# Dear Steemian, What Do You Think Can Be Done To Beat Depression?
Dear Steemian,
I am struggling with a higher dose of anti-depressants, as if I take them they make me feel like a zombie all day and really tired and if I don't take them I get odd days when I am inconsolable.
I will be going to doctor's to go back on the lower dose, as I didn't get those side effects then, but are anti-depressants a necessary evil, or can depression be managed successfully by other means?
One thing that works for me sometimes is to write down all those emotions in my head into a poem. I can effectively empty my head of those negative thoughts in a creative way. Writing those thoughts down in a journal could also work, or thinking about all the things that you are grateful for in your life.
Another tactic that can work is trying to live in the moment. Taking the time to fully take in your surroundings with all your senses. Taste the air, smell the flowers, listen to the raindrops, touch the trees (hell give them a hug), see the beauty of nature. Or a piece of chocolate using all your senses and slowly savor the taste. Or take the time to realize how happy you are too with your partner or children and enjoy the moments of now.
Another one I am just researching is the law of attraction for depression...
The law of attraction is not a magical formula, where you wake up and you feel completely fine, it a way of life. This is not someone asking you to put up a facade of happiness or lie about how you’re feeling. The law of attraction is a total way of life and the aim is to cause a change in your mindset to bring you the ultimate happiness and quality of life that you deserve.
You Are Manifesting Your Depressed State
If you are already experiencing symptoms of depression, it’s almost certain that you’re manifesting it yourself. Of course, it doesn’t mean that bad things haven’t happened or that you need to sweep it under the rug and act like everything is perfect. What that statement means is that you have been chained to the negative aspects of your life for too long and that has made it difficult for the positive aspects of your life to express itself.
Constantly living in a depressed state is a sign that your thought patterns are knee deep in sadness just as if you stepped foot in a lake of quicksand. It seems you can’t get out of the situation, the more you struggle to rid yourself of such negative thoughts, the deeper you fall into a depressed state. This is true. Today, you need to change your approach completely, stop the constant struggle and find an effective way to slowly recover and avoid falling into the same trap in the future.
Mumbo jumbo, or worth investigating more?
Do you think that there is a medical necessity for anti-depressants, or do you think that by using a number of tactics to beat depression, it is possible to ditch the depression naturally?
Or is the best thing to do both, just to be on the safe side?
Yours Sincerely
Depression is something a lot of people are dealing with and is a circle hard to get out of. In my job I had a lot of young people that I volunteered to help getting out of it. If I learned anything it's such a individual case that it's almost impossible to say for sure what would work.
My suggestion would be to take a step back, look at what makes sense in your life and when you don't feel completely down channel your energy into those things. Whether it is writing, painting, traveling or family, change your behavioral pattern towards the good things in life although it's hard.
Also some scientific proven methods is sharing your thoughts and feelings with other people, getting it out of your head.
Also letting yourself Cry and if you feel like running are activities that your body will make your feel stronger and more capable of handling your own reality.
Hope this can help:)
A good cry sometimes works, but sometimes is hard to stop. Yes I had a phonecall the other day that threatened to take me down the spiral, but talking to a couple of people about it (and yes a cry) stopped me.
Hi @adsactly, Depression certainly is one of the misunderstood mental illnesses! The worst part is when people tell you that it's time to pull yourself together and get over it! I went through a very bad clinical depression years ago. Being in that deep dark pit where you feel totally isolated despite having your loved ones around was absolute hell! I certainly am not a negative thinker so could not understand what was happening to me!
Anti-depressants saved my life for sure; I was on a 'maintenance dose' for a couple of years once I ‘normalised’. The medical experts say it's a chronic condition and some people have to take their medication for life. I was fortunate that I could stop, but with the help of a wise homeopath through counselling and homeopathic meds.
I do not take any meds for this condition today, so can say with much gratitude, that I am a survivor!
I believe that unresolved issues bring this horrible and sometimes 'terminal' illness on, as it sadly can lead to suicide, which was the case with my brother many moons ago.
So my question is, if you're a diabetic, should you stop taking your insulin?
Yet people say anti-depressants are bad for you, yet this is what can corrects the chemical imbalance in the brain! It still is an illness.
But one has to find the correct anti-depressant and I firmly believe that can only be done by a specialist in the field, and that is a Psychiatrist, definitely not a General Practitioner!
Further, one should not simply only rely on medication; go for counselling, take up some form of physical exercise/activity, walking, yoga and meditation are all excellent forms of therapy, eat lots of fresh veggies & fruit, do more of the things you enjoy, be it listening to music, going to the beach, etc etc
My best wishes for your recovery from this horrid illness which can be overcome even though it feels like that dark cloud will never ever lift!
Wise words. Thank you.
Wonderful post. It is very important to be able to talk about our problems and depression is a common one that we tend to hide because we may feel ashamed. There is nothing to feel ashamed about. It's something that most of the people go through in their life time, whether they are aware of it or not. Depression is caused by changes in the brain chemistry. What causes it? It varies by person. I think it is important to go deep and look for the things that bother us, because often there is one or more particular problems that may have been eating us up inside and until we don't recognize the problem, we can't solve it. When that particular 'problem' takes control over us, we feel sad, hopeless, angry, guilty and also we tend to loose interest in doing things we loved doing before. The good thing is that we can defeat depression, because we are much stronger than what we think. Once you find that problem, you can start working on finding a solution for it. To answer your question, medical treatment is not the only solution, it will not help you find the problem you are looking for. You need to have someone who you can rely on and talk to, who can help you find that problem. Depression is real and must be taken seriously, however, let's remember again what it is. It is a mental health disorder which of course is 'not just in our heads', but at the other hand, it is there and let's not forget how powerful a mind can be. More powerful than a medication.
Wish you all the best.
Yes I agree, I think it is one of the things that can help. Anti-depressants do keep you on an even keel, whilst exploring root problems and talking makes you realize that you are not alone, people have had the same feelings as you, maybe not the same circumstances, but the empathy is there and that helps a lot, for sure.
In a way @adsactly that is one question that you can only answer for yourself as we are all different, our live experiences are different. I don't know what has happen in your life to bring you to this question. Depression can sometimes be triggered by some event in our lives, something we might not have dealt with. Identifying that can be easy or hard. But this is something that we can do, we live in a world where alot of people are made to feel disempowered, we need to feel strong enough in ourselves to heal ourselves.
There are alot of really good responses to your question already, which can help, vit D definitely helps as does your diet, it's worth seeing if you have any mineral deficiencies . Selenium is a big one, as it has huge effect on our mood. These things will go hand in hand with you feeling more able to work through your depression. What factors externally and internally affect you the most. Identify them so that you can prevent yourself getting into a downward spiral, which can be difficult to get out of.
What worries me about antidepressants is that there are so many and are prescribed too readily, there is big money made from them, Doctors make alot of profit when they prescribe also. I would love to see people move away from using medication to help with their mental health. I hope you feel better soon.
Getting to know yourself and the depression triggers, can definitely be diet - caffeine is a big one for me. Will definitely look more into supplements and vitamin deficiencies. Yes everyone is different, but the emotions we go through are the same, we are all human.
I think a combination of sunlight, exercises, break free of the mental prison is more effective than drugs.
yes, sunlight - especially the midday 12 O' clock sunlight with around 390nm wavelength helps a lot. Just like the sunlight during the day a bad aspect is artificial light of the same / similar wave lengths during night - especially after 8:30 PM when our circadian rhythm starts producing Melatonin (called Melatonin onset) which induces sleep. The light acts as a switch, the more delay, the more trouble that we get into. All this is easier said and doing tough ...
Yes, I am creating a happiness toolbox, so that I have lots of things on hand to distract or do when I feel an episode coming on. That in itself has taken a little time to master, but it is doable. You have to learn about yourself and give yourself a break sometimes.
Hi @adsactly, in my opinion i think it is not necessary to rely on pharmaceuticals, largely cause you have the ability to overcome it. I think the issue might also be the emphasis on your thoughts, making it the be all end all of who you really are. Your thoughts are not you and even more so negative thoughts are definitely not you. Its easy for me to say but I too suffer from depression at times and everyone's circumstance is very different so theres no one answer. I believe to do the things you love and realise how when things are negative in your head, it is your mind actually trying to help you grow out of it. Its like a survival tool, just like the other five senses. So try and keep the momentum and do the things that really matter to you! I wish you all the best and also you can share with me your thoughts, my opinions are always changing and growing :)
Much love
Love this way of thinking about it.
Thanks for sharing @adsactly... very have education for me you post...
Yes, I'm learning loads too
Am not sure of what to do, I'll have to read and learn from your comments
And there are some great informative comments here @austinm
Yes....
Exercise regularly.
Practice gratitude, even when things feel hopeless. I guarantee there is something to feel grateful for.
Try to eat healthy, fresh, whole foods. Eating processed shit will not help. I find excess sugar also brings my mood down.
Experiment with supplements for improving your mood. I've found great benefit with ashwagandha, as well as other adaptogens.
Start a regular practice of facing your fears. Nothing in life makes me feel more alive than facing fears, and realizing that change is possible and that most of my hesistation in life are the result of my cognitive distortions.
Most importantly, change your patterns and habits. You are the makeup of your focus, intentions, and actions. Change the recipe and the finished product will inevitably change!
You outline such a nice wellness recovery plan! Depression is so tough because making oneself do just one thing can seem insurmountable. How do you encourage yourself to get yourself moving?
The first step is always the hardest with anything, as they say.
Once you acknowledge you need a change, it becomes easier to make that first step. Remind yourself of how much better things will be after making that change, remind yourself of what you envision your ideal life looking like, and start doing the things that support this.
Just move! Get off your ass and exercise. Change your physical state and you will have a much easier time with your mind :)
You need a strong reason and do force yourself to do something even if you don't feel like it, even if its just standing outside your front door for some fresh air.
Yes some great tips here, particularly the gratitude one. And facing your fears, and making daily improvements and challenges for yourself to motivate yourself going forward.
Depression is a very individualistic thing. Mine started in my teen years through some rough times, probably like most teens, but with a side order of other uncalled for events that I had to deal with. It carried on into adulthood after some pretty bad moments which have affected my life dramatically. I have been on antidepressants for many years, too many to count! But I decided to stop taking them a month or so ago. I am fed up of not being able to 'feel'. The problem I now have is that I am experiencing hyper emotions and I am extremely reactive. I don't know whether the best thing to do would just be to go back on the medication and become numb again ( @suesa has a brilliant story about emotions), or find a better way to deal with my depression and anxiety. I also have other health issues going on so I am battling with the urge of quitting all my meds right now, I am sick and tired of rattling when I walk! But I am probably being reactive again, due to my newly found emotions. It is a tough one depression, once you are in the medication cycle, it is hard to get out of it, but without the meds, I probably wouldn't be here today.
That is exactly how I felt. I hate the feeling of numbness and being zombified, but without the risk of hyper emotions. They can be crazy strong and unpredictable. Not good when you have little ones around (in my case). I think I have just talked myself into carrying on the medication for the time being (thank you) , but yes looking at all the fantastic and varied tips here and creating a goto list of things to do to boost your mood that you can tailor for yourself.
combinations work well, you can tweak things to suit you then Good luck :)