Re: How do you handle depression?
Reply #206 - June 02, 2012, 12:55 AM
I've been depressed for most of my life, but didn't know I had depression until some 7 years ago I think, when I was first diagnosed. I'm sure I was depressed as a kid, as I started having suicidal thoughts at the age of 8.
How I handle it is to keep going even when you can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Faking it 'till you make it. Grab a hold of something in your life that even resembles positive even if you can't see anything that seems positive and just hold onto life with the decision that even though it all seems gloomy and horrible, that it won't last forever.
Before I had my kids it would be other things, like when I was a teen the positive thing I'd hold onto was day-dreaming about my dream-life (aka not so fucking sucky life) and I'd build it and build it and build it in my head until it felt real. I'd day dream that one day I'd get to live in a house with flowers everywhere, and that I'd have real nice clothes like those pretty girls who walked around in the shopping centre, and that I'd live on my own with no other people around and go to university, and I'd have these cool friends who'd come around to visit and we'd all drink milk-shakes together. I knew at the time that it was unlikely I would ever get to do/have those things (little did I know), but it helped me keep going as it was something to hold onto, something to help me survive.
When that wouldn't work (wouldn't make me feel better), I'd do maths in my head over and over and over again, basic maths like multiplication or addition. Or I'd memorize different things over and over and over again. I'd set myself challenges so that I could distract myself from the nightmare I was living in.
After I had my kids, it's been my kids that have kept me going. I have to live for them, so I have to fight depression every step of the way and keep going, keep living, keep hoping, keep faking it 'till I make it, as my kids need a strong and healthy mum who keeps going.
Seeing a professional if you can, and if one professional sucks, then finding another.
Taking meds, every individual is different so different meds work for different people. Keep trying with meds until one works. I've gone through quite a few now and finally found one that actually works (the one I'm on now).
Doing things that you normally enjoy when not depressed or less depressed, doing them even when you are at your lowest as it is something that will help you get through despite feeling awful.
Getting some sunlight on your skin.
Going with the flow and not expecting too much of one self, don't beat oneself up about being so depressed, 'cause depression is a part of so many people's lives and is not one's fault, instead of beating oneself up about being depressed, write down a list of things you can do to be nice to oneself and DO them.
Try to positive self-talk, which is really, really hard to do, and feels totally fake when you first start doing it, but it can help heaps.
Oh, and coming on here or other forums where people are nice, 'cause it can be really lonely when there are no, or few irl friends you can go to for support, company, friendship.
These are all things I do that do help, not straight away but over time. Depression isn't something that will magically go away, it's something that is tough to get through, but possible to get to the other side and see the light again.
Topic: How do you handle depression?