How do you deal with depression

[houghchrst]

I am wondering how you guys deal with your depressive states. I know not everyone is clinically depressed but there are many out there who still deal with episodes of depression. How do you bring yourselves out of those black states? Do you? Is it only in levels? I have a neutral plateau I kind of hit where I am not overly happy but I am not feeling my depression at the moment, everything else is down. No ups. Just the plateaus.

[joy]

i myself am having about with depression, wanting to cry but just staying in a down weeepy mood. this is unusual for me now. i hade managed to control it pretty good and all i had to deal with was my anxiety, which i have plenty of. sowish someone who doesmanage would give us some tips . i am thinking that my pain is not helping but i have always had to deal with pain it just has gotten to be so much more tan usual. but dang being so down on top of being in pain sure does make for dreadful days and nights.

[houghchrst]

Joy I find that if I consider or let myself actually feel the pain it will set me to tears. A huge source of depression for me. Having mental issues is bad enough but when it is exacerbated by constant pain it reaches new depths. It affects your entire life and is all consuming in and of itself. Especially if barely 'managed'. I say 'managed' because mine is only taken down a bare peg by my MMJ and by my nortriptyline for my fibro. I am down to the last few Perc. ER that I got back in January when I broke my leg. Got a script for ninety and have about ten left. That is how rarely I have taken them.

[tic chick]

hey all !

i don't really have "triggers" for depression. i just wake up or don't feel like waking up and i am in a sad mood. i take out the dog, change her water bowl, make myself breakfast and go on the computer until about 1230pm. i usually get up around 1030pm and go to bed around 1-130am. i get this energy boost right before bed and i start doing all these little things. maybe cuz i don't want to go to bed? i dunno. if i feel like crying, i cry. i don't think i try and change my mood because it usually doesn't work. i find if i go thru the depression it lasts a lot shorter. i don't think i'm depressed 24/7, just days or hours. if something makes me laugh, i laugh. i am lucky in that i don't deal with pain issues, and i really feel for you all that do. i will go outside with my dog (only one now), and i can find plenty to do. i go to zumba. last night, i went back to zumba after 3 weeks missed. one week the building was closed for some reason. one week it was way too hot. i can't and won't exercise if it's humid and over 85 degrees. last week i was recovering from something like stomach flu or gastroenteritis. anyway, at zumba i saw friends i hadn't talked to in awhile. my zumba teacher told me she missed me. i was moving around to some of my favorite songs, songs that i know the moves to by heart. i went to the bf's house after zumba to watch "the voice" and i was laughing and joking with him and teasing him. i felt so good, i haven't felt that good in such a long time. but you know...no one can make you happy. i don't automatically feel better just because my bf is with me. it's an inside job. sometimes i do feel like i'm in that neutral state, like you chris. not depressed or anxious, not particularly happy, just like a blah lukewarm shower...lol.

anxiety is a different matter. my klonopin helps with that most of the time, but some days i am super anxious. when i am anxious, i will start doing something right away because it's like i have to do something or i feel like i'm going to scream...you know? like so upset that if i sit there, i'm just gonna explode.

i find that physical activity works the best for me. also doing things that i like to do. sometimes, i like being by myself in the evening, so i can do what i want instead of having to compromise with my bf. it's not that i don't want him or care about him at these times, it's just that i don't want to deal with anybody because i just need to be alone. the bf wants to do stuff all the time. we go out with his friends for dinner. we go to his family dinners. he's got 5 brothers and sisters. during the summer, they get together at least once a month. sometimes that drives me crazy. do this. do that. all of a sudden, 3 evenings are gone. where is time for my gardening? time for me? so this year, i started saying no to some of these get togethers. it's not hard. i just tell my bf to tell everyone that i feel depressed and don't want to go out...and that is true most of the time. the rest is just because i need time to do what i want to do!!! i don't ever want to be defined as being someone's wife, of gf or whatever. i want to do stuff that i want to do, not what other people want me to do all the time.

so, i guess the best thing i can say is, don't let other people take up your time if you have stuff you want to do. go thru your feelings. you won't be depressed or anxious everyday. enjoy the happy times and do things that make you happy!

thanks for sharing and caring...i miss you all ,
jeannie