How do you cope with your depression?
611560
First step, you should talk to your doctor and see about medication.\n\nI find writing helps me.  I usually write down my thoughts and feelings, then rip them up and throw them away.  I also try to keep my mind busy so I don't have time to think.  Music also helps me.\n\nIf you're suicidal, please consider therapy immediately!\nGood luck!
854440
Oh hon, I'm so sorry. Here's a virtual hug.*HUGZ*\n\nTry to think about what you'd like your life to be like. Then think about the steps to take so that it gets there. There is no problem that can't be conquered, and all situations are only temporary. I promise things will get better. \n\nWhat really helps me when I feel down is long walks. The exercise helps relieve stress, and the quiet, rhythymic time helps calm my thoughts. \n\nI'd make funny faces at you but you can't see me!\n\nGood luck, I hope you feel better.\n\n\n\nOh, and misspinkbox is reported. Let's see how superior she feels now.
851029
What u need is some expert advise. Go to the\ndoctor where u got the prescription and tell\nhim exactly what u told us and he should be\nable to adjust the treatment. Depression is a\nserious illness and needs to be addressed with-\nout embarassment as it can be a life saver if\ndiscussed and treated . If kept inside the de-\npression gets stronger and one can do harm\nto themselves. Also ask what programs are\navailable to be able to get into to where others\nwho have depression can talk about it and get\nadvise amongst ur peers. Good luck and never\nbe ashamed to discuss ur condition  so that\nu can get the help needed.
847099
Write it down on paper. Be very honest about everything.\nI had to tell my dad this way about my depression and how I felt about him and my life.  It helped a lot.\nAre you getting medication?  You need to find a good doctor....and medication that suits you.  It may take a while to find but hang in there.
1089627
I agree with you, I also know how you feel. I used to be a cutter because of my depression but i have found better ways of dealing with the pain and sorrow. Write poetry or listen to music, try to go hang out with your friends and have a good time with them. Just keep moving on and remember that its his loss and your a strong woman/girl/lady ( i don't know how only you are so yeah.) I hope this helped.
209174
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 situation. Negative thinking fades as treatment begins to take effect. In the meantime: \nSet realistic goals and assume a reasonable amount of responsibility. \nBreak large tasks into small ones, set some priorities, and do what you can as you can.\nTry to be with other people and to confide in someone; it is usually better than being alone and secretive.\nParticipate in activities that may make you feel better.\nMild exercise, going to a movie, a ballgame, or participating in religious, social, or other activities may help. \nExpect your mood to improve gradually, not immediately. Feeling better takes time. \nIt 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. \nPeople rarely "snap out of" a depression. But they can feel a little better day by day.\nRemember, positive thinking will replace the negative thinking that is part of the depression and will disappear as your depression responds to treatment.\nLet your family and friends help you. \n\nSelf help for depression\n\nEffective therapy needs to incorporate everything that works in lifting depression. You may be able to help yourself effectively, although often it is useful to get the help of a professional.\n\nHere we'll go through what you can do, as well as what you should look for in any therapy you choose to undergo.\nWhat you can do to help yourself\n\n1) Know about your condition - what you know about your depression has been shown to have an effect on well you respond to treatment. Take the Depression Learning Path - it's the best way to start helping yourself.\n\n2) Cut down on rumination. Do whatever you can to decrease the amount of rumination you are doing. (Ruminating is 'chewing over' emotional issues in your mind without coming to any decision to act.)\n\nIf possible, decide to put off difficult decisions for 1 or 2 weeks while you get your energy back.\n\nWays to cut down rumination are to:\n\na) Stop yourself when you spot yourself doing 'all or nothing' thinking. (See thinking styles)\nb) Read novels when you have nothing to do, to occupy your mind. (Make them exciting novels, not romance or self help books!)\nc) Do exercise (see 5)\nd) Work if you can\ne) Keep yourself occupied as much as possible in ways that stop you thinking too much!\n\n3) Find ways to assess and monitor your depressive episodes - The way depression makes us adopt all or nothing thinking is a unique and crucial part of understanding depression. The way depression makes us generate seemingly hopeless outcomes to our situation can make it almost impossible to see a way out of it. \n\nFinding ways to gauge your depression can help to show the shades of gray, that will ultimately defeat the black and white thinking on which depression thrives. This is often done in the form of a diary, where you grade how bad your days have been on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is the worst and 10 is the best. Then, after 2 weeks or so, you can look back and see how things have varied over that time. \n\n4) Lower your emotional arousal levels calming down emotions such as anxiety and anger helps your brain function more subtly and decreases the amount of catastrophising you do. Along with getting proper rest, being able to relax is incredibly important.\n\nRelaxation therapies are effective in overcoming some of the other issues that can co-occur with depression. The effects of panic attacks, anxiety and anger, etc can be lessened and overcome with the ability to relax properly and deeply. Physi
873558
Never let anyone or anything make you lose your faith. Hold on to that - it's valuable.\n\nFriends come and go, all throughout our lives. You can reach out to someone and be their friend whenever you choose to.\n\nAs for the depression, I think these tips are pretty useful. Take care and all the best.\n\n"GET OUT OF BED: \n\nOne of the most important things you can do is get up at about the same time every morning (even week-ends). Preferably, that means about 7 a.m. or earlier. You might not feel like it but Get Up. Such regularity helps your body function more normally so you're more likely to feel normal. \n\nLIGHTS: \n\nLight helps your body function better. So turn on a lot of lights as soon as you arise. Open curtains to get more sunlight. Better yet, go outdoors into the sunshine as soon as you can. Remove any eyewear so light will enter more readily (glass cuts out some of the sun's rays). But don't stare at the sun, of course. \n\nMOVE: \n\nBe active right away -- oxygenate! That means getting up and walking around your dwelling for five or 10 minutes, or perhaps riding an exercycle. Mild exercise gets the blood flowing and transports more oxygen throughout your body (especially to your brain), helping you feel mentally alert and alive. \n\nMUSIC: \n\nSelect and play some energetic, happy music as you dress and have your breakfast. The audiovisual department of most libraries has albums and tapes you can check out. \n  \n\nBREAKFAST: \n\nBegin your breakfast with protein (i.e., meat, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, cheese). When you get up, your body chemistry is ready to convert food, especially protein,into longlasting energy. To balance your most important meal of the day, add an orange or other fresh fruit and whole grain cereal or whole grain bread. \n\nTALK WITH SOMEONE: \n\nOne of the quickest ways to beat the blues is to interact with others. You might not feel like doing that - you'd rather avoid people when blue. So make lt easier on yourself. Talk with someone you enjoy about a subject you enjoy so there is definite give and take. \n\nAnd, force yourself to say "hello" to the persons next to you in class, those where you live, anyone around. \n\nLIMIT CAFFEINE: \n\nThe long-term (four hours or so) effects of caffeine are depression. Try to limit coffee to no more than one cup in the morning. Coffee can make you more alert for an hour or so, but later you get an opposite reaction. Caffeine tends to increase the release of insulin in the blood, and insulin lowers the blood sugar level. When you have low blood sugar levels, you begin to feel less sure of yourself, and have low energy levels, which can lead to the blues or depression. \n\nLIMIT SUGAR: \n\nSugar might give you an initial rush of energy, but within an hour or so the blood sugar level can become low, and when it's low you may feel low, too. \n\nThe caffeine/sugar cycle. It's easy to get caught in the caffeine and sugar cycle -- having coffee, caffeinated soft drinks, or something with sugar every two hours or so to "stay up." For example, cola contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar plus caffeine equal to about half a cup of coffee. In addition to bringing on the blues, this cycle can result in dependence, poor nutrition. and obesity -- reasons to get down on yourself even more and feel blue. \n\nMAINTAIN FIBER: \n\nFiber helps food go through your digestive system at a proper rate, giving a more constant energy supply. Highly processed foods merely provide a quick surge of energy which can be followed by depression. You can maintain fiber in your diet by eating an orange or grapefruit rather than just drinking the juice. Eat fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole grain breads and cereals. \n\nSTRESS B COMPLEX: \n\nSome persons report receiving help by taking a concentrated vitamin B complex. You'll find these called something like "Stress B" or "B 50." This is controversial.
128532
Make sure you're taking care of yourself.  Do some self care, whether your a guy or girl, it can help you feel better.  Get your hair cut, take a long bath, soak your feet, use some lotion on your dry skin, better yet, get a massage!  Take time to let yourself relax and help yourself to realize that you are worth taking care of yourself.  If you take care of things on the outside, you'll feel better on the inside.\n\nYour depression could be seasonal.  Think about spending time outside when it's sunny, if it's ever sunny this time of year.  You could also purchase a full spectrum light bulb at a health food store.  They're usually about seven dollars, but they are so worth it!\n\nMake sure you have someone to talk to.  Try to talk out your problems, but also develope positive friendships.  Get out and do something, even if it's just taking a walk.\n\nTry to control your thought patterns.  It's easy to get in a rut of thinking bad thoughts about yourself and thinking about making bad decisions to hurt yourself.  Feed yourself positive thoughts instead, even if you have to force them at first.\n\nGood luck with everything, being depressed is not fun at all, especially if you've been feeling this way for a long time.  Just remember that you have to be proactive about your mental health.  Don't let yourself lie around and cry all day.  You've cried and moped enough, it's time to try to make yourself feel better!\n\nPS make sure you're eating good food.  Lots of veggies, maybe think about taking vitamin suplements or talking to an herbal specialist.
1043760
surround yourself with positive thoughts. set simple daily goals that you can achieve. stick to a routine as much as possible. give yourself a compliment at least twice a day. write things down in a planner or journal to help you stay focused. and if all else fails... seek professional help. depression is nothing to play around with. sometimes we need outside help and that's okay.
26516
Get moderate exercise and plenty of sunshine.\n\nA walk first thing in the morning is likely to help!\n\nIf you feel depressed for longer than a couple weeks, you should see a doctor or therapist.  Talk therapy and the right medicine are best for depression.\n\nSome nonpharmacologic methods of treating depression include psychotherapy, exercise, support groups, self-help literature, and light therapy. Patients shouldn't undergo nonpharmacologic therapies unsupervised or for prolonged periods because longer periods of depression are more resistant to treatment and 70% to 80% of patients respond to an adequate trial of pharmacologic therapy.7,12,16,17
358086
i am suffering from depression. i feel happy when i am occupied but it having the energy to get and do it in the first place. i dont always look on life as a downer just it feels some days hard to cope with. i feel i need alot more hours in my day as there is so much to do but yet i seem to get nothing done.\non a really bad i just hide away under a cover and dont speak as i just dont know why i am feeling so lonely and scared.\ni hope this has helped you to understand depression a little more and dont forget there is help and there if you need it. you should see your doctor they have heard it all before and wont laugh at you. they are there to listen and give you the right help you need.
476490
I know how hard it is to be depressed because of a drunk driving situation because my uncle died in a car crash on the way home one night from a drunk driver. My aunt has coped with depression and we gave her the advice to try new things like go to a casino if you dont like to gamble and get out and meet new people and make some friends and people who make you feel good and so far it has worked even if you are 35+ years old you can still have friends and have fun my other uncle is 55 and is enjoing life to the fullest just being around friends (people who care and make you feel good).\n\nHope this Helps!!! Sorry about your wreck
820562
well RAmbo lol i'd say all you have to do is dont think about what makes you depressed....go and do something to get your mind off of it! either that or you need to start off fresh and just forget about it....try at least....depression is a horrible thing!
782388
there are a number of things that may improve your general mood. But if you have depression you need to deal with it as well as the cause of it.\n\nIf you feel like you can't talk to your Doctor about it, register with a new one. Explain what you are feeling and they will support you.
394848
One thing that I have found that works for me is to focus on other people. Do you know someone that it would brighten their day to get a phone call or go for an ice cream? Do you have time to volunteer somewhere? The more that you focus on your depression, the worse it will get. Also, you should talk to your doctor. There is no "one thing" that will work by itself. It takes a combination of things. Sometimes meds and a change of pace. Make a list of all the things you are (ie: daughter/son, wife/husband, but then go on to include things that only you know you are, like if you write poetry-then you're a poet.) Read over this list everyday, more than once a day if it helps. Make a list of the things you are good at. Do the same thing. Read it. Just remember, if you get to the point of feeling like you are going to end it all, call someone! There should be a 1-800 # in your phone book under crisis prevention. Maybe sign a contract with someone close that if you get to that point, you will call them first.\nI wish you well.
338876
Depression is a ongoing cycle that builds up and shocking will not take it away. You may have to deal with it all of your life but there are medicines and counseling just make sure you stick with it and want it. You will make it through. Try prayer, support groups, and know that you can only depend on God.
652076
You absolutely do not have to suffer from chronic depression!  Antidepressant medications are a lot more sophisticated than they were years ago and have helped countless people regain their lives.\n\nTalk with a doctor and get a treatment plan started.  If your dr. won't listen to you then find another one.  Find one that will help you.  Get started TODAY.  If you had a broken foot you'd get medical help, right?  Depression is a medical condition...just like any other.\n\nAntidepressants usually take a couple weeks to kick in, although most people I know that are taking them say it didn't take that long.\n\nDon't believe that depression is something you just have to 'deal with'.  It isn't.  There is nothing wrong with seeking help and getting medication to make things better for yourself.\n\nGood luck!!!