For those suffering from depression

[SteakAndChips]

Hi

I wanted to share some understandings and ways through depression that I thought might help...

A good way of looking at depression when diagnosed may be to think in short term goals... see the pain and anxiety you are going through as temporary - see it day by day... Remember that your pain is real. Depression is an illness - just like asthma or heart disease is. You are not mad or crazy - you are just not well at the moment... If you had been in an accident and been injured you would recognise the pain and accept that in time you would heal. Believe that with depression too - with the right help - it is possible.

Looking ahead in long term goals can be as useful as looking in the short term. You can look forward to a happier life ahead when you have been treated and sorted through the problems you are encountering...

You don't have to do too much whilst you are feeling down. It's time to concentrate on YOU - other things can wait a lot of the time... You deserve the same comfort, compassion and support that any person who is unwell would need....

We are here whilst you are feeling depressed. Don't feel alone...


Love

Sarah
xx

 

[Abacus21]

This is a great post hun!

-Admins / Mods - maybe you should sticky this?

 

[thedeafmusician]

I also have to say that I agree and think that this is a great post.... definitely worth being stickied.

TDM

 

[SteakAndChips]

I glad you found it helpful

xx

 

[Jenny]

done

 

[BlackPegasus]

Good stuff. I'll keep those suggestions in mind. Might help me a bit.

Mia

 

[TheBLA]

Very good post, thank you for taking the time to post it. :biggrin:

 

[hard climb]

Feelin a little angry and crappy and down today, so I thought perhaps this might helps someone else. The source is NIMH. I intend to follow it myself. The thing I got from this is to not expect to get over the feeling immediately. Hugs to everyone.
---------------------------
HOW TO HELP YOURSELF IF YOU ARE DEPRESSED
Depressive disorders make one feel exhausted, worthless, helpless, and hopeless. Such negative thoughts and feelings make some people feel like giving up. It is important to realize that these negative views are part of the depression and typically do not accurately reflect the actual circumstances. Negative thinking fades as treatment begins to take effect. In the meantime:

Set realistic goals in light of the depression and assume a reasonable amount of responsibility.
Break large tasks into small ones, set some priorities, and do what you can as you can.
Try to be with other people and to confide in someone; it is usually better than being alone and secretive.
Participate in activities that may make you feel better.
Mild exercise, going to a movie, a ballgame, or participating in religious, social, or other activities may help.
Expect your mood to improve gradually, not immediately. Feeling better takes time.
It is advisable to postpone important decisions until the depression has lifted. Before deciding to make a significant transition—change jobs, get married or divorced—discuss it with others who know you well and have a more objective view of your situation.
People rarely "snap out of" a depression. But they can feel a little better day-by-day.
Remember, positive thinking will replace the negative thinking that is part of the depression and will disappear as your depression responds to treatment.
Let your family and friends help you.

 

[deadlyseneschal]

But what if the pain and anxiety is permanent? I'm sure it feels like that to alot of people, but what if it's really true. That's how it feels to me. I've reached conclusions about life that I can't go back on. There are truths that are so evident to me that mean life is not worth the trouble. What do goals, short term or long term, even matter?

 

[LunaSol]

Thank you for this thread.. it does help. Is just a matter of putting it into practice and following through it...

For me the difficult part will be finding someone to talk to..I am really lonely..

 

[black_rose_13]

Hi, that's some really great advice huni thanks alot xx

 

[i_am_not_here]

First of all, let me apologise. I am feeling more than a bit crappy and have been for... ooh... a long time.

Remember that your pain is real. Depression is an illness - just like asthma or heart disease is. You are not mad or crazy - you are just not well at the moment... If you had been in an accident and been injured you would recognise the pain and accept that in time you would heal. Believe that with depression too - with the right help - it is possible.

The difficulty for me, and I'm sure for many others too, is that with "an accident" you have a point, an identifiable (series of) event(s) that caused the injury. What is it that has caused my depression?

Looking ahead in long term goals can be as useful as looking in the short term. You can look forward to a happier life ahead when you have been treated and sorted through the problems you are encountering...

I don't see it. I can imagine a happier life ahead, but it's just a pipe-dream, so why "look forward" to it only to be disappointed?

Try to be with other people and to confide in someone; it is usually better than being alone and secretive.

Unless you're of a paranoid disposition, where you won't actually confide in people anyway... just in case.

Participate in activities that may make you feel better.

No shit, Sherlock!

Expect your mood to improve gradually, not immediately. Feeling better takes time.

Really? How much bloody time should I expect then?!

 

[iamadam]

I'm quite drunk so excuse me if i babble a bit. The way I see it, is, you've got to stop concentrating on the bad points and find the good in situations. Easier said than done, I DO appreciate that, but try to always look on the bright side of life. You're girlfriend leaves you...'She's not worth it'. You've got the sack...'You're too good for that place. You've never had a girlfriend..'You haven't found the right one'. I admit, it's all a bit cliché but the gist is valid. As the original post points out, depression is an illness. Just as asthma affects your lungs and eczma affects your skin, depression affects your brain. It's not a spiritual thing, it' 's totally biological. I know it appears spiritual at times but the thing you've got to understand is that medicine and therapy (meds and...erm..therapy if you prefer) DO help. Gettin the right combination can be a bastard, but once you've got it, things' will improve....I promise. As this forum implies, there are a lot of 'fucked-up people' out there. We aint REALLY, fucked up. If anything, we're normal. Everyone else is fucked up! You''ve got your plastics, and your people. We're all people. If people don't get us....they're plastic!

 

[Abacus21]

You''ve got your plastics, and your people. We're all people. If people don't get us....they're plastic!

Damn true, Iamadam.

Very very true indeed

 

[TheBLA]

I keep telling myself that being depression isn't going to solve my problems one bit, it only makes things worse, but still....sigh. I guess I have to shrug off my depression and actually try to solve my problems huh? Its easy to say but oh so hard to do! :sad:

 

[non_existence]

I think one possible way to deal with depression is to actually completely stop thinking about yourself and instead just concentrate on being beneficial to the lives of others.

 

[soul_searching2006]

I think one possible way to deal with depression is to actually completely stop thinking about yourself and instead just concentrate on being beneficial to the lives of others.

I have to disagree with you.. at least to a point. It may hide the depression and you may even feel great for a long while... but you cannot "completely" stop thinking about yourself... or eventually you are consumed by everyone and everything around you... and no longer are yourself or have an identity or value that you can recognize.

I only speak against this... because for me it is what happened... and now I am back to where I started and don't know how to fix it.

 

[10mg_existence]

The way I see it, is, you've got to stop concentrating on the bad points and find the good in situations. Easier said than done, I DO appreciate that, but try to always look on the bright side of life.

Sorry but I think one's inability to find the good in situations is why most of us are here in the first place. I look for the positive but it's no where to be found. The only reason i don't quit is b/c it would destroy my family. They're practically falling apart anyway.

Everything is depressing. Family. Job. Debt. Friends. Culture. Politics. Faith or lack thereof. And the worst of it is that I'm on drugs, undergoing "treatment" for my ills... without the drugs I'm dead tomorrow.

I wish I could hit the eject button and leave for a while. Maybe I could heal my wounds and come back a better equipped, happier person. Maybe not.

 

[Jolanta]

I was diagnosed as clinically depressed around 1987 and had my dx changed to bipolar in 1995 or so. Since then I have learned a few things, one of them being this.

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

Depression is an illness, like asthma or heart disease, but it feels like a weakness or a fatal flaw. It may be temporary but it can feel like forever.

The only thing that keeps me going is knowing how my husband would feel without me. Life is so pointless at times but I can't leave him alone intentionally. It would break his heart.

Just remember, depression is treatable and you can feel better. I know this.

 

[Abacus21]

Just something I was looking at today:
Advice about depression and how to treat it etc. click here

Advice for men: click here

Advice for Students (although it can be used for anybody and everybody) click here

Hope this helps