
Alas, fifteen years of therapy (on and off) have not revealed the cause of my difficulties, and the consensus amongst the therapists is that we will never know. It is thought to come from the pre-language era, i.e. before I was two years old, so we can only make some guesses. In this regard I greatly envy those with known traumatic events in their past.
I agree with all the comments recommending therapy as important to be able to do if you can. It's vital to have that space to discuss how you're feeling, and to have a professional guide you as you both work towards solutions.
I'll add that group therapy, or any group that meets up to talk about their mental health, could be valuable too. What's available might vary based on where you live. But generally, there are some options both in person and online. And at times, those groups are even free, giving you the ability to attend more often. These groups have helped me to know that I'm not alone in going through depression, anxiety, etc. There's immense value in that.
There are different kinds of therapy too, and some are better for some people or certain situations.
CBT is like the standard talk therapy for things you remember and can talk about it.
EMDR can be used on things you don't remember IF you have bodily feelings and a suspicion that something happened.
Somatic therapy, especially somatic experiencing works 100% with the nervous system and body. You don't have to remember anything. They work with what your body and nervous system are presenting as symptoms.
I've done all 3 as well as others. None of them work 100% for me. I've found that having a spiritual component is crucial for me to be even ok, but I grew up in a cult like church, so even this is hard for me.
Also, relational therapeutic things like consent and boundary workshops where I get to practice standing up for myself are crucial too.
So is art for me. For others is exercise.
I find nothing does more than like 20% of the job. I just keep working at it.
DBT as well, I participated in it for my borderline personality disorder, but it was a waste, cause everyone in the group was too busy getting offended about everything so you couldn't even talk. A big thing that helps is having a routine, plus going to the gym, working out helps with a lot of issues.
There are indeed many types of talking therapy. However, with the exception of a few particular circumstances, they type of therapy doesn't matter very much. What matters is the therapist. As the profession sometimes says, "It's the relationship that heals."
Oh absolutely. I've been with them my whole life, so it can be hard to find a good one, I personally am always looking and trying new therapies, so I can take what works for me an apply to my everyday life. I believe everyone needs a therapist, especially people who bring trauma from passed relationships into a new ones. Now days though, especially where I am the mental health system is a joke and over worked, now its cool to have mental health issues, so you have all these people burdening and already burdened system. Going to the hospital for help isn't a guarantee either, I remember back in March when I tried killing myself police brought to the hospital and I was put in a crazy room. Sat there for a couple hours and I keep smelling something, I get up an I smell stale piss, look back an the bed has a wet spot where I was sitting, I'm like wtf, so I tell the staff and they accuse me of pissing myself so i show them hey this mattres is soaked in piss and they get pissy about it cause i call them out. Which instantly sent me into a rage, they talk to you like garbage and refuse to do their job. Luckily the one police officer was able to bring me back down. But this the reality, mental health is not taken seriously as much as they like to claim it is Sorry for my spiel.
I’m so sorry to hear you’re struggling with depression and anxiety. I found therapy really helped a lot but in the end I ended up needing medications. I still hope to get off of them eventually with the right diet and workout routine. That’s my hope. For now, I have to do what’s best for me, which is take the medication. Honestly, I’m better now than I’ve been my entire life. I had some bad experiences in the hospital but finally found a good mental health clinic. It took a lot of looking. You have to fight for your own wellbeing. I’m happy to see you asked here because it’s good to reach out. You’re welcome to message me if you ever need to talk.
I’ve enjoyed reading this thread. Thank you for creating it.
I’ve been dealing with depression/anxiety and grief for a while. I have a psychiatrist that I started seeing for medicine management. I talked to a therapist. I have friends who reach out to me if I ever need anything to talk about. Cuddling helps as well.
I have been suffering from depression and anxiety since I was a child. I started therapy when I was 14. As an adult I haven’t felt like therapy has helped me. (I don’t want to dismiss therapy for others though) I actually struggled mentally for many years needing to be hospitalized. It can feel like an endless loop to be at battle with yourself. I used to have suicide attempts so frequently, now it’s been about 4 years since I haven’t been hospitalized for a suicide attempt. What I would say has helped me the most is, using marijuana to treat both illnesses. And keeping myself busy, recharging my energy. And I’ll also do my absolute best to remove myself from anyone toxic or negative. Anything that puts my mood at risk of feeling depressed, I will separate myself from it. I hope you’re able to find ways to cope and feel at peace with yourself.
I’ve also came into acceptance that those things are a part of me. So if you really need to cry or have someone you trust to vent to, even writing things down, can be a huge help to release that energy that might be fogging up your thoughts.
Not sure if my advice would help, but I hope you do find comfort with the advice being shared
My depression makes me want to get a cuddle buddy, but my anxiety makes me not want to if that makes any sense.
@billiam Thanks for the insight!
I've been in therapy for about 7 years. It's been a process of slowly peeling back layers and discovering who I really am.
The thing is, the mind has all sorts of clever ways to protect itself, but some of those measures can be counterproductive to healing. Because a significant amount of trauma occurred in early childhood, I have a dissociative disorder known in the DSM as OSDD-1b and in the ICD as PDID. I have alters which work to protect me from any perceived threats in various ways. One of the ways is by locking away memories so I can't access them. I usually still know they're there, but I can't see them.
Right now it's actually a useful skill. We've peeled away so much, that a little poke causes old half-remembered trauma to come gushing up faster than I can process. I went to the hospital a couple of weeks ago because of that. My therapist and I are going to figure out a new approach, but I don't know what it will be yet. One (or possibly more) of my alters is very calm and logical, not subject to emotions. She usually knows what needs to be done. But she's still puzzling through this one.
I did try EMDR before, but it didn't work for me. Hypervigilance means the light bar didn't work because I was too good at tracking it without moving my eyes, even when it was right up close, almost against my face. There are other methods which involve overtaxing the working memory, but my particular brand of autism meant that my working memory could not be overtaxed. My processing would be overtaxed first, at which point a different alter would step in. Useful for protecting me, not useful for dealing with trauma.
I try to be open and honest about all this, because awareness is important.
Therapy is over-rated and costly if your insurance doesn't cover it. Years can go with no real progress. A lot of psychiatrists are pill pushers. I'm not anti pharma meds, but they are heavily over-prescribed. You could have a chemical imbalance that is causing your symptoms. Look at your family history, that can give you clues. Lot of this stuff runs in families. It's awful dealing with depression/anxiety. It sucks trying to find why you hurt.
@Midnight01 - Don't go to a psychiatrist. Go to a psychologist. Psychologists specialize solely in mental health treatment by providing talk therapy but can't prescribe meds.
I wish I could hug you all who are dealing with this. I know firsthand how hard it is. How unrelenting it can be.
@billiam Very much appreciate that. I would take that hug, and definitely offer hugs to anyone who needs or wants one. One thing I have really appreciated about this thread is that it's been supportive, as well as real understanding for how difficult the struggle is.
For me ——- Lots of therapy … box breathing … cold therapy (cold shower or cold face bath or ice on wrist, back of neck and inner elbow) … 333 technique (name 3 things you see 3 you hear and 3 things you touch) … microdose 🍄