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I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me lea

I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me learn to cope a little better, but I was never "cured" of my depression. My 20s have been pretty bad, but in the last year and a half I've lost 100+lbs and have been running and lifting. It turns out the common sense advice to depression was really what I needed all along. * Sleep * Proper diet * Exercise If you're struggling with depression like I was - try and take baby steps to improving those 3. You don't have to be perfect and it doesn't have to be all at once, but through continued effort it has only gotten better and better for me.

ada1981 9y ago
Have you tried regular voulentering, Gratitude letter writing, Holotropic breathwork or psychedelic therapy? I found those to be the most useful.
- ElatedOwl 9y ago
  I've never done psychedelic therapy but I do vape a decent amount of weed. I think at times it helped me be a little more introspective without bias, but it could have just been a side effect of maturing. As far as breathwork, fitness is almost a form of meditation for me so I think there's some overlap. Running and lifting gives a lot of inner monologue and self reflection time.
  - alexssung 9y ago
    Meditation (at least mindfulness meditation) is meant to rid you of inner monologue though. It can be immensely helpful considering depression is often caused by constant negative thoughts.
  - anigbrowl 9y ago
    One psychedelic/psychoactive drug is not like another - not necessarily better or worse, just different. You may well be shocked by the degree of difference; I'd rather not resort to cheesy analogies because they're likely to create unhelpful preconceptions. If you do experiment, avoid the enthusiast's trap of trying to sample as many different cocktails as you can. Whether it's a maturity or a cultural thing, there are many temptations to 'max out' on the intensity of the experience, which I think are unhelpful. As for the therapy aspect, it's wiser to dose with an experienced person present who can help you if you feel distressed, but if a therapist is proposing to script the whole trip then it won't really be 'your' trip any more.
  - ada1981 9y ago
    My perspective : marijuana is a pretty good palliative medicine, and perhaps in high single doses can be used for psychedelics type work, but generally it doesn't have the healing properties for mental health that the classic psychedelics do. Breathwork < > fitness. Breathwork, specifically Holotropic Breathwork, was developed by an Md as an alternative to LSD psychotherapy after prohibition began. I'm happy to discuss more privately as I know these things can be very personal. a@175g.com
- jansho 9y ago
  Volunteering is good. If you find that you focus attention on yourself too much, try shifting it to others. But keep the activities simple (manual and repetitive, like soup kitchen stuff.) It’s also a good excuse to get out of the house, do minimum socialising and just observing the world around you. No expectations like performance measures and salaries either - your job is to just give a little.
salqadri 9y ago
I'd add one more to that list: * Meditation / Prayer
- nitrogen 9y ago
  Just note that prayer can be a cause of depression if you find yourself in a religion that turns out not to work for you, so maybe try stopping praying, too.
  - athenot 9y ago
    Most of them have a contemplative style that can work. - Catholic: adoration - Protestant: centering prayer - Buddhism: Zazen - Islam: contemplation
  - thebluehawk 9y ago
    Yep, for me personally religion was one of the major causes of my depression. And I've been happier as I cut it out of my life. Others find happiness in religion. Everyone is different, find what makes you happy.
  - Scea91 9y ago
    That is probably why parent is dividing with Prayer and not multiplying with it.
- coleifer 9y ago
  I can't even express how much these simple things have changed my life (and the lives of those around me).
deleted 9y ago
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Kenji 9y ago
People who can just sleep, diet and exercise and the depression simply goes away, that's not real major depression. I really hate how people spread this stuff so condescendingly. No, it might have worked for you, but it does not work for millions of people who suffer from it.
- yters 9y ago
  Part of depression I had to reject is it became part of my identity, that it made me some kind of special. Because part of depression is self pity.
  - varjag 9y ago
    > Because part of depression is self pity. Are you sure you are not one of those people who confuse being moody with clinically depressed? Self pity isn't really high on the list of symptoms.
    - yters 9y ago
      Looking over the list of symptoms, I definitely had that. Very severe in my teens, got better in college, and now it rarely bothers me. Improvement seems to have come from numerous changes to my life, including the whole exercising thing. Being really fit was a big confidence boost, though I don't need to remain at that level of fitness to retain the benefits. But the biggest impact was my worldview and how it has changed.
      - ionised 9y ago
        Then you never had clinical depression.
        yters 9y ago
        Sounds like the no true Scotsman fallacy. For instance my understanding of clinical depression is people often have suicidal ideation. I had that, would imagine throwing myself out a window, down the side of a mountain, etc. But I never would follow through because I noticed how my depression filtered my view of the world, and once the feeling passed things did not seem so bad. It would be horrible to make such a final decision as suicide, since it guaranteed my life would not improve, even though my depression told me it never would. Plus, believing I could go to hell for suicide helped keep me from doing it, and concern for how it would affect those I love. Finally, it seemed like such a selfish decision.
Swizec 9y ago
Yup same here. Clinical depression in high school, meds, therapy, suicide watch the whole shebang. Fun times, can’t remember two years of my life. So far the only thing that’s actually worked has been staying busy/productive/creative, good nutrition, exercise etc. Everyone always tells me I’m an insensitive dick when i suggest getting off their ass and doing stuff to treat their depression. But fuck it, that shit works. Yes it’s hard to get started and your depression makes it even harder, but that is literally irrelevant, you gotta do it anyway. And yes dear downvoters, I will never stop saying this: Changing your lifestyle to treat depression works. If enduring your downvotes helps me get the message to at least 1 person, worth it. And to the common criticism that "Oh you just had teenage depression that doesn't count". The scars all over my body that I get to look at for the rest of my life disagree with your "just".
- DanBC 9y ago
  > But fuck it, that shit works for you -- you have no idea whether it'll work for anyone else. Since depression is a potentially fatal illness, and you appear not to have any training in psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, medicine, pharmacology, you should maybe recognise your limits. > Changing your lifestyle to treat depression works Only for some people. you have no idea how many people it does work for, and you have no idea how many people it doesn't work for, so you might want to avoid judging people who don't take your advice.
  - jbob2000 9y ago
    The medical community calls what you're doing "terminal uniqueness" and I've noticed that this is very prevalent with people who suffer from depression: "Those therapies won't work on me, I am different, I need a special treatment". Sleep, eat well, keep active. Nothing about that advice is dangerous. But it is hard to do if you aren't in the habit of doing it. (I know what you're going to say next, "but chemicals in the brain!" What do you think sleeping, healthy dieting, and keeping active are trying to fix?)
    - pgeorgi 9y ago
irrational 9y ago
Those three things seem to be the answer to so many health issues, physical as well as mental.
BlackjackCF 9y ago
Same experiences here. I've just noticed that sleeping, proper diet, and exercise are things that just keep me in motion. I guess one way to cope is to just build momentum. At the very least, I can say that I feel satisfied about things that I've accomplished, even if I still don't feel great about myself. And that is at least enough to keep me getting out of bed every morning instead of moping around.
- ProAm 9y ago
  "An object in motion stays in motion" definitely fits here.
  - eradicatethots 9y ago
    Although it’s not really true- you have to become depressed after all
jlg23 9y ago
Careful with that advice. It might have been good for you, it might be good for a lot of depressive people, but definitely not for all. Before I turned twenty I met two people my age who took your advice and exercised until ambulances had to pick them up (literally). Whatever you do to counter your depression, have a trustworthy, knowledgeable aid at your side: a therapist.
- ClassyJacket 9y ago
  This is the most ridiculous and irrelevant warning I can imagine. Almost nobody us at risk of over exercising if they haven't started yet. It's like saying "Don't eat salad, I know someone that ate so much lettuce they got sick."
  - jlg23 9y ago
    I fail to see the connection between ~"don't see exercising as a golden bullet against depression" and what you claim I've said.
    - PantaloonFlames 9y ago
      you said "[exercise] might be good for a lot of depressive people, but definitely not for all." Which is dead wrong. Exercise is good for humans, depressed or not. You also said, "Before I turned twenty I met two people my age who took your advice and exercised until ambulances had to pick them up (literally). " ...apparently as a warning that exercise is dangerous. But as you can see, it's a ridiculous statement. Sure, people should see a therapist. They should also exercise. Go for a walk. Move around. They should also gain some sleep discipline. Those are easy to start with. There's no mutual exclusion here. Just because someone is exercising and sleeping right, does not mean they cannot talk to a therapist.
      - rrix2 9y ago
        i read it as "might be good enough", which is entirely closer to the meaning that parent was trying to get at, I think.
graphitezepp 9y ago
Yes, I was quite annoyed by them calling out, and seeming to try to shame, the advice of going for a run. Mental stuff can be pretty bad my way, and these days sticking to a good workout routine is doing wonders for keeping me grounded. Depressed people should try going for a run.
- endorphone 9y ago
  Yes, I was quite annoyed by them calling out, and seeming to try to shame, the advice of going for a run. People mean well, and I never try to belittle people trying to do good, but in these situations people project their own feelings and motivations and then declare what needs to change in the other person's situation. But physical exercise and taking the trouble to eat right itself is a major barrier when you find it tough just getting out of bed. It is essentially saying "stop being depressed and you won't be depressed".
- astura 9y ago
  When I was depressed I went for lots of runs, walks, bike rides, did plenty of sets. All it did was make me feel worse because it caused massive amounts of physical pain, and not in a "good" way. I think diet and exercise can do wonders for mild and maybe even moderate depression but the odds that it can cure severe depression are very, very small. It's dangerously simplistic to say "you just need some exercise, man."
taurath 9y ago
All along, or after 10 years of physiological/mental changes from your 20s? Just because it takes when you're 30 doesn't mean it would have taken in your 20s.
- ElatedOwl 9y ago
  It's a fair point, and I can't really know how much of it was just me maturing as a person. I can say, though, that making these changes at any point in my life would have been a vast improvement. Sleep and nutrition help me view life in a much better lens and exercise gives me a structured, constructive outlet and scheduled time for reflection.
  - taurath 9y ago
    That’s one of those things that enables a lot of empathy I find - given the people I was around and what my life was like before my 20s, I certainly found it near impossible to actually make healthier life choices. Wanting to make the choices doesn’t matter as much as having the skill set and self knowledge to put yourself in a position to do them - powering through as a rule for me just leads to burnout, and ends up being incredibly unkind to myself which leads to worse habits.
SnowingXIV 9y ago
It's also a viscous cycle once you stop doing these things. I had everything going well for me, but then a bunch kinda blew up at once and I stopped eating healthy, quit working out, and was losing sleep because I was trying to solve all these other problems and felt those things were pointless. "Oh, I can't get in the mindset to lift today I'm too stressed out and depressed/hopeless." That led me from only skipping a few days to skipping months. I ended up going into some escapism mentality where if I'm not working I'm going to play video games/watch TV. It was a terrible rut until one morning I looked in the mirror and realized I'm letting life slip away. I'm not growing (well at least not in the productive way). Mind you most of those "explosive" problems were solved, but I wasn't. I freaked out, threw on some gym clothes, went to the gym, and ran. I don't even know what I was running toward. But I was running. I began lifting again, doing meal prep, back to studying, programming pet projects, reading, and it all came together. It can hit you in waves, but one of the best ways to keep your head above water is to make sure those three things ElatedOwl mentioned are in check.
- sliverstorm 9y ago
  A viscous cycle? [https://cdn1.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/318/318719/molasses.jpg https://cdn1.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/31...] Sorry, not a grammar nazi, this one just always makes me grin :)
- madamelic 9y ago
  >It's also a viscous cycle once you stop doing these things. It is also gosh dang terrifying. I am not so much curing my depression + anxiety as much as I am running away and trying put enough stuff behind me that it can't catch me. But when it does, it is difficult to get started again.
  - curun1r 9y ago
    > I am running away and trying put enough stuff behind me that it can't catch me I'm not sure I like that way of looking at it. I choose to look at it like I'm an addict. Addicts, even once they're sober, consider themselves to be addicts their entire life. Any day they can fall off the wagon, even after years of sobriety, so they're constantly vigilant. I look at my depression the same way, only not doing the necessary things that keep me well is my version of falling off the wagon. Just like addicts do, I try to keep my streak of "sober" days going as long as possible. And when I slip up, I try not to beat myself up and just try to start an even longer new streak. It's somewhat empowering to gain a little measure of control over it, even if it's really, really hard. But it's also important, I think, to realize I'll always be a depressive my entire life, even if I'm not feeling it at the moment.
Taylor_OD 9y ago
I can't support this enough. I'd add laying off alcohol. I haven't been diagnosed with depression but I can get in a serious funk if I haven't been exercising, sleeping enough, eating right, or if I've been drinking too much. Again this isn't a one size fits all cure for depression but it's worth a shot.
- rconti 9y ago
  I always wished I was one of those people who loved working out. Some folks comment on how miserable they feel if they don't work out for a few days. I feel AWESOME if I get that much time free to relax and just enjoy myself and not feel obligated to work out :) I bike commute and also work out before work every day, but I can't say it has a particularly large effect on my mood. My darkest days were long before I drank; then again, adolescence is a particularly hard time anyway.
icc97 9y ago
Bare in mind what the post talks about that for some people, telling them to go running just makes them feel worse because they can't even get up the energy to get off the sofa. I think it depends on how deep down the hole you are, plus clearly some things work better for others.
- eradicatethots 9y ago
  Or maybe they don’t believe you when you say it would help
agumonkey 9y ago
Did you feel like these three variables reinforced themselves ? Exercise makes you eat differently and sleep out of exhaustion earlier, you also wake up a bit sore but somehow replenished; which makes you seek slightly more active things.
afpx 9y ago
I can only believe you when you say you cured yourself, but I just want to point out for others that this sometimes can be symptoms of hypomania (bipolar II). As an example, consider the following author’s self-cure for his bipolar II: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelellsberg/2011/07/18/how-i-overcame-bipolar-ii/amp/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelellsberg/2011/07/18/how-... Sounds pretty easy and awesome, right? Then, read his follow-up several years later: http://www.ellsberg.com/bipolar-ii-follow-up http://www.ellsberg.com/bipolar-ii-follow-up In particular, notice the change in tone of his writing. Very different people speaking in each of the articles. I want to point this out because mood cycles can sometimes last several years, and bipolar sufferers are at a higher risk of suicide. It’s not stuff that I would self-diagnose or self-treat.
- johnny99 9y ago
  He said "seeing if I could go without" medication, which I think is different than saying he's cured. But your point about bipolar II is really important. Taking anti-depressants (SSRIs) when bipolar can induce rapid cycling--a speeding up and intensifying of the depressed-elated cycle, which can be very dangerous, as I learned the hard way after being misdiagnosed. Bipolar II is often treatable (I'm deeply grateful that mine is), but with different approaches and medications than depression.
  - sgtmas2006 9y ago
    Prescribed Zoloft before I was diagnosed Bipolar II, without lamotrigine & methylphenidate I've lost jobs, been kicked out of college, spent 6 months with major depressive episodes (~20 down days, 4 up days on avg,) and Zoloft was absolutely insane. My ideology is already if you're not successful by 29 and still depressed, might as well suicide. Zoloft brought that down to thinking "41 steps to the loaded shotgun" and a lot of preparation for it. Lamotrigine & methylpheniate have been good for me for the 6 months I've been prescribed them, but recently methylphenidate has not been helping, and i'm starting to spiral again.
- nfd 9y ago
  Whoa, cool. I guess I ought to go visit a psychiatrist. Thank you.
the_cat_kittles 9y ago
as others have noted, these things are a negative feedback loop when you start slacking on them. so i think its important to make them as easy as possible, and externally enforced as possible. i think they truly do help alot of people, of course not all, but many. im really not sure how to solve that chicken and egg problem tho- you dont do these three things because you are depressed, which begets more of the same. for me, basketball was a panacea, since i discovered i enjoyed playing it immensely. so i got exercise without having to force myself. i got so hungry from exercise that i couldn't avoid eating alot (for me, eating regularly and enough was the challenge), and of course, being so tired from exercise helped me sleep. i guess its a parable in treating depression as much as its a parable in how valuable sports can be.
- eradicatethots 9y ago
  I’m pretty sure depressed people don’t believe these things will help them. If they did, they would just force themselves into it despite feeling bad. The idea that there’s a problem here, rather than that exercise is just actually worthless, is ridiculous.
  - mmmbetternot 9y ago
    Most mentally healthy people can't force themselves to meet their exercise goals. Many mentally healthy people fail to meet their nutrition goals too.
  - the_cat_kittles 9y ago
    you arent wrong. i can conjure old mental states that were basically proof of your point. its a tough nut to crack, hence it plagues us to this day.
sizzle 9y ago
Personal anecdote, semen retention has some surprising benefits and make your a more social being. Recommend trying this method to see if it benefits any depressed folks. Disclaimer: I'm not a doc, don't take my word on anything or listen to me.
- coffeevradar 9y ago
  Is that when you store it in bottles for later?
  - sizzle 9y ago
    To put it nicely, it's when you don't release it via manually stimulating your genital nerve endings. This practice is derived from ancient Chinese medicine I believe, may be wrong.
xnm 9y ago
One of the symptoms of major depression is psychomotor retardation which causes people great difficulty in performing even simple tasks, like brushing one's teeth, doing the laundry, or showering. Advocating exercise as a cure for a disorder marked by the inability to exercise seems short sighted. "I can't get out of bed" "You should exercise" Ugh...
- molloy 9y ago
  I have psychomotor retardation (thanks for putting a name to one of my biggest struggles!) due to major depression but exercise really does help more than anything else. It's definitely hard to exercise, but often it's not that I can't do anything at all, it's that I use up all my willpower doing one thing in a day. But if I make that one thing exercise, then for the rest of the day it's like my psychomotor retardation goes away completely and then other tasks are manageable. I actually brush my teeth, do the laundry that's been piling up, make a healthy dinner and clean up the kitchen after, etc.
- Allower 9y ago
  Go for a fucking walk you pathetic sack of shit. touch your toes and twist your hips. You can do these things, stop making excuses and make a decision to do ANYTHING different than what you have been doing.
InclinedPlane 9y ago
Those three things are good and can go a long way towards helping out, but they are not perfect. Most especially they suffer from a bootstrapping problem. If you're too depressed to take care of yourself by keeping your sleep on schedule, eating right, and exercising regularly you absolutely will not have the energy or motivation to get back into them easily. Additionally, some people have other issues that make those things harder, such as medical or physical reasons they can't exercise, or sleep disorders (which have a high degree of comorbidity with depression and bipolar). I'd highly suggest that people look at mindfulness based cognitive therapy. That can build the tools that will make it possible to get back on track. It can also make a huge mental difference to bring people from "kinda sad but doing ok because of good sleep/diet/exercise habits" to actually being able to enjoy life.
deleted 9y ago
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throwaway133769 9y ago
I was going to post this exact same thing. I was """diagnosed""" by multiple psychs as having major depression and general anxiety. At the lowest points, I tried to kill myself using fake nembutal ordered from some stranger in Mexico, and about a year after that I quit my high-paying dev job, burning a ton of bridges, and literally did not leave my apartment or brush my teeth for 2 months. I had previously tried every variety of medication and they did nothing or made it worse. A friend who had been through something similar recommended the simple fix of sleep, diet (basically just more plants, more animal protein, way less sugar, and way less alcohol), weightlifting, and sunlight. After about a year or so I felt completely fine. I look great, feel great, and my career is back on track. It's obviously just a single person's experience but I'm inclined to believe the majority of "depression" cases can be fixed by this. Furthermore, treating it as a disease rather than just a bad mood made it _way_ worse, as I was able to rationalize the fact that my life was crippled by it and that was ok because it was a disease and my hands were tied. Once I treated it as something I could fix I made vast improvements.
matt_j 9y ago
I struggle with depression. I haven't had any therapy, but taking my bike out to the forest and going for a good long ride in the trees does wonders for me. The adrenaline of a cross country ride and the deep fatigue after a couple of hours on the bike both help me to quiet my overactive mind.
6nf 9y ago
This is really good advice. Anyone strugging with depression should definitely start with the basics: - Regular good sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. - Good exercise every day. This will help with the sleep too. - Eat healthy food on a consistent schedule - Avoid alcohol - If you don't get much sun, check your Vit D levels and take supplements if needed These things will almost always make big difference. If you're still strugging you need to see a psychologist or try some medication. Medication is hit and miss so you'll probably need to experiment with different types to find something that works for you. And of course some people just don't respond to depression medication at all. Cognitive behavioural therapy is often helpful and there are other therapy options too. Depression is multi-faceted and you will usually need a variety of treatments to get the best results. Some people recover and go back to normal, but many sufferers will have manage it for their whole lives.
- hhh 9y ago
  CBR wasn't helpful for me at all. The only thing I really do on that list is avoid alcohol. If I am in a good swing, I can sleep at regular times, but I don't exercise. I eat whatever is around really, and in severe down times I've been kicked out of college or lost jobs because I couldn't leave bed to eat or use the bathroom until it was unbearable, let alone leave my house. I also normally ate around a meal a day, at 5pm or so and might have had some apple slices, grapes, or something similar before. The only thing that has ever helped is medication. I have bouts of severe paranoia & hallucinations, but haven't mentioned it to anyone. Lamotrigine & Methylphenidate have been the most helpful, taking me from 5-15% functioning on an average day to 80% or higher. That's worked for me for 5-6 months, but over a month I noticed that my methylphenidate became less effective, and to improve it I had to redose during the day. This was a self-medicating (horrible, i know) method, but then it came to me running out of it for the rest of the month (10 or so days.) So I was low functioning then, but I still had my lamotrigine, so I was around 30%. Then I got my refill and started my day out, and ended up feeling nothing... So I redosed, and still after an appropriate amount of time felt nothing. I kept redosing for the next 40 hours until I had taken 500+ mgs of methylphenidate. I even spent time researching and turned it into IR methylphenidate, and even boofed 81mg of it at one point. Not my greatest hour. I finally passed out at about 60 hours or so, thank god. Then I woke up and realized what happened. That was yesterday. I'm still trying to find out what to do. I've been looking for people with my combination of bipolar II and adhd for input, but I fear that with my hallucinations and paranoia that have come and gone my entire life, there may be more wrong. I don't see an issue with upping my dosage of methylphenidate, but swapping to another med is what I feel may be a better option, but I also fear that my condition will worsen, as only the combination of methylphenidate & lamotrigine helps. I've been considering dexmethylphenidate, but definitely am trying to find more answers.
choicewords 9y ago
Very much agreed on the exercise. I've been writing an article in the past few days that explain why movement is so critical to fighting depression. Still, this author's experience resonates with me in the sense that I get that taking drugs is a way to fix the depression problem. When depression is that crippling and intense, it just doesn't seem like any one thing can help. Like you said, it's baby steps, and if drugs and therapy are on the menu along with exercise and nutrition, then all the better. At some point, I'll be exploring the really hard causes of depression, those that come from society's own anguish. In any case, being personally fit will add immeasurably to your mental fortitude, and events that would otherwise bowl you over won't. https://medium.com/@geoffrey.ducharme/depression-you-can-cure-it-but-will-you-cc901ec38fb https://medium.com/@geoffrey.ducharme/depression-you-can-cur...
WittneyR 9y ago
Great to hear you've overcome (which is even better than being "cured") what is so very often debilitating and insidiously caustic. I read this as "hope," so ty.
Rapzid 9y ago
Exercise is great. I just came back from a trip and where I was killing myself for 5 days straight. The feel-goods after the exertion ended lasted about 4-5 days. Had a sweet workout on day 3, but a bit of anxiety set in day 5 with the subsequent drink to squash it.. I KNOW continuous exercise helps, however outside of the above forced circumstance I'm suspicious at this point that I exercise when I'm feeling better and not the other way around.. That's the problem people without depression don't necessarily understand; feeling good often precipitates exercise, and feeling bad often precipitates lethargy. Lethargy so bad you can feel it. I mean REALLY feel it. You can actually feel this lack of motivation working against your desire to do stuff. It's identifiable, experienceable, and yet so oppressive you can't work against it. I would liken it to people freezing in a life-or-death situation; it doesn't make much sense and you wouldn't think it would happen to you, but it's right there and real for no good reason. EDIT: I would be happy to answer any questions about how depression/anxiety has affected me or my thoughts on it.
- deleted 9y ago
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- marcus_holmes 9y ago
  I was fighting this with my depression. I used to say to myself "just put your running gear on. You don't have to leave the house. But you can put your running gear on". then "OK, now go outside. You don't have to run. Just go outside" some days I would turn around and go back in. And I've have to be OK with that, too. No point beating myself up for it. Some days were not running days. once outside, I'd be "OK, now run to the end of the street". If I could do that, then most of the time I'd be off and could do 5 km's. Some days I'd get to the end of the street and stop. The temptation to beat myself up for the bad days was immense. Huge. Everything in my schooling and upbringing told me that I should just push through the reluctance and "just do it!". But for me, down that road lies worse depression. Being able to say to myself "today is not a running day, and that's OK" was a path out of the intense self-criticism that got me depressed in the first place. It didn't help that exercise had been used as a punishment in school - "you boy, you're late, run twice around the field!". My schooling had taught me that exercise was punishment. I found it hard to run because I felt like I was punishing myself for something. But if I didn't run then I would criticise myself. I've got a better handle on it now. Some days I run. Some days I don't. It's up to me. I enjoy running, and enjoy how it makes me feel, so I do it more often than not. But if I don't want to, I won't, and no-one has the right to criticise me for that. Not even me ;)
0xbear 9y ago
Could it be also change in your environment? I had depression for most of the 00s. Changed jobs, and six months later it was gone. Company that helped me not be depressed was Google, and I’ll be forever thankful for that. I took up exercise later, but mostly it was just reduced anxiety and a better working environment.
manmal 9y ago
Let me add more of the lesser known “quick-fix” things that work for me: - Magnesium has been shown to improve „untreatable“ depression, and for me it does wonders. I use it transdermally because oral Mg gives me diarrhea. This can turn my mood around 100% in minutes. - Near Infrared light is generally really really good for you, and I expect it to become a standard (or at least auxiliary) treatment for many diseases. Most studies have been done with LLLT (lasers), but literature suggests that standard LED diodes work almost as well, at least for cells at the surface. Buy a 850nm CCTV infrared floodlight and point it at various organs and your forehead; and buy some 250W infrared lamps, screw them into a wood board and sit in front of this for a couple of minutes naked. Add sthg like the Vitalux lamp for the extra Vit D kick. Insta mood and energy improvement that lasts up to several days—it feels like having been at the beach. - If you are a low serotonin type, you could get your md to prescribe serotonin tablets (I haven’t), but in the meantime, dark chocolate could also do it. The crucial thing though is to keep the supply steady. I have to wean off the chocolate after a few days. - PEMF (haven’t tried that yet) has also been reported to work: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20385376/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20385376/ There is a PEMF device called ICES that is affordable (about $400 last time I looked).
roystonvassey 9y ago
Glad to see this comment top of the pile here. I'm almost inclined to believe that people who are depressed AND choose not to do anything about it are likely to have an entitlement and/or victimhood mentality. The problem with that? It'll lead you deeper down the rabbit hole and inside within your head; things that'll only make you feel worse than better.
- Mz 9y ago
  That may be a little like saying "People with asthma just aren't trying hard enough to breathe. If they just wanted it bad enough, the wheezing would stop. Go ahead, take a deep breath now." Depression makes it hard to do anything and can be rooted in other issues that physically make it hard to do anything. Some people find their way out, but there is a reason why the doldrums has come to have the meaning it has. The doldrums is a colloquial expression derived from historical maritime usage, which refers to those parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean affected by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure area around the equator where the prevailing winds are calm. The doldrums are also noted for calm periods when the winds disappear altogether, trapping sailing ships for periods of days or weeks. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doldrums https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doldrums Just like sailors once got stuck due to lack of winds, people with depression sometimes just get stuck. If they can find a means to get unstuck, awesome! But we don't know how to readily fix this. We know some things that sometimes help some people. But there is no slam dunk solution guaranteed to work.
moh_maya 9y ago
I am glad to hear that you found something that worked for you. But to add to your anecdote.. "sleep, proper diet, exercise" are necessary, but may often not be sufficient. Medication, when assessed by a qualified psychiatrist may be required. Therapy (if the depression is due to an event in the past) may also be required, Finding which drugs work for you is hit or miss; finding a therapist who can guide you is also hit or miss; they can take time. But please don't dismiss medication & therapy. They are often required for many people.
thinkMOAR 9y ago
So if i understand it you were quite overweight and this was the primary source of your depression?
- ElatedOwl 9y ago
  Overweight child, healthy weight as a teenager, early 20s gained a lot of weight. I don't know that I'd say I have a source of depression, I'm not sure my circumstances have an effect.
  - thinkMOAR 9y ago
    Hmmm okay, was just wondering, thanks.
Broken_Hippo 9y ago
See, I both agree and disagree with your statement. Exercise itself has never produced results for me. Generally, it meant I was still stuck in the house doing something I hated. I haven't always had the luxury of going on regular walks or anything like that. I don't get a rush from being physical. Until recently, I couldn't even afford sports bras for running. Without the bras, anything too "jumpy" was physically painful. (I wear a special size, even when thin like I am now, and they generally cost between $60 and $100 when I can find them. Pre-internet, I simply couldn't find them). All this said, having better physical health does help a bit. But eating well and feeling some pride that you've changed your diet for good? Yeah, that has benefits. The hardest part was finding the combination that worked for me (mostly vegetarian with the exception of fish). Losing weight? Yeah, that had definitely helped (I, too, have lost a great deal of weight and kept it off for years). Walking as a main form of transportation? That is my physical activity and I take some pride in being able to do it regularly. I still hate exercise for the sake of exercise, though. It definitely wasn't a cure at all - that took actually changing my life. And it was hard. And i'm gonna guess that your exercise was a combination of things - like being able to use the coping mechanisms better. Simply growing up (I started a lot of my life changes in my late 20's, and I'm 39 now) I got out of a bad, stressful relationship with a schizophrenic man. I learned that a lot of the negative feedback I had gotten from others over the years wasn't necessarily true and the few friends I have are positive influence. Heck, I actually have a couple friends that aren't family. Some of it was pure luck - I wound up moving overseas to a place that I fit in better than I did in small-to-medium towns in the midwest. I'm able to completely be myself at home: A weird bisexual artist that spends a lot of free time at home. I learned how to relax. Admittedly, I'd not recommend some of what I've done to folks since I'm pretty partial to hallucinogens and visit Amsterdam every once in a while, both with my spouse and by myself. I'm gonna guess some of my crap wasn't depression, though - I completely understand why MDMA is seeming like a wonder drug to the researchers. I had a marked change in thought process after doing it once. By the time I tried it, though, I had already come a long way.
bobfromhuddle 9y ago
I had issues with depression when I was younger. Self-harm, severe depression, suicide attempts, the whole gamut. Wasn't hospitalised, but that was the next step. Looking back on it from my thirties, I've come to the conclusion that most of my problem was disturbed sleep patterns, and the rest was unhealthy thought patterns that became self-perpetuating. Medication didn't help me in the slightest, just made me worse. Getting some sleep and engaging with the world around me is what made all the difference. I'm skeptical of the value of anti-depressants, and some of the side-effects are deeply troubling. The problem is that when I was in the midst of a depressive episode, I wasn't capable of fixing those things. Telling a depressed person that they just need to think happier thoughts, get some sleep, take a bath, go for a walk is utterly pointless.
- d10r 9y ago
  Can you elaborate on "disturbed sleep patterns"? In my case lack of sleep actually results in better mood, but is not a sustainable strategy.
  - nylonstrung 9y ago
    This is because it resets the default mode network. Luckily other things do as well.
  - dsego 9y ago
    lack of sleep causes euphoria (endorphins I think, not sure). but messed up sleeping is related to mental issues.

ada1981 9y ago

Have you tried regular voulentering, Gratitude letter writing, Holotropic breathwork or psychedelic therapy? I found those to be the most useful.

ElatedOwl 9y ago
I've never done psychedelic therapy but I do vape a decent amount of weed. I think at times it helped me be a little more introspective without bias, but it could have just been a side effect of maturing. As far as breathwork, fitness is almost a form of meditation for me so I think there's some overlap. Running and lifting gives a lot of inner monologue and self reflection time.
- alexssung 9y ago
  Meditation (at least mindfulness meditation) is meant to rid you of inner monologue though. It can be immensely helpful considering depression is often caused by constant negative thoughts.
- anigbrowl 9y ago
  One psychedelic/psychoactive drug is not like another - not necessarily better or worse, just different. You may well be shocked by the degree of difference; I'd rather not resort to cheesy analogies because they're likely to create unhelpful preconceptions. If you do experiment, avoid the enthusiast's trap of trying to sample as many different cocktails as you can. Whether it's a maturity or a cultural thing, there are many temptations to 'max out' on the intensity of the experience, which I think are unhelpful. As for the therapy aspect, it's wiser to dose with an experienced person present who can help you if you feel distressed, but if a therapist is proposing to script the whole trip then it won't really be 'your' trip any more.
- ada1981 9y ago
  My perspective : marijuana is a pretty good palliative medicine, and perhaps in high single doses can be used for psychedelics type work, but generally it doesn't have the healing properties for mental health that the classic psychedelics do. Breathwork < > fitness. Breathwork, specifically Holotropic Breathwork, was developed by an Md as an alternative to LSD psychotherapy after prohibition began. I'm happy to discuss more privately as I know these things can be very personal. a@175g.com
jansho 9y ago
Volunteering is good. If you find that you focus attention on yourself too much, try shifting it to others. But keep the activities simple (manual and repetitive, like soup kitchen stuff.) It’s also a good excuse to get out of the house, do minimum socialising and just observing the world around you. No expectations like performance measures and salaries either - your job is to just give a little.

salqadri 9y ago

I'd add one more to that list: * Meditation / Prayer

nitrogen 9y ago
Just note that prayer can be a cause of depression if you find yourself in a religion that turns out not to work for you, so maybe try stopping praying, too.
- athenot 9y ago
  Most of them have a contemplative style that can work. - Catholic: adoration - Protestant: centering prayer - Buddhism: Zazen - Islam: contemplation
- thebluehawk 9y ago
  Yep, for me personally religion was one of the major causes of my depression. And I've been happier as I cut it out of my life. Others find happiness in religion. Everyone is different, find what makes you happy.
- Scea91 9y ago
  That is probably why parent is dividing with Prayer and not multiplying with it.
coleifer 9y ago
I can't even express how much these simple things have changed my life (and the lives of those around me).

deleted 9y ago

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Kenji 9y ago

People who can just sleep, diet and exercise and the depression simply goes away, that's not real major depression. I really hate how people spread this stuff so condescendingly. No, it might have worked for you, but it does not work for millions of people who suffer from it.

yters 9y ago
Part of depression I had to reject is it became part of my identity, that it made me some kind of special. Because part of depression is self pity.
- varjag 9y ago
  > Because part of depression is self pity. Are you sure you are not one of those people who confuse being moody with clinically depressed? Self pity isn't really high on the list of symptoms.
  - yters 9y ago
    Looking over the list of symptoms, I definitely had that. Very severe in my teens, got better in college, and now it rarely bothers me. Improvement seems to have come from numerous changes to my life, including the whole exercising thing. Being really fit was a big confidence boost, though I don't need to remain at that level of fitness to retain the benefits. But the biggest impact was my worldview and how it has changed.
    - ionised 9y ago
      Then you never had clinical depression.
      - yters 9y ago
        Sounds like the no true Scotsman fallacy. For instance my understanding of clinical depression is people often have suicidal ideation. I had that, would imagine throwing myself out a window, down the side of a mountain, etc. But I never would follow through because I noticed how my depression filtered my view of the world, and once the feeling passed things did not seem so bad. It would be horrible to make such a final decision as suicide, since it guaranteed my life would not improve, even though my depression told me it never would. Plus, believing I could go to hell for suicide helped keep me from doing it, and concern for how it would affect those I love. Finally, it seemed like such a selfish decision.

Swizec 9y ago

Yup same here. Clinical depression in high school, meds, therapy, suicide watch the whole shebang. Fun times, can’t remember two years of my life. So far the only thing that’s actually worked has been staying busy/productive/creative, good nutrition, exercise etc. Everyone always tells me I’m an insensitive dick when i suggest getting off their ass and doing stuff to treat their depression. But fuck it, that shit works. Yes it’s hard to get started and your depression makes it even harder, but that is literally irrelevant, you gotta do it anyway. And yes dear downvoters, I will never stop saying this: Changing your lifestyle to treat depression works. If enduring your downvotes helps me get the message to at least 1 person, worth it. And to the common criticism that "Oh you just had teenage depression that doesn't count". The scars all over my body that I get to look at for the rest of my life disagree with your "just".

DanBC 9y ago
> But fuck it, that shit works for you -- you have no idea whether it'll work for anyone else. Since depression is a potentially fatal illness, and you appear not to have any training in psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, medicine, pharmacology, you should maybe recognise your limits. > Changing your lifestyle to treat depression works Only for some people. you have no idea how many people it does work for, and you have no idea how many people it doesn't work for, so you might want to avoid judging people who don't take your advice.
- jbob2000 9y ago
  The medical community calls what you're doing "terminal uniqueness" and I've noticed that this is very prevalent with people who suffer from depression: "Those therapies won't work on me, I am different, I need a special treatment". Sleep, eat well, keep active. Nothing about that advice is dangerous. But it is hard to do if you aren't in the habit of doing it. (I know what you're going to say next, "but chemicals in the brain!" What do you think sleeping, healthy dieting, and keeping active are trying to fix?)
  - pgeorgi 9y ago

irrational 9y ago

Those three things seem to be the answer to so many health issues, physical as well as mental.

BlackjackCF 9y ago

Same experiences here. I've just noticed that sleeping, proper diet, and exercise are things that just keep me in motion. I guess one way to cope is to just build momentum. At the very least, I can say that I feel satisfied about things that I've accomplished, even if I still don't feel great about myself. And that is at least enough to keep me getting out of bed every morning instead of moping around.

ProAm 9y ago
"An object in motion stays in motion" definitely fits here.
- eradicatethots 9y ago
  Although it’s not really true- you have to become depressed after all

jlg23 9y ago

Careful with that advice. It might have been good for you, it might be good for a lot of depressive people, but definitely not for all. Before I turned twenty I met two people my age who took your advice and exercised until ambulances had to pick them up (literally). Whatever you do to counter your depression, have a trustworthy, knowledgeable aid at your side: a therapist.

ClassyJacket 9y ago
This is the most ridiculous and irrelevant warning I can imagine. Almost nobody us at risk of over exercising if they haven't started yet. It's like saying "Don't eat salad, I know someone that ate so much lettuce they got sick."
- jlg23 9y ago
  I fail to see the connection between ~"don't see exercising as a golden bullet against depression" and what you claim I've said.
  - PantaloonFlames 9y ago
    you said "[exercise] might be good for a lot of depressive people, but definitely not for all." Which is dead wrong. Exercise is good for humans, depressed or not. You also said, "Before I turned twenty I met two people my age who took your advice and exercised until ambulances had to pick them up (literally). " ...apparently as a warning that exercise is dangerous. But as you can see, it's a ridiculous statement. Sure, people should see a therapist. They should also exercise. Go for a walk. Move around. They should also gain some sleep discipline. Those are easy to start with. There's no mutual exclusion here. Just because someone is exercising and sleeping right, does not mean they cannot talk to a therapist.
    - rrix2 9y ago
      i read it as "might be good enough", which is entirely closer to the meaning that parent was trying to get at, I think.

graphitezepp 9y ago

Yes, I was quite annoyed by them calling out, and seeming to try to shame, the advice of going for a run. Mental stuff can be pretty bad my way, and these days sticking to a good workout routine is doing wonders for keeping me grounded. Depressed people should try going for a run.

endorphone 9y ago
Yes, I was quite annoyed by them calling out, and seeming to try to shame, the advice of going for a run. People mean well, and I never try to belittle people trying to do good, but in these situations people project their own feelings and motivations and then declare what needs to change in the other person's situation. But physical exercise and taking the trouble to eat right itself is a major barrier when you find it tough just getting out of bed. It is essentially saying "stop being depressed and you won't be depressed".
astura 9y ago
When I was depressed I went for lots of runs, walks, bike rides, did plenty of sets. All it did was make me feel worse because it caused massive amounts of physical pain, and not in a "good" way. I think diet and exercise can do wonders for mild and maybe even moderate depression but the odds that it can cure severe depression are very, very small. It's dangerously simplistic to say "you just need some exercise, man."

taurath 9y ago

All along, or after 10 years of physiological/mental changes from your 20s? Just because it takes when you're 30 doesn't mean it would have taken in your 20s.

ElatedOwl 9y ago
It's a fair point, and I can't really know how much of it was just me maturing as a person. I can say, though, that making these changes at any point in my life would have been a vast improvement. Sleep and nutrition help me view life in a much better lens and exercise gives me a structured, constructive outlet and scheduled time for reflection.
- taurath 9y ago
  That’s one of those things that enables a lot of empathy I find - given the people I was around and what my life was like before my 20s, I certainly found it near impossible to actually make healthier life choices. Wanting to make the choices doesn’t matter as much as having the skill set and self knowledge to put yourself in a position to do them - powering through as a rule for me just leads to burnout, and ends up being incredibly unkind to myself which leads to worse habits.

SnowingXIV 9y ago

It's also a viscous cycle once you stop doing these things. I had everything going well for me, but then a bunch kinda blew up at once and I stopped eating healthy, quit working out, and was losing sleep because I was trying to solve all these other problems and felt those things were pointless. "Oh, I can't get in the mindset to lift today I'm too stressed out and depressed/hopeless." That led me from only skipping a few days to skipping months. I ended up going into some escapism mentality where if I'm not working I'm going to play video games/watch TV. It was a terrible rut until one morning I looked in the mirror and realized I'm letting life slip away. I'm not growing (well at least not in the productive way). Mind you most of those "explosive" problems were solved, but I wasn't. I freaked out, threw on some gym clothes, went to the gym, and ran. I don't even know what I was running toward. But I was running. I began lifting again, doing meal prep, back to studying, programming pet projects, reading, and it all came together. It can hit you in waves, but one of the best ways to keep your head above water is to make sure those three things ElatedOwl mentioned are in check.

sliverstorm 9y ago
A viscous cycle? [https://cdn1.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/318/318719/molasses.jpg https://cdn1.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/31...] Sorry, not a grammar nazi, this one just always makes me grin :)
madamelic 9y ago
>It's also a viscous cycle once you stop doing these things. It is also gosh dang terrifying. I am not so much curing my depression + anxiety as much as I am running away and trying put enough stuff behind me that it can't catch me. But when it does, it is difficult to get started again.
- curun1r 9y ago
  > I am running away and trying put enough stuff behind me that it can't catch me I'm not sure I like that way of looking at it. I choose to look at it like I'm an addict. Addicts, even once they're sober, consider themselves to be addicts their entire life. Any day they can fall off the wagon, even after years of sobriety, so they're constantly vigilant. I look at my depression the same way, only not doing the necessary things that keep me well is my version of falling off the wagon. Just like addicts do, I try to keep my streak of "sober" days going as long as possible. And when I slip up, I try not to beat myself up and just try to start an even longer new streak. It's somewhat empowering to gain a little measure of control over it, even if it's really, really hard. But it's also important, I think, to realize I'll always be a depressive my entire life, even if I'm not feeling it at the moment.

Taylor_OD 9y ago

I can't support this enough. I'd add laying off alcohol. I haven't been diagnosed with depression but I can get in a serious funk if I haven't been exercising, sleeping enough, eating right, or if I've been drinking too much. Again this isn't a one size fits all cure for depression but it's worth a shot.

rconti 9y ago
I always wished I was one of those people who loved working out. Some folks comment on how miserable they feel if they don't work out for a few days. I feel AWESOME if I get that much time free to relax and just enjoy myself and not feel obligated to work out :) I bike commute and also work out before work every day, but I can't say it has a particularly large effect on my mood. My darkest days were long before I drank; then again, adolescence is a particularly hard time anyway.

icc97 9y ago

Bare in mind what the post talks about that for some people, telling them to go running just makes them feel worse because they can't even get up the energy to get off the sofa. I think it depends on how deep down the hole you are, plus clearly some things work better for others.

eradicatethots 9y ago
Or maybe they don’t believe you when you say it would help

agumonkey 9y ago

Did you feel like these three variables reinforced themselves ? Exercise makes you eat differently and sleep out of exhaustion earlier, you also wake up a bit sore but somehow replenished; which makes you seek slightly more active things.

afpx 9y ago

I can only believe you when you say you cured yourself, but I just want to point out for others that this sometimes can be symptoms of hypomania (bipolar II). As an example, consider the following author’s self-cure for his bipolar II: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelellsberg/2011/07/18/how-i-overcame-bipolar-ii/amp/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelellsberg/2011/07/18/how-... Sounds pretty easy and awesome, right? Then, read his follow-up several years later: http://www.ellsberg.com/bipolar-ii-follow-up http://www.ellsberg.com/bipolar-ii-follow-up In particular, notice the change in tone of his writing. Very different people speaking in each of the articles. I want to point this out because mood cycles can sometimes last several years, and bipolar sufferers are at a higher risk of suicide. It’s not stuff that I would self-diagnose or self-treat.

johnny99 9y ago
He said "seeing if I could go without" medication, which I think is different than saying he's cured. But your point about bipolar II is really important. Taking anti-depressants (SSRIs) when bipolar can induce rapid cycling--a speeding up and intensifying of the depressed-elated cycle, which can be very dangerous, as I learned the hard way after being misdiagnosed. Bipolar II is often treatable (I'm deeply grateful that mine is), but with different approaches and medications than depression.
- sgtmas2006 9y ago
  Prescribed Zoloft before I was diagnosed Bipolar II, without lamotrigine & methylphenidate I've lost jobs, been kicked out of college, spent 6 months with major depressive episodes (~20 down days, 4 up days on avg,) and Zoloft was absolutely insane. My ideology is already if you're not successful by 29 and still depressed, might as well suicide. Zoloft brought that down to thinking "41 steps to the loaded shotgun" and a lot of preparation for it. Lamotrigine & methylpheniate have been good for me for the 6 months I've been prescribed them, but recently methylphenidate has not been helping, and i'm starting to spiral again.
nfd 9y ago
Whoa, cool. I guess I ought to go visit a psychiatrist. Thank you.

the_cat_kittles 9y ago

as others have noted, these things are a negative feedback loop when you start slacking on them. so i think its important to make them as easy as possible, and externally enforced as possible. i think they truly do help alot of people, of course not all, but many. im really not sure how to solve that chicken and egg problem tho- you dont do these three things because you are depressed, which begets more of the same. for me, basketball was a panacea, since i discovered i enjoyed playing it immensely. so i got exercise without having to force myself. i got so hungry from exercise that i couldn't avoid eating alot (for me, eating regularly and enough was the challenge), and of course, being so tired from exercise helped me sleep. i guess its a parable in treating depression as much as its a parable in how valuable sports can be.

eradicatethots 9y ago
I’m pretty sure depressed people don’t believe these things will help them. If they did, they would just force themselves into it despite feeling bad. The idea that there’s a problem here, rather than that exercise is just actually worthless, is ridiculous.
- mmmbetternot 9y ago
  Most mentally healthy people can't force themselves to meet their exercise goals. Many mentally healthy people fail to meet their nutrition goals too.
- the_cat_kittles 9y ago
  you arent wrong. i can conjure old mental states that were basically proof of your point. its a tough nut to crack, hence it plagues us to this day.

sizzle 9y ago

Personal anecdote, semen retention has some surprising benefits and make your a more social being. Recommend trying this method to see if it benefits any depressed folks. Disclaimer: I'm not a doc, don't take my word on anything or listen to me.

coffeevradar 9y ago
Is that when you store it in bottles for later?
- sizzle 9y ago
  To put it nicely, it's when you don't release it via manually stimulating your genital nerve endings. This practice is derived from ancient Chinese medicine I believe, may be wrong.

xnm 9y ago

One of the symptoms of major depression is psychomotor retardation which causes people great difficulty in performing even simple tasks, like brushing one's teeth, doing the laundry, or showering. Advocating exercise as a cure for a disorder marked by the inability to exercise seems short sighted. "I can't get out of bed" "You should exercise" Ugh...

molloy 9y ago
I have psychomotor retardation (thanks for putting a name to one of my biggest struggles!) due to major depression but exercise really does help more than anything else. It's definitely hard to exercise, but often it's not that I can't do anything at all, it's that I use up all my willpower doing one thing in a day. But if I make that one thing exercise, then for the rest of the day it's like my psychomotor retardation goes away completely and then other tasks are manageable. I actually brush my teeth, do the laundry that's been piling up, make a healthy dinner and clean up the kitchen after, etc.
Allower 9y ago
Go for a fucking walk you pathetic sack of shit. touch your toes and twist your hips. You can do these things, stop making excuses and make a decision to do ANYTHING different than what you have been doing.

InclinedPlane 9y ago

Those three things are good and can go a long way towards helping out, but they are not perfect. Most especially they suffer from a bootstrapping problem. If you're too depressed to take care of yourself by keeping your sleep on schedule, eating right, and exercising regularly you absolutely will not have the energy or motivation to get back into them easily. Additionally, some people have other issues that make those things harder, such as medical or physical reasons they can't exercise, or sleep disorders (which have a high degree of comorbidity with depression and bipolar). I'd highly suggest that people look at mindfulness based cognitive therapy. That can build the tools that will make it possible to get back on track. It can also make a huge mental difference to bring people from "kinda sad but doing ok because of good sleep/diet/exercise habits" to actually being able to enjoy life.

deleted 9y ago

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throwaway133769 9y ago

I was going to post this exact same thing. I was """diagnosed""" by multiple psychs as having major depression and general anxiety. At the lowest points, I tried to kill myself using fake nembutal ordered from some stranger in Mexico, and about a year after that I quit my high-paying dev job, burning a ton of bridges, and literally did not leave my apartment or brush my teeth for 2 months. I had previously tried every variety of medication and they did nothing or made it worse. A friend who had been through something similar recommended the simple fix of sleep, diet (basically just more plants, more animal protein, way less sugar, and way less alcohol), weightlifting, and sunlight. After about a year or so I felt completely fine. I look great, feel great, and my career is back on track. It's obviously just a single person's experience but I'm inclined to believe the majority of "depression" cases can be fixed by this. Furthermore, treating it as a disease rather than just a bad mood made it _way_ worse, as I was able to rationalize the fact that my life was crippled by it and that was ok because it was a disease and my hands were tied. Once I treated it as something I could fix I made vast improvements.

matt_j 9y ago

I struggle with depression. I haven't had any therapy, but taking my bike out to the forest and going for a good long ride in the trees does wonders for me. The adrenaline of a cross country ride and the deep fatigue after a couple of hours on the bike both help me to quiet my overactive mind.

6nf 9y ago

This is really good advice. Anyone strugging with depression should definitely start with the basics: - Regular good sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. - Good exercise every day. This will help with the sleep too. - Eat healthy food on a consistent schedule - Avoid alcohol - If you don't get much sun, check your Vit D levels and take supplements if needed These things will almost always make big difference. If you're still strugging you need to see a psychologist or try some medication. Medication is hit and miss so you'll probably need to experiment with different types to find something that works for you. And of course some people just don't respond to depression medication at all. Cognitive behavioural therapy is often helpful and there are other therapy options too. Depression is multi-faceted and you will usually need a variety of treatments to get the best results. Some people recover and go back to normal, but many sufferers will have manage it for their whole lives.

hhh 9y ago
CBR wasn't helpful for me at all. The only thing I really do on that list is avoid alcohol. If I am in a good swing, I can sleep at regular times, but I don't exercise. I eat whatever is around really, and in severe down times I've been kicked out of college or lost jobs because I couldn't leave bed to eat or use the bathroom until it was unbearable, let alone leave my house. I also normally ate around a meal a day, at 5pm or so and might have had some apple slices, grapes, or something similar before. The only thing that has ever helped is medication. I have bouts of severe paranoia & hallucinations, but haven't mentioned it to anyone. Lamotrigine & Methylphenidate have been the most helpful, taking me from 5-15% functioning on an average day to 80% or higher. That's worked for me for 5-6 months, but over a month I noticed that my methylphenidate became less effective, and to improve it I had to redose during the day. This was a self-medicating (horrible, i know) method, but then it came to me running out of it for the rest of the month (10 or so days.) So I was low functioning then, but I still had my lamotrigine, so I was around 30%. Then I got my refill and started my day out, and ended up feeling nothing... So I redosed, and still after an appropriate amount of time felt nothing. I kept redosing for the next 40 hours until I had taken 500+ mgs of methylphenidate. I even spent time researching and turned it into IR methylphenidate, and even boofed 81mg of it at one point. Not my greatest hour. I finally passed out at about 60 hours or so, thank god. Then I woke up and realized what happened. That was yesterday. I'm still trying to find out what to do. I've been looking for people with my combination of bipolar II and adhd for input, but I fear that with my hallucinations and paranoia that have come and gone my entire life, there may be more wrong. I don't see an issue with upping my dosage of methylphenidate, but swapping to another med is what I feel may be a better option, but I also fear that my condition will worsen, as only the combination of methylphenidate & lamotrigine helps. I've been considering dexmethylphenidate, but definitely am trying to find more answers.

choicewords 9y ago

Very much agreed on the exercise. I've been writing an article in the past few days that explain why movement is so critical to fighting depression. Still, this author's experience resonates with me in the sense that I get that taking drugs is a way to fix the depression problem. When depression is that crippling and intense, it just doesn't seem like any one thing can help. Like you said, it's baby steps, and if drugs and therapy are on the menu along with exercise and nutrition, then all the better. At some point, I'll be exploring the really hard causes of depression, those that come from society's own anguish. In any case, being personally fit will add immeasurably to your mental fortitude, and events that would otherwise bowl you over won't. https://medium.com/@geoffrey.ducharme/depression-you-can-cure-it-but-will-you-cc901ec38fb https://medium.com/@geoffrey.ducharme/depression-you-can-cur...

WittneyR 9y ago

Great to hear you've overcome (which is even better than being "cured") what is so very often debilitating and insidiously caustic. I read this as "hope," so ty.

Rapzid 9y ago

Exercise is great. I just came back from a trip and where I was killing myself for 5 days straight. The feel-goods after the exertion ended lasted about 4-5 days. Had a sweet workout on day 3, but a bit of anxiety set in day 5 with the subsequent drink to squash it.. I KNOW continuous exercise helps, however outside of the above forced circumstance I'm suspicious at this point that I exercise when I'm feeling better and not the other way around.. That's the problem people without depression don't necessarily understand; feeling good often precipitates exercise, and feeling bad often precipitates lethargy. Lethargy so bad you can feel it. I mean REALLY feel it. You can actually feel this lack of motivation working against your desire to do stuff. It's identifiable, experienceable, and yet so oppressive you can't work against it. I would liken it to people freezing in a life-or-death situation; it doesn't make much sense and you wouldn't think it would happen to you, but it's right there and real for no good reason. EDIT: I would be happy to answer any questions about how depression/anxiety has affected me or my thoughts on it.

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marcus_holmes 9y ago
I was fighting this with my depression. I used to say to myself "just put your running gear on. You don't have to leave the house. But you can put your running gear on". then "OK, now go outside. You don't have to run. Just go outside" some days I would turn around and go back in. And I've have to be OK with that, too. No point beating myself up for it. Some days were not running days. once outside, I'd be "OK, now run to the end of the street". If I could do that, then most of the time I'd be off and could do 5 km's. Some days I'd get to the end of the street and stop. The temptation to beat myself up for the bad days was immense. Huge. Everything in my schooling and upbringing told me that I should just push through the reluctance and "just do it!". But for me, down that road lies worse depression. Being able to say to myself "today is not a running day, and that's OK" was a path out of the intense self-criticism that got me depressed in the first place. It didn't help that exercise had been used as a punishment in school - "you boy, you're late, run twice around the field!". My schooling had taught me that exercise was punishment. I found it hard to run because I felt like I was punishing myself for something. But if I didn't run then I would criticise myself. I've got a better handle on it now. Some days I run. Some days I don't. It's up to me. I enjoy running, and enjoy how it makes me feel, so I do it more often than not. But if I don't want to, I won't, and no-one has the right to criticise me for that. Not even me ;)

0xbear 9y ago

Could it be also change in your environment? I had depression for most of the 00s. Changed jobs, and six months later it was gone. Company that helped me not be depressed was Google, and I’ll be forever thankful for that. I took up exercise later, but mostly it was just reduced anxiety and a better working environment.

manmal 9y ago

Let me add more of the lesser known “quick-fix” things that work for me: - Magnesium has been shown to improve „untreatable“ depression, and for me it does wonders. I use it transdermally because oral Mg gives me diarrhea. This can turn my mood around 100% in minutes. - Near Infrared light is generally really really good for you, and I expect it to become a standard (or at least auxiliary) treatment for many diseases. Most studies have been done with LLLT (lasers), but literature suggests that standard LED diodes work almost as well, at least for cells at the surface. Buy a 850nm CCTV infrared floodlight and point it at various organs and your forehead; and buy some 250W infrared lamps, screw them into a wood board and sit in front of this for a couple of minutes naked. Add sthg like the Vitalux lamp for the extra Vit D kick. Insta mood and energy improvement that lasts up to several days—it feels like having been at the beach. - If you are a low serotonin type, you could get your md to prescribe serotonin tablets (I haven’t), but in the meantime, dark chocolate could also do it. The crucial thing though is to keep the supply steady. I have to wean off the chocolate after a few days. - PEMF (haven’t tried that yet) has also been reported to work: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20385376/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20385376/ There is a PEMF device called ICES that is affordable (about $400 last time I looked).

roystonvassey 9y ago

Glad to see this comment top of the pile here. I'm almost inclined to believe that people who are depressed AND choose not to do anything about it are likely to have an entitlement and/or victimhood mentality. The problem with that? It'll lead you deeper down the rabbit hole and inside within your head; things that'll only make you feel worse than better.

Mz 9y ago
That may be a little like saying "People with asthma just aren't trying hard enough to breathe. If they just wanted it bad enough, the wheezing would stop. Go ahead, take a deep breath now." Depression makes it hard to do anything and can be rooted in other issues that physically make it hard to do anything. Some people find their way out, but there is a reason why the doldrums has come to have the meaning it has. The doldrums is a colloquial expression derived from historical maritime usage, which refers to those parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean affected by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure area around the equator where the prevailing winds are calm. The doldrums are also noted for calm periods when the winds disappear altogether, trapping sailing ships for periods of days or weeks. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doldrums https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doldrums Just like sailors once got stuck due to lack of winds, people with depression sometimes just get stuck. If they can find a means to get unstuck, awesome! But we don't know how to readily fix this. We know some things that sometimes help some people. But there is no slam dunk solution guaranteed to work.

moh_maya 9y ago

I am glad to hear that you found something that worked for you. But to add to your anecdote.. "sleep, proper diet, exercise" are necessary, but may often not be sufficient. Medication, when assessed by a qualified psychiatrist may be required. Therapy (if the depression is due to an event in the past) may also be required, Finding which drugs work for you is hit or miss; finding a therapist who can guide you is also hit or miss; they can take time. But please don't dismiss medication & therapy. They are often required for many people.

thinkMOAR 9y ago

So if i understand it you were quite overweight and this was the primary source of your depression?

ElatedOwl 9y ago
Overweight child, healthy weight as a teenager, early 20s gained a lot of weight. I don't know that I'd say I have a source of depression, I'm not sure my circumstances have an effect.
- thinkMOAR 9y ago
  Hmmm okay, was just wondering, thanks.

Broken_Hippo 9y ago

See, I both agree and disagree with your statement. Exercise itself has never produced results for me. Generally, it meant I was still stuck in the house doing something I hated. I haven't always had the luxury of going on regular walks or anything like that. I don't get a rush from being physical. Until recently, I couldn't even afford sports bras for running. Without the bras, anything too "jumpy" was physically painful. (I wear a special size, even when thin like I am now, and they generally cost between $60 and $100 when I can find them. Pre-internet, I simply couldn't find them). All this said, having better physical health does help a bit. But eating well and feeling some pride that you've changed your diet for good? Yeah, that has benefits. The hardest part was finding the combination that worked for me (mostly vegetarian with the exception of fish). Losing weight? Yeah, that had definitely helped (I, too, have lost a great deal of weight and kept it off for years). Walking as a main form of transportation? That is my physical activity and I take some pride in being able to do it regularly. I still hate exercise for the sake of exercise, though. It definitely wasn't a cure at all - that took actually changing my life. And it was hard. And i'm gonna guess that your exercise was a combination of things - like being able to use the coping mechanisms better. Simply growing up (I started a lot of my life changes in my late 20's, and I'm 39 now) I got out of a bad, stressful relationship with a schizophrenic man. I learned that a lot of the negative feedback I had gotten from others over the years wasn't necessarily true and the few friends I have are positive influence. Heck, I actually have a couple friends that aren't family. Some of it was pure luck - I wound up moving overseas to a place that I fit in better than I did in small-to-medium towns in the midwest. I'm able to completely be myself at home: A weird bisexual artist that spends a lot of free time at home. I learned how to relax. Admittedly, I'd not recommend some of what I've done to folks since I'm pretty partial to hallucinogens and visit Amsterdam every once in a while, both with my spouse and by myself. I'm gonna guess some of my crap wasn't depression, though - I completely understand why MDMA is seeming like a wonder drug to the researchers. I had a marked change in thought process after doing it once. By the time I tried it, though, I had already come a long way.

bobfromhuddle 9y ago

I had issues with depression when I was younger. Self-harm, severe depression, suicide attempts, the whole gamut. Wasn't hospitalised, but that was the next step. Looking back on it from my thirties, I've come to the conclusion that most of my problem was disturbed sleep patterns, and the rest was unhealthy thought patterns that became self-perpetuating. Medication didn't help me in the slightest, just made me worse. Getting some sleep and engaging with the world around me is what made all the difference. I'm skeptical of the value of anti-depressants, and some of the side-effects are deeply troubling. The problem is that when I was in the midst of a depressive episode, I wasn't capable of fixing those things. Telling a depressed person that they just need to think happier thoughts, get some sleep, take a bath, go for a walk is utterly pointless.

d10r 9y ago
Can you elaborate on "disturbed sleep patterns"? In my case lack of sleep actually results in better mood, but is not a sustainable strategy.
- nylonstrung 9y ago
  This is because it resets the default mode network. Luckily other things do as well.
- dsego 9y ago
  lack of sleep causes euphoria (endorphins I think, not sure). but messed up sleeping is related to mental issues.