How do you keep from getting really depressed?

[Cassius23]

I mean, I've been reading the threads here and on Truthout for a number of years now, seeing things going from bad to worse to OMGWTF ARE YOU HIGH!?!? and my spirits have been sinking with them.

How do you keep from getting so down that you can't function?

Thanks for your time

P.S.- I've been only going on DU from time to time as of late because I've been in therapy and just got medications that I'm starting tonight for depression so this is a relevant topic to me and hopefully to others.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Prozac. Seriously.

[Cassius23]

7. I'm going to start Remron

I really, really didn't want to but it was explained to me in no uncertain terms that I was harming others by my behavior.

[Warpy]

21. Remeron is a good med

in a class called quadricyclics. One thing it does do is make you hungry, though, so watch out for weight gain.

It's a very small price to pay to feel like yourself again.

[papau]

31. Remeron/Prozac are the "fat" but effective - Wellbutrin to stay "thin"

At least that is what I am told!

:-)

[GreenPartyVoter]

60. Prozac can help with eating, too. Wellbutrin is the one that gave me

Alzheimers. Just not a good match with my neurons, I guess.

[papau]

61. Oh I don't need any Alzheimers help with my short term memory! Thanks

for the "heads up".

:-)

[laruemtt]

62. amen. to quote my sister,

"praise prozac!"

[RedStateShame]

2. An assortment of things:

Booze, "prescription" medication, a good album(Tom Waits for sulking, Guided by Voices for ass-kicking and/or more drinking), and dressing slightly uncomfortably. It keeps you moving.

[Sammy Pepys]

3. Remember that this only a small sliver of life...

..and there are more important things to wory about.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

4. Become Republican

Things never seem to go the Democrats way these days. I suggest becoming corrupt, deceitful, dishonest and fraudulent, and enjoy the benefits of being a republican.

Then you can wake each day and figure out how to make the country better for your side, and even if you have to break a few laws doing so, don't worry....nobody will convict or indict you, because you're a republican. Somehow, some way, you'll find a way out of any jam you're in, because republicans stick together.

Democrats usually lose. That's just the reality these days, so accept it. But at least you have the chance to go with a winner, you just need to modify any values you have and become more corrupt. That's the way to success and happiness and inner peace.

[Dora]

27. That's what happend to my FIL, and I think many others.

My FIL was an ardent Democrat, according to my husband. According to family lore, he wept at the Kennedy and King assinations. His father, however, was in the Iowa State Patrol, and had to pull a club in self-defense at a protest, and this greatly bothered both him and my FIL. I think seeing his own father (a good man) go through that, as well as seeing the assassination of Democratic leaders was too much for him to handle, so he joined what he perceived as the "winning" side.

He's always been an ardent Bush supporter, but he's been making noises of discontent lately, and telling my husband he's not happy with the way things have gone. I try not to discuss politics with him at all. I'm not good at arguing on my feet, and I have no patience for wasting my breath with fools. I prefer to limit the conversation to those things we can agree on, or at least not disagree on.

5. I think taking some kind of positive action

on things you care about is important.

28. Also your attitude is important

I have an excellent book that looks at diseases and attitudes that cause them called Permanent Healing by Dr. Daniel Condron.

It says this about depression:

All of the attention on what the Self does not have without creating goals, desires, or purposes. Suppression of goals and desires. Refusal to act and use the will to move on and toward the desires. Lack of Purpose.

Antidote- A not is no-thing. To produce something start with what you have. Make a list of the resources you have available including your physical possessions and your mental qualities and abilities. Now apply them toward achieving desires. Act, move, initiate. Make something happen every day.

[Roon]

6. I am on four medications for depression

And even then, I still get depressed sometimes.

[LoZoccolo]

8. Get off of DU and do something.

Something non-political and fun.

[no_to_war_economy]

9. mikemalloy.com

[Poll_Blind]

10. I read the article referenced in my signature...

...and lots of exercise, torrid sex, hugging friends when I meet them, starting up conversations with strangers on busses, and remembering that others fighting the fight I fight have had to storm a beachhead full of Nazis firing machines guns at them and keep charging even when their buddies have long been chewed to pulp. I try to recall that it can always get worse and right now, compared to the rest of the world, I'm living the high life.

Also, first thing in the morning- remember, 14 million people died last night on earth, and you weren't one of them. I just try to reach out, the more I feel upset, because every American is potentially part of your emotional safety net in these troubled times.

PS, you might want to read "You are the greatest American who has ever lived" referenced in my sig.

PB

[BeFree]

32. Good advice, PB

Hope it is well read.

[slackmaster]

11. I work on my house and garden

This year I am growing several heirloom varieties of opium poppies.

I'll post pics in a couple of weeks once they have all bloomed. Some of them are spectacular.

[Armstead]

19. LOL

er, I assume that was a joke.

[The Backlash Cometh]

38. I can't say for sure, but it's always good to have beneficial herbs

nearby in case of a crisis. It's something I'm going to be working on next gardening season.

This last year I've alleviated my depression in the garden as well. Each time my teenage kid or Bush gets me depressed, I plant a butterfly-attracting flower. They also seem to be the hardiest of plants. Butterflies have been abundant. There wasn't a day that went by last month that I didn't see a March butterfly dancing in my back yard -- seem to love the wild passion fruit vine, and the yellow swallowtails are just coming in.

The backyard garden grows ever more beautiful, the more depressed I get. This last month I directed all my energy to building a pond, and just as I put in the last rock and began to get this down feeling I get when tasks come to an end and I'm reminded that the effort is more rewarding than the accomplishment, I saw something that was a secret hope for a long time. I saw a hummingbird. Sounds silly, but it's only the second one I've seen in my back yard in ten years.

Every other bird has come to visit: blue jays, cardinals, robins, two species of woodpeckers and an owl that warmed its wings in a patch of yellow sunlight that made it to the grey woodland floor. That's just in my little 1/3rd acre back yard. I am a woodland oasis in a flat fairgreen sea.

[slackmaster]

44. Not a joke in any way - And I mean it about posting pics

I have several heirloom varieties of Papaver somniferum. You can get seeds for some of them from major seed catalogs. Here is a link to one Canadian site that has a few interesting ones: http://www.eseeds.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=268336&prmenbr=127

There is no law against growing a few plants for ornamental purposes. Dried seed pods are common in flower arrangements (often tackily painted silver or gold). Viable opium poppy seeds (typically Dutch Blue variety) are available in your grocery store.

As long as you don't harvest opium, it's perfectly legal to grow the plants.

[RufusEarl]

12. I stay depressed, most of the time!

I come here for a little relief, but most of the topics here are depressing. Somke'em if you got'em!!

[Richard D]

13. More holistic here

Exercise, Omega 3 fish oils, Multi-vitamin, Amino acid and herbal formulas to gently increase serotonin and dopamine, time in nature, making music, realistic goals to accomplish, remembering that "the End" has been prophesied many times and still hasn't happened, so maybe this is one more time like that. Knowing with out a doubt that "This too shall pass." Good wine.

(corrected for spelling)

[marions ghost]

45. yeah

re. the serotonin & dopamine levels--I second the idea that you can increase these levels a bit without drugs. Of course if drugs are needed then take them. If depression is at a debilitating level, and you go with a pharmaceutical correction, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Better not to be stressed and nonfunctional. Morley Safer I saw last night was talking about his lifetime journey with depression. He feels he overcame it and came out the other side. But not easy.

Just to say that really looking at what you're ingesting on a daily basis can be part of the plan, especially when you feel things are more under control. Absolutely no aspartame. Very little sugar. The Omega 3 fish oils = good. Also ground flax. Acupuncture can also be very helpful in this. Meditation, yoga, exercise...a plus.

Of course depression has stimuli that aren't biological, but it doesn't hurt to optimize the body's chemical and physical state--it can help mitigate the symptoms quite a bit.

[librechik]

14. Happy on Zoloft since 98

more or less

[Warpy]

15. First, medication with therapy is your best hope

for beating this thing. I'm glad you're able to afford appropriate treatment.

Second, even though you can't believe it now, there is a better world waiting for you when the two things start to take effect. The bad news is that you're not going to start feeling like yourself again for three to six weeks, the average time it takes for antidepressants to affect your brain chemistry adequately.

I've spent much of the last 4 months depressed after the death of my pop, who was my only close relative. Alcohol ripped my extended family apart decades ago, so I barely know my cousins and I have no support. What I've been doing is just taking one thing at a time, putting one foot in front of the other, and going through the motions. I'm starting to come out of the worst of it now, and having a record of accomplishing a few things is helping the effort. In a few months, I'll start planning for the future instead of just managing to cope with the present ten minutes at a time.

Good luck to you. You are on the right track to getting back to feeling like a whole self again. It will happen. Until then, just take care of business as best you can.

[thoughtanarchist]

16. Take a deep breath, and then...

do your best Flinstones "Dino the Dinosaur" impression as loudly as you can.

If you work in a busy office this is especially effective.

:bounce:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

17. Go to my spirituality

I have spiritual practices that help me understand what is going on and that help me maintain peace within.

[seabeyond]

25. i ... am right there with you. yes. n/t

[jojo54]

18. Find something that really interests you and go for it!!

My saving grace is my grandchildren. I'm still young enough that I can play and run with them. They are my pure joy (besides the rest of my family, of course) and I live for the time that I spend with them.

[Jane Austin]

20. Wellbutrin, DU*, Jon Stewart and now, Stephen Colbert.

Paxil took my personality away for nearly ten years and made me fat, too.

I have been seriously depressed since December of 2000, with very little upside. Although naturally an optimist, as an almost "Senior" I am looking now at the real possibility that none of our national nightmare will be corrected in my lifetime.

All through my life I felt that things were getting better - - however incrementally - - all the time. So much of that has been ripped away in the past five years that it hangs like a dark, dark cloud over every moment of every day.

You younger people are going to have to fight hard and bravely for the return of our Constitutional government.

*I especially want to thank DUers (like Husband2Sparkly) who make an effort to write wonderfully funny posts on DU.

The levity does help me.

[havocmom]

22. Do at least one constructive thing per day

And pay attention to what all has been done. Take some time to see the positive. Get up and add to the list! Write LTTE, share knowledge and motivate others to take action to get our country back.

That, and the vitamins/supplements I take to keep my predisposition to chronic depression under control.

Don't forget to take recess and go outside to play from time to time. If possible, with a child you are fond of. Helps restore your field of vision and recharge your will to make things better... if for no other reason that to help that child have a fighting chance in life.

Make sure the meds they gave you work. If not, make sure they keep trying until they get the right one for you! Be proactive in your care.

Best wishes. I know that dark place that is so hard to escape.

[undeterred]

23. Activism is the cure for soulsickness.

And its the only cure. I am transforming all my angst and anger and worry into working on a campaign. I never run out of angst and anger and worry so I have boundless energy for the campaign... I can think of something to do every single day. I only discovered this within the last year.

I am hosting my first fundraiser on Sunday. Working on a campaign means I still pay attention to what's going on but I feel like I am working to push things the other way by helping to elect a progressive Democrat and oust one of the worst Republicans in Congress.

I anticipate the joy of victory on November 7. :)

[seabeyond]

24. my two boys, hubby, family, friends.... the warm sun, the birds

chirping. laughter. flowers, chocolate, 3 more days of school, health, balance, joy......

[bryant69]

26. Play World of Warcraft

Put on David Byrne's Rei Momo, or Rough Guide to Music Congolese & Soukous.

Get Angry - not the constructive anger that leads to hard work and making things better, but the "tick tick tick" anger that has me ready to blow up at anybody in my path.

Given the choice, the first two are preferabl.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[IChing]

33. I play WOW and it helps....lol

Music, new age and classical for focus...
Love Rock and Roll and the Blues, but they can get me down sometimes.
humor always helps
Walking in nature.
and love and support from DU

[Catherine Vincent]

29. Always remember to never take these message boards too seriously.

[Marie26]

30. Be grateful

for all you have. If you're alive, if you're free, if you have people you love, you've got everything you need to be happy in this life.

[hashibabba]

37. Take your ADS,

and when they kick in, come back here. If these kinds of things depress you more, you need to stop for a while until you're strong enough to fight!

ADs saved my life, don't feel bad about having to take them. Many good ideas here for helping you out of the depression. All of them can work!

[T Wolf]

34. First, get a million dollars (sayeth Steve Martin)

Humor has to be part of it.

Finding the right medication is key (Paxil in my case).

Find positive things to include in your life.

Limit the exposure to political things - not cut out entirely, but lower the level of obsession. Try going cold turkey for a short time, then bring it back in a little at a time. That worked for me as well.

I wish you well. I know how hard it can be to be a feeling, caring person caught in the insanity of Bushmerica.

[Armstead]

35. Seperate personal depression from political depression

I think you have to look at it on two diferent levels. It's kind of a chicken-and-egg question.

Being depressed about the state of the nation under the unholy alliance of GWB and the GOP and the right-wing and the Corporate Oligrchs is a sign of being mentlly healthy.

Frankly, that's much more of a rational reaction than not being depressed about it.

However, the chicken-and-egg part is whether that is causing a resonable sense of depression OR are you over-recting because of an underlying clinical depression.

Those are two different matters. If it's purely a rection to eternal events and the generally rotten mood of the country, there's a lot you can do to keep it in perspective -- including detaching yourself from it on a regular basis, work to do something to change it and also remembering that you can have a good personal life despite it all.

On the other hand, if a predisposition to depression is causing you to over-react to external political events, it's best to recognzie that and deal with the underlying causes. Some of the solutions are the same as for purely Political Depression, but it has to go beyond that, if it is more of a personal issue.

Sounds like you're on the right track by gettinmg professional help and medication. Although anti-depressent meds are not a cure all, they do help to bring your head above wtwer so you can deal with the rest of it better.

Finally, here's a thread i wrote that might cheer you up, in political terms.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1223511&mesg_id=1223511

[loveandlight]

48. thanks for this...

I struggle with this depression issue as well. My friends tell me I read the depressing news too much. So sometimes I just take a break. But your explanation about keeping a perspective on political depression versus personal is really helpful. And yes, I too have found when I get engaged in local activities where I can really see and feel making a difference matters, then my depression on the larger issues is easier to handle. I work at it every day, some days are better than others.

[enlightenment]

36. Cassius,

You're going to get a whole lot of advice, I suspect. Normally, I don't post on medical issues (you're really not supposed to ask for that kind of advice on DU, though many ignore the rule) -- but I'm not offering medical advice here, so I'll break my own rule.

You are your own best judge of your emotional state, and you are in control of it. The meds will help (keep in mind that it can take weeks before you notice any change and you need to monitor your reactions and keep your doctor up to date on your progress).

Take a walk every day -- not "power walking," just a meander. Stop and look at things that you normally pass by; a flower or a leaf or a shop window display. Don't plug into an Ipod, plug into the beat of the planet.

Find a way to express your creative side -- do you like cooking? Take a class and learn new recipes or skill sets. Crafts? Pull your paints or fabric or whatever out of the closet and set aside time each day for that.

Take a class at the local community college or recreation center. Make plans to do something you've always wanted to do -- and then set that plan in motion.

LIMIT the amount of time you watch television and cruise the Internet -- information overload is probably a big trigger for you. Learn to walk away from insurmountable issues that you cannot control. You can go back to them when you feel like it -- just don't let them control you.

Drink more water (seriously). It makes you feel better, physically, and makes you feel better about yourself.

Make time for yourself - so the time you give to others is quality time.

I've lived with depression for over 30 years. You can LIVE with it. Remember that "happiness" is transitory; it's not a permanent state (honestly, can you imagine what the world would be like if everybody was happy ALL the time? shudder). You don't have to be joyful every moment and you don't have to feel responsible for other people's emotional state. Behave decently, of course, but don't make others' problems your problems.

One final note -- if you feel like you may hurt yourself, call a friend, call a crisis line -- or simply get yourself to the nearest emergency room. Okay?

You'll be fine, you know -- really. It's hard work sometimes, but you can do it.
Best,
enlightenment

on edit: spelling error.

[Quixote1818]

39. It's important to give yourself and life purpose and meaning.

Viktor Frankl lived through the Holocaust and observed people during this time. He came to some interesting conclusions through his research, some are summed up below. I think the movie About Schmidt had a powerful message about the importance of helping others and while Schmidt felt like a failure it was when he realized he had made a difference in a child's life that he found some degree of happiness.


Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl

On Choosing One's Attitude
"Everything can be taken from a man but ...the last of the human freedoms - to choose
one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." p.104

"There is also purpose in life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man's attitude to his existence, an existence restricted by external forces." p.106


On Committing to Values and Goals
"Logotherapy...considers man as a being whose main concern consists in fulfilling a meaning and in actualizing values, rather than in the mere gratification and satisfaction of drives and instincts." p.164

"What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him." p.166


On Discovering the Meaning of Life
"The meaning of our existence is not invented by ourselves, but rather detected." p.157

"What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general, but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment." p.171

"We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: (1) by doing a deed; (2) by experiencing a value; and (3) by suffering." p.176


On Fulfilling One's Task
"A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."
p.127

"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life - daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." p.122


Above quotations reprinted from:
Frankl, Viktor E., Man's Search for Meaning, Washington Square Press, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1963.

[shadowknows69]

40. Lots of Pot

been helping my depression for years.

[noonwitch]

41. Listen to gospel music and volunteer some time with kids

Gospel music always cheers me up. It's so bouncy and happy, even if you are not religious, the beat feels good. I'm not talking about contemporary christian music, I'm talking about traditional gospel.

Volunteering to help others also can go far. It gets you to look outside of yourself at others. Helping others makes you feel more empowered to help yourself. Volunteering with kids is fun because kids distract you with their sense of fun and their energy levels.

But no one ever gets cheered up listening to Metallica and watching the news all day.

[Arkansas Granny]

42. In addition to the therapy and medication, think about the things

you did when you didn't feel depressed that made you feel good. Sometimes when you are feeling low, you really don't feel like doing anything and forget about hobbies or pasttimes that gave you a lot of enjoyment in the past. It doesn't have to benefit anyone else, it just has to be something you enjoy. And don't feel guilty if it seems self centered. If it makes you feel better it will have a positive effect on those around you too.

[meganmonkey]

43. I protest about 4 days a week

or more sometimes.

I talk to people on the street, I get them to stand with me and hold signs.

I meet up with people and talk about solutions and try to make them work.

I spend very little time on DU (except when I am slow at work, like this week).

I feel much better every day that I do these things.

Peace and Solidarity.

[Sugar Smack]

46. Here: I've made up a list of links for you that are interesting,

distractive and creative from my journal's blog list. I need to distract myself with other websites or I need to step away from the computer.

I've gotten lost in this one for hours: http://www.airlinemeals.net/ It's got great pictures and really spirited descriptions of the participants.

This one is one of my favorites: http://foundmagazine.com/ You can see little pieces of humanity on lists and notes that people find on the street.

Here's a great website for learning things about food: http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/

This is about people sounding off against harrassment: http://hollabacknyc.blogspot.com/

LOL!!--> Throw George around. http://www.planetdan.net/pics/misc/georgie.htm

Reading this lifts my spirits considerably:http://thankyoustephencolbert.org/wordpress/?p=3&cp=1117#comments

This one cracks me up. A badly-drawn cats website? http://www.tiddles.co.uk/

Look at other people's "To Do" lists: http://todolistblog.blogspot.com/

Tiki Land: Great artwork! http://tikiland.de/

Kittens, of course.---> http://www.ratemykitten.com/

I hope it helps a little bit.


:hug:

[Skelington]

47. I think it is sad,

that so many suggest drugs, and so few suggest outdoor activity. Sitting at this computer and reading threads for hours at a time will close the walls of reality in on you. The future is not as hopeless as it may be portrayed, we are not all doomed, and we are not living in a post apocalyptic time, even though things may seem desperate at times.

When I sit and read threads here at DU, especially at night, things seem darker, somewhat more depressing. The constant "this is the end", "it's all over folks", and the constant open hostile expressions that are to be found in the GD board make even the most grounded people twitch eventually.

Stay off of DU for only one week, and during that week strike up a conversation with one new person every day, even if it is only while standing in line at the grocery store. The only criteria to the conversation is don't talk politics, good, bad or ugly don't talk politics. Avoiding politics for one week is like a breath of fresh air early in the morning while camping with friends. In 7 days, have 7 conversations that have nothing to do with politics, and by the end of the week, pointing out every single thing that is wrong, or reading somebody else's rant about the state of affairs won't be the "drug" you need to feel better. Things do really work out in the end, but you have to look, and allow them to work out.

I'm not suggesting you ignore what wrong-doings you believe need to be corrected, I only suggest that you let your mind take a break from the constant barrage of problems, and battle cries for action here, and let your mind think......, think about your body. Go outside and spend your computing "blogging" time with flesh and blood people, they are the ones that matter, and will help. Computer generated friends become your own sub-conscious eventually, go get a sunburn and remember what real, really is.

[Jim Warren]

57. purty dang good advice

"Sitting at this computer and reading threads for hours at a time will close the walls of reality in on you."

'tis so.

"Computer generated friends (can) become your own sub-conscious eventually"

yupper. (forbearance for adding a word.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay grounded, the earth is witness.




The Buddha touches the ground and calmly replies: “Mother Earth knows."

[Skelington]

59. Better tomorrows , they always come. n/t

[MadHound]

49. I absolutely take a break from the world

I hop on my scooter, and head twenty six miles out into the country, where my home is. I work hard, planting, cutting, etc. I sit out on the deck and watch the birds, deer, rabbits and other wild life play. I enjoy the sounds of nature. I watch little television, mostly for the local weather and sports. I read, write, and focus on my wife, family and friends.

Everything in moderation, everything in balance. Sometimes you've just got to push the world away and take a break, even if it's for a little while.

[Fiendish Thingy]

50. I research emigrating to Canada n/t

[Pryderi]

51. Join a DFAlink.com support group!

www.dfalink.com

[iamahaingttta]

52. I DON'T keep from getting depressed.

When it's time to be depressed, I get depressed. It's part of life, and to deny it is to deny a full life. When it's time to get happy, I get happy. The contrast is necessary. Of course, I'm not self-destructive in my depression, just glum and gloomy. I know it's temporary and that the rest of my life is generally pretty good...

[BiggJawn]

53. I don't.

Bupropion and Lexapro here. Talk therapy. And I STILL cry myself to sleep at least 3X a week.

Doctor say "Why not try NOT listening to the news" and I say "Because I don't want to become one of those blissful ignorant Sheeple who don't know Jack."

[tlsmith1963]

56. Yeah, It Sucks

If you pay attention to the news you get depressed, & if you don't it gets worse because you aren't fighting.

Damn, I can't wait until it's really payback time. I won't need ADs then!

Tammy

[prole_for_peace]

54. Efexxor XR -

but i still get blue and pissed (not at the same time)when think too hard about all the problems here and abroad

[RaleighNCDUer]

55. I spend uncounted hours playing stupid games on my PC.

Oh.

That IS depression.

[godhatesrepublicans]

58. Landscaping, blogging, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and research.

I also do a lot of favors for people I know, to keep myself busy.