Posted by nickguy on October 11, 2006, at 23:48:06
I hope this can be of some help for those who are stuck. These things may not get you unstuck, but might help your situation feel more workable.
1. I know you've probably heard this a million times, and some might even just close this post after seeing this, but if youve tried tons of medications with no sucess, and just feel like complete *ss, exercise. It's not going to cure your depression, but it gives you energy. Deep depression feels like your heart is not there, and your blood is not flowing. When you run on a treadmill, or do some aerobics, you feel your heart and the blood flowing. It's a good feeling, althuogh you'll still feel depressed. It gives you energy. Weight lifting gives you an outlet for your frustrating and anger over depression. It's a release. Pushing yourself this way physically helps you feel powerful. Even if just for a little while. Don't overdue it if your just starting, but eventually you can get in shape and positively suffer physically at the gym. Instead of cutting, you could push yourself to the limit running and lifting, and you can feel that physical pain that you might desire from cutting, but with benefits, and a newfound strength.
2. Deliberate positive thinking. It's not easy to think positive when you feel like sh*t, but you really do have the freedom to choose between positive and negative thoughts. Whether positive or negative, they're just thoughts. Think the thoughts that make you feel better mentally, even if your depressive emotions don't feel that way. It can keep you going. If you choose to believe the thought "Things will get better even if I feel like sh*t right now" you'll feel better than the thought "My life is over and i'll never get better." Choose positive thinking even if it disagrees with the way you feel. It may eventually start to change the way you feel.
3. If depression treatments aren't working for you, and anxiety is something that you deal with, try to get prescribed a benzodiazepam. They can help you to relax, and people in deep depression don't get to relax. They're not going to fix things either, but they might make thigns a bit more manageable. Find a dose that works, but don't take more than prescribed because you'll feel bad about yourself. If you take what your prescribed, you can feel powerful that your able to controll yourself and have power over the substance. Than again, if you slip up, don't get down on yourself....it happens to everybody.
4. If you find yourself on these message boards a large amount of time, and always on the internet searching about meds that you want to try or think might help you....stop. Focusing on depression too much doesn't help. Set aside one hour a day for thinking about medications, talking on message boards like this one. After that hour go do something else, even if it's watching TV or doing other things on the web. Remember that even if you feel depression has taken over your life, it is still just an aspect of it. Even if you feel it all the time, try not to let it take up all of your minds interests.
5. Give up suicide as an option. Just forget that it's even possible. ( I know that this is not possible for everybody, for those who can't do this, PLEASE keep talking to a therapist, a pyschologist would be best, because most pyschiatrists will just prescribe you a new medicine) If you decide that your going to live no matter how deep the pain, even if the only reason to live is just to experience this pain as a creature on earth. This resolve makes you a unique individual. And remember that even though life can be extremely painful, that it's still short. Who says we have to enjoy it? Sure enjoy some things if you can, but life is about experience, in my opinion. Enjoyment and pleasure are temporary things.
5. If your suffering from social anxiety, consider this. I once heard this homily from a priest, who was also a psychologist. He brought up the beatitude, "blessed are you when people hate and persecute you," which seems like irrational logic. But his point was, blessed are you when your not addicting to peoples approval. I've been applying this to my life. When I'm not addicted to other peoples approval, I'm free to be myself. We're addicted to that secure emotion of people not judging us, them liking and approving of us. But it only hurts us. We can't rely on others for our happiness. It can only come from us. That is also a Buddhist principle. If you can somehow apply this idea to your life, it can help you ease your social anxiety. I thank God for sending me that message.
anyway, I hope those things can help somebody
poster:nickguy
thread:694015
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061011/msgs/694015.html