I'm a user with clinical depression. It's handled fairly well through medication, but as other users with depression know, there are still those occasions where you feel weak or low.
I do not feel that these moments pose any serious threat to my health, but they are not exactly a blast to deal with. Asking for advice from people around me usually results in the ol "count yer blessings" or the "think about all those people who are dying of cancer and aids" schticks. What I wanted to know was if there are any users out there that have meaningful coping techniques.
While I understand the replies I get may be specialized for the individual, there is the possibility they will give me some inspiration. Thank you for sharing what may be personal rituals.
Let me give you a little background about myself before I start giving advice.
For a good deal of my life I lived in chronic poverty, inhabiting a one-bedroom shack with no running water or electricity. My mom was severely mentally ill, and later became a full-blown drug addict that stole thousands from me and my grandmother, and she actually stole my grandmother's cancer medicine to get high. Since my grandmother died, I have no family because I disowned my mom. It gets really difficult at the holidays.
Back to your question. I try to have a goal and hobbies that keep me occupied. I try to get meaning through my employment, which is very intellectually stimulating. I play MTG as much as I can, but due to the bipolar disorder I spend a good chunk of my paycheck on MTG. I try to keep it in moderation now. I try to avoid situations that remind me of the family I used to have. I try to look forward to something.
I really recommend weekly therapy. There's nothing wrong with it, we all need help every now and then.
It would unfair to expect much if your depression markedly affects your attitude and mentality but a work ethic and the necessity to do things and move forward have been known to keep me chugging along.
I am still learning how to take things one step at a time and be patient, stopping to smell the flowers and appreciating the little things, and being thankful for things.
Whenever I get the blues, I try to reflect on what's going on and why. Then, I acknowledge what's going on and move on. If that doesn't work still, I'll go for a walk, play some music, or pester friends.
Exercise is actually a great way to increase serotonin in the brain, the chemical that regulates mood.
Something I wish I did more of. But I live in a state where it's 90 degrees one day and 32 the next. Where I live for 8 months of the year it hits 110 degrees
This is something I'm a little wary of. I haven't been to therapy since I was a minor seeing psychiatrists specializing with children.
I've never scheduled any sort of therapy as an adult and the one encounter I have had with group therapy was not a pleasant experience.
Group therapy is terrible. It's not something I endorse.
IMO, child psychiatrists rarely know what they're doing. I had one make racist remarks to me, and one compared me to Hannibal Lector because I was wearing headgear for my braces. I've had better luck with counselors. You'll know how good they are from your first impression.
Something I wish I did more of. But I live in a state where it's 90 degrees one day and 32 the next. Where I live for 8 months of the year it hits 110 degrees
You do it anyway.
If you don't do the hard yards, don't expect to get the distance. I'm not being harsh or insensitive; I'm telling the truth of it as plainly, simply and mechanistically as possible.
There's stuff like exercise, as I mentioned, which pretty much works for everyone, as well a good diet and sorted out lifestyle. If you can work out what gets you up and doing stuff or an existential purpose, that's great too.
Any general advice as to getting through the day is probably aided by an understanding of your depression, but we're probably not adequately equipped to deal with that or that interesting, I'm afraid. Though, all the best with battling it, mate.
Go outside and try gardening or mudd runs (if it ever rains in texas again). Playing in the dirt is the best mental help I can recommend. Also, pets help a lot. My wolf dog and 2 cats keep my happy and sane when my worst days hit. Lastly, Routinely hanging around friends who work and are successful. You reflect your surroundings and 9909 is right about routine. I am not an addict, but got a little depressed in graduate school.
Don't worry about the heat in texas when exercising. Try Cross/Fit. You can do a lot in a small space.
Find something to do with your hands that will occupy your mind. Whether it be models, or a craft of some type. once you find something you enjoy doing and care about depression starts to loose its grip on you. Take it from one that knows.
Exercise or keep your mind occupied. I recommend exercise more, as it helps self regulate. Get in the habit when you're not low and it'll be easier to keep going.
I would even buy some weights for your house (just small dumbells) for you to lift when you feel down. It doesn't have to be an intensive exercise, just enough to start getting some dopamine flowing. It'll help, just pick them up while feeling down and lift them for a while during a show or something.
Also, have you asked your psychiatrist for coping techniques? You should, he probably knows quite a few.
I have depression quite often. It's from my weight, my medication, and varies depending on the season. Depression never becomes wholly eliminated, but you can reduce its impact by following some simple rules:
1) Do routine exercise. You don't have to run a marathon or become a cross-fit buff, but try to do some cardio exercise for 20-30 minutes 2x-3x a week. It will help your brain, body, and mind in tremendous ways. What I do is I take my dogs for a walk 3 times a week for about 30 minutes around the block and through a local school's baseball field. Dogs get exercise, I get exercise, and everybody feels a lot better afterwards.
2) Eat better foods. Depending on where you live you might change your eating habits throughout the fall and winter seasons. I tend to eat more because of being indoors so much, but I've changed from eating too many heavy foods to eating an abundance of healthy foods. Some foods are better for your mood than others. I prefer to splurge on egg whites, lean meats and fish, fruits and vegetables, beans, and black coffee (no sugar/milk/sweetener added).
3) Have a conversation with somebody -- even if it's yourself. Talking out something that's on your mind is a healthy way to relieve burden, stress, and other things worrying you.
4) Get some natural sunlight. Natural sunlight aids with your body's Vitamin D deficiency and is a great way to elevate your mood.
5) Give yourself some alone time. Being around other people can be stressful. Sometimes you need to be alone and decompress. I do this daily by taking my lunch in my car and driving to a remote parking lot to eat. I read a book, listen to music, close my eyes for a little bit, and just relax. It resets my mood for the remainder of the day.
Achieve something every day. Today, I decided to finish Christmas shopping. The day before that I handled all my vacation paperwork. Tomorrow, I'm gonna do the kitchen. Being able to say you completed something makes the day feel unwasted, even when it took very little time, like vacation paperwork.
Do nice things for people expecting no reward. I can't tell myself I'm a failure at life if I made someone else have a slightly better one. It also will turn into an unexpected reward now and then, which is always a bit uplifting.
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I have major depression, diagnosed when I was twelve (I'm 24 now). "Exercise" is good advice, but it's not the be-all end-all that non-depressed-exercisers make it out to be.
As David Foster Wallace says in Infinite Jest, depression isn't a state, it's a feeling. At least for me, even when I'm happy, I know it's always there, just waiting to come back to the surface.
Accomplishing things is a good goal, but can be double-edged. When I'm really depressed, I've found that I do my best writing. The downside is that, if I don't get anything written, I feel terrible for not having done anything.
I try to keep myself doing anything that I can remotely construe as productive. Reading a novel that a friend lent me. If I'm too depressed to concentrate on a novel, reading the news and learning about some issue I hadn't learned about before. If I can't write anything, trying to jot down an outline, or even a turn of phrase.
I don't have this figured out, obviously. It's extremely helpful for me to have friends that I know I can talk to about it. People who, when they ask how I am, I don't feel the need to say "fine." People to whom I can say, "I'm really depressed."
2) Eat better foods. Depending on where you live you might change your eating habits throughout the fall and winter seasons. I tend to eat more because of being indoors so much, but I've changed from eating too many heavy foods to eating an abundance of healthy foods. Some foods are better for your mood than others. I prefer to splurge on egg whites, lean meats and fish, fruits and vegetables, beans, and black coffee (no sugar/milk/sweetener added).
Essentially, "don't eat crap". OK.
The precise effect of coffee is unresolved, but it is suggested that coffee exacerbates depression or foul moods.
4) Get some natural sunlight. Natural sunlight aids with your body's Vitamin D deficiency and is a great way to elevate your mood.
Leaps in logic.
OP did not imply or state any hypovitaminosis D. Nothing is consistent with this.
The precise effect of coffee is unresolved, but it is suggested that coffee exacerbates depression or foul moods.
I'm not saying to drink coffee to counteract depression, but it's a well known fact that coffee is consumed to give a person energy. It was more of a suggestion to remove any unnecessary additives to what you're eating/drinking. More specifically I used to add milk, sugar, and cream to my coffee. This compounded the effects of sugar in addition to the caffeine. I drink one cup in the morning and that's all I need. The rest of the day I snack on things like raw almonds, fruits, and vegetables to keep me going.
OP did not imply or state any hypovitaminosis D. Nothing is consistent with this.
Again, it's a well known fact that natural sunlight exposure aids with vitamin D production -- it was not meant to imply that the OP had anything. I'll rephrase to accommodate: "Natural sunlight aids with a body's Vitamin D deficiency and is a great way to elevate a person's mood." Is that satisfactory?
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
Ie Fake till you make it. I smile stupidly when I remember to (ie those dark feelings creep in), and it always helps me. I tell my kids the same thing when they have the frownies.
I'll echo pets. I think the fact that I haven't had a cat for about 3 years now (I had had the same cat my entire life until then, almost 19 years) is a major factor in why I've had some depression - undiagnosed but don't roll your eyes too hard, there are some obvious symptoms.
It's pretty surprising how nice it is to just sit and pet a cat for a while sometimes.
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Having pets around the house has drastically helped with my manic depressiveness and anxiety. I will second on exercise for everyone who has said it. You start to feel better about yourself and it helps you mellow out. Keeping busy has helped me a lot with it all.
Also, changing up my musical preferences from time has helped me a lot, too. It was something they told me in therapy that never really thought about before. I listen to House/Techno if I am feeling especially out of it.
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I actually have a dog, and while I love her, I'm not comforted by her when I am feeling depressed. Maybe it's because of the nature of my depression, which has never been triggered by loneliness or desire for companionship and has never been soothed by others. It's usually triggered by a worry that I will never reach the standard I have set for myself. I think some of the suggestions such as trying to accomplish small goals might be useful, although I am worried that with my personality I might trivialize myself for taking joy in those things.
Thank you to everyone for your suggestions though, and for sharing some of your stories. It's not always easy to talk about.
I actually have a dog, and while I love her, I'm not comforted by her when I am feeling depressed. Maybe it's because of the nature of my depression, which has never been triggered by loneliness or desire for companionship and has never been soothed by others. It's usually triggered by a worry that I will never reach the standard I have set for myself. I think some of the suggestions such as trying to accomplish small goals might be useful, although I am worried that with my personality I might trivialize myself for taking joy in those things.
As a rule of thumb, stress release works regardless of the source of stress. I guess it's just not as effective for you as it is for some of us.
So if you can find something that helps you relieve stress by any means it will probably help to at least some extent.
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"Virtue, Jacques, is an excellent thing. Both good people and wicked people speak highly of it..."
It's usually triggered by a worry that I will never reach the standard I have set for myself. I think some of the suggestions such as trying to accomplish small goals might be useful, although I am worried that with my personality I might trivialize myself for taking joy in those things.
My brother has something similar, and I have something similar, though mine never quite led me to feel depressed (though I certainly act like it to other people, apparently). It has plagued him and led him to do a number of very stupid things. It has prevented me from doing a lot of things that I should have done because I feared that I'll fail/not reach the standard that I wanted to.
The only recommendation I can give is- fail intentionally, and then see that the consequences are not as dire as you might think. You need to get over that fear or else it will prevent you from doing much to begin with.
Smile. When you're walking down the street and you make eye contact with someone, give them a quick smile. It'll make them feel better and make you feel better.
Also, talk to someone. When things are good, when things are bad, talk. If you don't have anyone to talk to, PM me and I'll give you my phone number.
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I do not feel that these moments pose any serious threat to my health, but they are not exactly a blast to deal with. Asking for advice from people around me usually results in the ol "count yer blessings" or the "think about all those people who are dying of cancer and aids" schticks. What I wanted to know was if there are any users out there that have meaningful coping techniques.
While I understand the replies I get may be specialized for the individual, there is the possibility they will give me some inspiration. Thank you for sharing what may be personal rituals.
For a good deal of my life I lived in chronic poverty, inhabiting a one-bedroom shack with no running water or electricity. My mom was severely mentally ill, and later became a full-blown drug addict that stole thousands from me and my grandmother, and she actually stole my grandmother's cancer medicine to get high. Since my grandmother died, I have no family because I disowned my mom. It gets really difficult at the holidays.
Back to your question. I try to have a goal and hobbies that keep me occupied. I try to get meaning through my employment, which is very intellectually stimulating. I play MTG as much as I can, but due to the bipolar disorder I spend a good chunk of my paycheck on MTG. I try to keep it in moderation now. I try to avoid situations that remind me of the family I used to have. I try to look forward to something.
I really recommend weekly therapy. There's nothing wrong with it, we all need help every now and then.
2. Routine.
It would unfair to expect much if your depression markedly affects your attitude and mentality but a work ethic and the necessity to do things and move forward have been known to keep me chugging along.
I am still learning how to take things one step at a time and be patient, stopping to smell the flowers and appreciating the little things, and being thankful for things.
Whenever I get the blues, I try to reflect on what's going on and why. Then, I acknowledge what's going on and move on. If that doesn't work still, I'll go for a walk, play some music, or pester friends.
This is something I'm a little wary of. I haven't been to therapy since I was a minor seeing psychiatrists specializing with children.
I've never scheduled any sort of therapy as an adult and the one encounter I have had with group therapy was not a pleasant experience.
Something I wish I did more of. But I live in a state where it's 90 degrees one day and 32 the next. Where I live for 8 months of the year it hits 110 degrees
Group therapy is terrible. It's not something I endorse.
IMO, child psychiatrists rarely know what they're doing. I had one make racist remarks to me, and one compared me to Hannibal Lector because I was wearing headgear for my braces. I've had better luck with counselors. You'll know how good they are from your first impression.
You do it anyway.
If you don't do the hard yards, don't expect to get the distance. I'm not being harsh or insensitive; I'm telling the truth of it as plainly, simply and mechanistically as possible.
There's stuff like exercise, as I mentioned, which pretty much works for everyone, as well a good diet and sorted out lifestyle. If you can work out what gets you up and doing stuff or an existential purpose, that's great too.
Any general advice as to getting through the day is probably aided by an understanding of your depression, but we're probably not adequately equipped to deal with that or that interesting, I'm afraid. Though, all the best with battling it, mate.
Don't worry about the heat in texas when exercising. Try Cross/Fit. You can do a lot in a small space.
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I would even buy some weights for your house (just small dumbells) for you to lift when you feel down. It doesn't have to be an intensive exercise, just enough to start getting some dopamine flowing. It'll help, just pick them up while feeling down and lift them for a while during a show or something.
Also, have you asked your psychiatrist for coping techniques? You should, he probably knows quite a few.
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1) Do routine exercise. You don't have to run a marathon or become a cross-fit buff, but try to do some cardio exercise for 20-30 minutes 2x-3x a week. It will help your brain, body, and mind in tremendous ways. What I do is I take my dogs for a walk 3 times a week for about 30 minutes around the block and through a local school's baseball field. Dogs get exercise, I get exercise, and everybody feels a lot better afterwards.
2) Eat better foods. Depending on where you live you might change your eating habits throughout the fall and winter seasons. I tend to eat more because of being indoors so much, but I've changed from eating too many heavy foods to eating an abundance of healthy foods. Some foods are better for your mood than others. I prefer to splurge on egg whites, lean meats and fish, fruits and vegetables, beans, and black coffee (no sugar/milk/sweetener added).
3) Have a conversation with somebody -- even if it's yourself. Talking out something that's on your mind is a healthy way to relieve burden, stress, and other things worrying you.
4) Get some natural sunlight. Natural sunlight aids with your body's Vitamin D deficiency and is a great way to elevate your mood.
5) Give yourself some alone time. Being around other people can be stressful. Sometimes you need to be alone and decompress. I do this daily by taking my lunch in my car and driving to a remote parking lot to eat. I read a book, listen to music, close my eyes for a little bit, and just relax. It resets my mood for the remainder of the day.
Hope this advice helps.
Do nice things for people expecting no reward. I can't tell myself I'm a failure at life if I made someone else have a slightly better one. It also will turn into an unexpected reward now and then, which is always a bit uplifting.
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As David Foster Wallace says in Infinite Jest, depression isn't a state, it's a feeling. At least for me, even when I'm happy, I know it's always there, just waiting to come back to the surface.
Accomplishing things is a good goal, but can be double-edged. When I'm really depressed, I've found that I do my best writing. The downside is that, if I don't get anything written, I feel terrible for not having done anything.
I try to keep myself doing anything that I can remotely construe as productive. Reading a novel that a friend lent me. If I'm too depressed to concentrate on a novel, reading the news and learning about some issue I hadn't learned about before. If I can't write anything, trying to jot down an outline, or even a turn of phrase.
I don't have this figured out, obviously. It's extremely helpful for me to have friends that I know I can talk to about it. People who, when they ask how I am, I don't feel the need to say "fine." People to whom I can say, "I'm really depressed."
The precise effect of coffee is unresolved, but it is suggested that coffee exacerbates depression or foul moods.
Leaps in logic.
OP did not imply or state any hypovitaminosis D. Nothing is consistent with this.
I don't disagree with the rest.
Besides other mechanisms, looking at cute animals or babies and being silly helps too!
Schedule your day, which, I guess, is similar to routine and purpose.
OP, what do you even do? What would be different if you weren't depressed?
I'm not saying to drink coffee to counteract depression, but it's a well known fact that coffee is consumed to give a person energy. It was more of a suggestion to remove any unnecessary additives to what you're eating/drinking. More specifically I used to add milk, sugar, and cream to my coffee. This compounded the effects of sugar in addition to the caffeine. I drink one cup in the morning and that's all I need. The rest of the day I snack on things like raw almonds, fruits, and vegetables to keep me going.
Again, it's a well known fact that natural sunlight exposure aids with vitamin D production -- it was not meant to imply that the OP had anything. I'll rephrase to accommodate: "Natural sunlight aids with a body's Vitamin D deficiency and is a great way to elevate a person's mood." Is that satisfactory?
Let yourself get trippy with your imagination, stimulated by the above.
Stimulate the senses. Take in the pleasures of being alive. It's so damn good.
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Ie Fake till you make it. I smile stupidly when I remember to (ie those dark feelings creep in), and it always helps me. I tell my kids the same thing when they have the frownies.
It's pretty surprising how nice it is to just sit and pet a cat for a while sometimes.
Also, changing up my musical preferences from time has helped me a lot, too. It was something they told me in therapy that never really thought about before. I listen to House/Techno if I am feeling especially out of it.
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Pauper
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Thank you to everyone for your suggestions though, and for sharing some of your stories. It's not always easy to talk about.
So if you can find something that helps you relieve stress by any means it will probably help to at least some extent.
My brother has something similar, and I have something similar, though mine never quite led me to feel depressed (though I certainly act like it to other people, apparently). It has plagued him and led him to do a number of very stupid things. It has prevented me from doing a lot of things that I should have done because I feared that I'll fail/not reach the standard that I wanted to.
The only recommendation I can give is- fail intentionally, and then see that the consequences are not as dire as you might think. You need to get over that fear or else it will prevent you from doing much to begin with.
Also, talk to someone. When things are good, when things are bad, talk. If you don't have anyone to talk to, PM me and I'll give you my phone number.
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Modern: Infect, UW Eldrazi