I get out in nature. I take a very long hike and forget about everything, but what is around me.

+1 Nature and fresh air and forcing myself to be in the present moment as I am hiking and taking in beauty is the very best therapy for me.
I'm not clinically depressed though. That would be something else.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2013 11:29AM by suckafoo.

Therapy.

Prayer. I mean, its ok to say that right? im pretty new on here.

Just, general prayer. I'm confused by my mormon upbringing, but i still believe prayer really helps. IT does for me anyway

You might catch flak for preaching, but I agree with you. Prayer works. Just say what you feel. Don't do the stupid I'm grate for this, please give me this. Just talk to God like you would talk to a really good friend, it works! I cuss in my prayers all the time now, it's cathartic.

Prayer helps depression if you visualize God as friendly, loving, and kind. Prayer makes depression worse if you visualize God as remote, punishing, and impossible to please.

Enough sleep, some exercise, coffee, making a gratitude list, music, playing with the family,challenging faulty thinking, taking care of problem I've been putting off dealing with.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2013 01:12AM by robertb.

Good points!

Yes prayer for me also helps a lot.

Sometimes I just sleep it off. I pick a long weekend, shut out the world . . . turn off the phone, lock the doors, close the curtains, crawl into my favorite sweats, gather up my most comfy pillows/blankets. AND SLEEP DAMMIT. Now if the sleeping behavior extends into excessive days, weeks, or months then I know we have a problem.

So, then all the positive coping mechanisms kick in: see the doc, get anti-depressant meds, talk to a counselor, phone my closest friends/family, get out in the sunshine, exercise, watch a great movie etc.

But honestly? As someone who has dealt with chemical depression on and off for a lifetime, I swear to Gawd sometimes a great hibernating deep sleep is all I really need.

Good luck.

;o)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2013 11:54PM by shannon.

I'm a sleeper too :)

I think captain moroni....errrr morgan and coke tends to help me sort out that moodyness. patron shots and a good tequilla sunrise help too.

I paint, I write ad nauseum, I turn to friends for support. It helps, mostly. A good therapist is key, and I read this board to know I am not alone...

I find that getting into nature, especially on a sunny day really helps, as does exercise and turning on a funny movie for the healing effects of laughter. Sometimes, I need a relaxing bath where I add lavender scented Epsom salt to the water, then sleep.

If you think it's gone on too long or are worried, talk to your doctor. Mine sent me to an excellent half day program that really taught me great skills for managing my anxiety and depression. I am on meds for now, and also meditate, breathe, do yoga, get out in nature, schedule social engagements so I get out and acknowledge my anxiety while basically logically thinking my way out of it.

You are asking for help, so please go get it. I was a mess just five months ago and I am laughing again.

I know this won't work for everyone - so please don't take this as preaching. But when I became "born-again" I have not dealt with the anxiety and depression as often as I used to. The 2 times I did get depressed it was short lived. I'm taking medication for it too (Celexa). I try to exercise and keep active. I play guitar, read, get on here and get new ideas. Go out and meet new people. Try new things I've wanted to try before but never had the guts. Get in my car and drive. I live in So. Utah, so I can go to Zion's, Snow Canyon, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas.

What helped me initially was saying "The Sinner's Prayer" (Google it) with sincerity. I was told it might not work right away. I went to bed after saying it and the next day I felt an amazing peace come over me like never in my life. My Atheist friends said they felt the same thing when the gave up their belief in God.

My therapist is really big on trying new things that you've always wanted to try but never did. My new thing was changing my religion. It was HUGE! Not saying any of those necessarily will work. Also, set some achievable goals for yourself and a time by which to accomplish them. I also drink an occasional beer to calm me down. I try not to exceed 32 ounces a day (I'm 300 lbs so I can).

Please don't be offended by me telling you this. Your post made me laugh out loud. Maybe because I think it should have been worded like this:

__

"I know this won't work for everyone - so please don't take this as preaching. But since I started taking Celexa I have not dealt with the anxiety and depression as often as I used to. The 2 times I did get depressed it was short lived. I've also been 'born again.'"

No offense taken.

By the hikes you named, I am assuming you live in St. George. I also reccomend any of the red cliffs reserve hikes, they are free. Zion and snow canyon are not.

True. Zion is $25 and Snow Canyon is $6.

It starts to get pricey. My husband and I hike a different hike it he area every week, so red cliffs is a huge money saver :)

Exercise, or at least raise your heartbeat 3 x 20 mins a week.
Honestly, this really helps.

In some cases there is a link between gluten sensitivity/intolerance/allergy and depression. The reason is that 95% of seratonin production occurs in the gut. For those with sensitivities and/or Celiac Disease, gluten causes inflammation harms/destroys the lining of the digestive tract, preventing seratonin from being produced, thereby causing depression. The blogger Gluten Free Girl just wrote an article about this last month and it was really eye opening (you can google it or email jface88@yahoo.com and I'll send you the link). She suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts, was eventually diagnosed with Celiac disease, went gluten-free, and it cured her depression.

Please note, I realize this is not the answer for everyone, as there are several different types and causes of depression. Its just another bit of information that has helped some of the depression-sufferers in my life.

All the best to you, I hope you find coping strategies that work for you!

read these great suggestions and then stay off the internet for a few days while planning out some ohter activities - preferably active and outside or something you have wanted to do or with a friend- if you are truly depressed to the point of not going out read...But for me when i feel a funk coming on I stay away from the internet and it does it for me until i snap out.

Alot of times I make a conscience effort not to think about whats bothering me (all those years "keeping" a shelf was good for somthing) Im an olymIc class denier. along with that I'll try to get or do somthing differant. get some food I havent had for awhile. Talking to you guys HELPS ALOT!! And I must admit taking anti-dressants do help. I was always one of those people that didnt think I needed a pill; but it does help.

PS I Just want to add that even though those things seem small (btw sleep & walking help too.) When I say antidepressants help; Im talkin serios thinkin about slitting my wrists depression. When I start thinking that way and how they find my body. than I know somthings wrong and I'll realize I havent been remembering it.

Hi Galileo,

How severe is the depression?

It should be treated aggressively, because very bad things can happen to you if it isn't. See this lecture by Dr. Robert Sapolsky of Stanford:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc

"Depression is...the worst disease that you can get."

"Depression is the no. 4 cause of disability on this planet."

If the depression is anything more than situational or very mild, I recommend seeing a credible psychotherapist--a PhD in clinical psychology from a good school--and seeing a psychiatrist, an MD that can put you on an antidepressant.

I think that both psychotherapy and medication are important. Please educate yourself, and know that unless you treat it, repeated, very minor stressors from the environment can cause you to experience significant depression in the future, in a never ending cycle. This is why it's important to nip it in the bud.

Best Wishes,

Steve

Thanks for all the tips. I don't think my depression is related to any pre-exisiting medical conditions. In fact I can almost singularly narrow it down to having gone on a mission. I went begrudgingly and now i regret it.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2013 11:37AM by brothergalileo.

Well, that sounds like dread.

Your body is responding to your (upcoming?) mission and giving you some pretty strong signals about how you feel.

Can you alter that plan?

Edit: Changed 'going on a mission' to 'having went on a mission'
The grammar might have been confusing to some.

Since you are able to narrow it down to something that specific ... I would recommend journaling. Write periodically about your mission and what effect it had on you. Try to be honest with yourself. Forget about creating some sort of family-history record for your posterity, I'm talking a journal just for you ... one that no one else has to necessarily read ... ever. You can feel the peace that comes from venting your feelings and even gain insight into how to move on from the traumas of your mission.

Please see a psychiatrist, an M.D. that knows about drugs. I thought I was depressed, and at my lowest point, went to a really good psychiatrist. "Depression" can be complex, and different for everybody; and different people require different treatments, so I will just tell you what worked for me, instead of giving you direct advice (except to see a psychiatrist.)

A good psychiatrist might be booked out a few weeks, so in the meantime, talk to someone you trust, or contact the suicide hotline listed at the top of this very page.

Top begin with, force yourself to move--even if you begin with just waving your arms. Movement combats the inertia of depression. "Depression" means to shut down. Take a shower and wash your hair. (That's my wise grandmother's first solution.) It might take great effort, but you will feel better cleaned up. Eat something--preferable protein and fruit. Sugar and caffeine might give you a temporary life, but your depression will actually worsen after an hour or so, when sugar wears off. Alcohol is a depressant. Eat healthy, non-processed foods. Chemicals and colorings cause adverse reactions in some people. MSG puts me to sleep. Get outdoors! Even if you are still in your pajamas, go out there in the daylight, or even at night. Take deep breaths. Yoga breathing helps a lot. Open the windows and let in the light, and turn on all the lights in your house.

Another temporary measure is to use music, but this must be done systematically. Begin with slow, depressing music. If you begin with cheerful music right away, it will put you over the edge. Gradually build up to more and more cheerful songs. Force yourself to dance.

Pet, feed, play with your cat or dog, fish or plant, if you don't have any children or friends handy.

I walked my dog every day (she forced me to) in the beautiful canyon--even if I felt ill or was crying. I would put on dark glasses and walk slowly until I could breathe again.

After I actually saw the psychiatrist, it took several months for him to try out various antidepressants on me, but the cognitive-behavioral therapy began to work immediately. It turned out that none of the antidepressants worked for me, and I was diagnosed with PYDF, with my most serious problem being anxiety. That's why you need to see a good professional! Your problem could be the opposite of what you think it is, or you might just be a normal person recovering from cult abuse.

Somewhere in the beginning of therapy, I left the Mormon cult. The psychiatrist didn't know about this, and it was my decision. The act of resigning from the cult did the most to cure my depression than anything else I did! The worst depression--the Sunday depression, the feeling of despair and hopelessness, the feeling of being a second-class citizen (female), the feeling of never being good enough--all that vanished! Oh, I get setbacks once in a while--usually after a run-in with a rude Mormon--but after 7 years I can actually laugh at their pettiness. I've moved on with my own, Mormon-free, healthy life with my children and the non-Mormons in my life. This took a great deal of work, and help from RFM, for many years. Other people recover much quicker.

Depression is definitely a Mormon thing. We have the statistics to prove it! I hope you will find stability and peace quickly. (((hugs)))

I was on antidepressants for years. They actually made it worse after a while. I just became "numb." I called it painful numbness. I have a therapist that I've seen on and off for 15 or 16 years. It is nice to have that long of a relationship with one as when I need him, I can go once and get things straightened out. I think I went 3 times last year.

I always talk myself out of walking and then when I force myself out there--I don't want to quit walking. I listen to my iPod.

Working helps me, too. When I work, I feel I have more control over my life. I have a job that I get to pick how many hours I work. Cleaning. Just getting up and moving.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2013 08:48AM by cl2.

Depression runs in my family--from time to time I go on Prozac to stabilize myself. What has allowed me to lesson the dose (I hope to get off it soon) is losing weight, exercising, taking up a new hobby, spending time with my kids and good friends, and doing those things that truly give me joy. (Visiting teaching wasn't one of them LOL.)

I have gone through counseling three times in my life--issues from childhood and now issues from my marriage.

As a kid, I spent a lot of time by myself just "being." I can remember watching the clouds for hours out of my bedroom window. I remember staring at the wall when I was 9 or so and had the sudden realization that if I held my gaze for just a little longer something amazing would happen and I would never be the same. Around that time at school I remember having a moment of extreme clarity in the restroom where it seemed like I could see the air. I came home from school elated and when I told my TBM mom she said "Oh honey, you can't see air."

After that I went on with life and lost whatever hold I had on that clarity and I started to get depressed. That depression turned into anger and I would get really nasty with my mom and older brother. I was a real asshole.

That anger/depression lasted pretty much through junior high and high school. I figured that's just what growing up is like. The only reprieve was taking long hikes by myself, which in hindsight was just me trying to take hold again of what I'd lost back in elementary school. Hanging out with friends helped, but for the most part I just enjoyed hiking.

The next chapter is the mission and exit from the church which I covered in my bio.

Since I left the church I've reclaimed that lost "something" I found accidentally as a kid. And now I've gone even further than I was. I truly feel like that something "amazing" is just around the corner.

So, understandably, I'm no longer depressed. That's a lot of words for not much good advice, huh?

Watch "Just for Laughs" - youtube

I carry on a dialogue with myself that is positive. To me, this is prayer. I go by the light of nature, and my own mind is my church.

As an energetic, adventeroous athletic outgoing young man of 19 that wanted to see the world, my mission introduced me to depression. i wasn't the only one either.
After about 6 months It had me and I had fought it for years until I let go of the grip of tscc.

Do I blame them ?

Yes I do

^ This

and making sure thyroid and hormone and Vitamin D levels are sufficient.

Good point. RfM is as close as I get to social networking. I don't do facebook, twitter, myspace, or any of that.

I guess you're the only folks I find interesting and that's the truth!

With a change in religion one will probably drink coffee and that helps!

This book was helpful: Full Castastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Mind and Body to Face Stress, Pain and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

http://www.amazon.com/Full-Catastrophe-Living-Wisdom-Illness/dp/0385303122/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363198176&sr=1-1&keywords=jon+kabat+zinn

I do serious exercise, such as bicycling 200-250 miles a week. It is hard to be depressed during a hundred-mile bike ride. Tired? Yes. Depressed? No.