LETS ALL LAUGH AT PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION!!

Bohemian_Soul

That is great news SP and it appears you are on an upward curve and taking positive steps! maybe you just needed to grieve for that bit longer and are only now really able to shake those shackles and enjoy 'normal' things again.....

DeVore

SP... that's a great great post! Thank you.

Sharing your problems isn't "loading them onto other people"... I've found that if its done with the right people, at the right time it can really add to a friendship because you are making yourself vulnerable to them and at the same time letting them know you value them enough to tell them.
My overwhelming response to discussing it with friends has been to get support, understanding and frequently ending up talking about THEIR problems more than mine... Many of them simply say "God, I'm so glad you said that I've been feeling that way too"...
Not everyone is ready for "honest communications" but that is a problem for them. When you communicate with real friends at an honest level, it really cements the relationship I've found.

Anyway, enough rambling from me, its GREAT that you have a positive outlook now... remember there will be dark days but this is where you can get to and you should fight for it

Pecker31

QuantumP wrote: »

Well, how did it go?

It went good, really nervous being the new girls and meeting new people, nearly didn't go! Came away feeling brill and really relaxed. But did what I usually do and didn't go to this weeks class and now won't go again. I am self sabotage mode. Once again

biZrb

Its ok to miss a week
If it went ok, that's better than it going badly, so it shouldn't stop you going again. Its hard to get the energy to get out and do something, but it will really help you.

whats newxt

I just gave yup my college course today don't know what i'll do, i'm just interested in the web why do I need a certificate!

Mysteriouschic

Idk if this is depression or what but I struggle so much with motivation I don't know why this is stressing me out yet no matter how much I try to motivate myself once the motivation is gone it's gone. I haven't been able to stick at anything lately for the past 2 years just a failure at everything or I somehow sabotage or give up . I don't know what it is I just feel like everyone moving forward while I'm left behind. I've tried so hard at this stage with motivation eventually it disappears.

leahyl

Mysteriouschic wrote: »

Idk if this is depression or what but I struggle so much with motivation I don't know why this is stressing me out yet no matter how much I try to motivate myself once the motivation is gone it's gone. I haven't been able to stick at anything lately for the past 2 years just a failure at everything or I somehow sabotage or give up . I don't know what it is I just feel like everyone moving forward while I'm left behind. I've tried so hard at this stage with motivation eventually it disappears.

I feel that way too with regard to the lack of motivation. I'm fine during the week when I'm in work and it's something I have to do (although recently I've been feeling lacking in motivation in work too), but I find at the weekends that I have so much that I want to get done and I always end up just procrastinating and never actually doing what it is I should be doing. I guess I feel a bit anxious a lot of the time....at this stage I don't know what I feel or if it's even healthy. It's frustrating!

Drumpot

Mysteriouschic wrote: »

Idk if this is depression or what but I struggle so much with motivation I don't know why this is stressing me out yet no matter how much I try to motivate myself once the motivation is gone it's gone. I haven't been able to stick at anything lately for the past 2 years just a failure at everything or I somehow sabotage or give up . I don't know what it is I just feel like everyone moving forward while I'm left behind. I've tried so hard at this stage with motivation eventually it disappears.

leahyl wrote: »

I feel that way too with regard to the lack of motivation. I'm fine during the week when I'm in work and it's something I have to do (although recently I've been feeling lacking in motivation in work too), but I find at the weekends that I have so much that I want to get done and I always end up just procrastinating and never actually doing what it is I should be doing. I guess I feel a bit anxious a lot of the time....at this stage I don't know what I feel or if it's even healthy. It's frustrating!

I can relate to issues regarding to motivation, anxiety and procrastination. Its taking me a long time to learn things about myself and I have to WORK hard to try and change habits/behaviours that maintain these character defects that I constantly struggle to rectify.

Some days I'm just completely off my game. There are things I can do like exercise, meditate (I don't use this enough) or just getting something/anything done that has to be done. Some days I can recover better then others, I don't exactly know why some days I can have a complete change of attitude over minutes and some days blend into each other in continual lethargic loops.

When my mind is racing, anxiety is practically tangible and I am getting less and less done, it can feel like I am digging a deeper hole that may eventually cover me up in darkness. But the following is something I have learned about myself that sometimes helps me find a little bit of balance when I am feeling so low.

I have noticed something about myself when I goto the gym. I absolutely hate having to temper/reduce my training. Whether it be because I am injured or out of practise, I absolutely hate doing a session where I feel like I have gone backwards or wasn't able to work hard. Even if its in my interest to reduce down my workload, I feel like its just a wasted trip when I could of been improving my fitness.

Now, I could apply the same thing to work and pretty much most things in life. When I am feeling low and don't feel up to being the best that I can in whatever I need to do, I give up and feel "whats the point"? I find it hard to find a balance and accept mediocrity. Getting something small done right in a day is better then getting nothing done at all.

Being able to review my expectations for the day and accepting a lower level of productivity/happiness can really help me. Not always, but sometimes it helps get me refocused and takes a bit of the self imposed pressure that I can put on myself that only compounds how I feel.

In the 4 or so years that I have worked hard at getting over savage bouts of Anxiety/deprssions I have had without question the most enjoyable period of my life. In many regards, this has not coincided with any of the things I used to dream about having, that I felt would make me happy.

In my experience, passing exams, getting a job I want, making more money, having a family, getting married, getting a house are not what makes ME happy. Finding a balance within myself, irrespective of the material/intangible things in life I crave, is what allows me to appreciate what I have and not concern myself with the things I don't have.

I am not writing from an Ivory tower, I live day to day and some WEEKS are complete write offs. But I get some work done and don't compound my misery by putting as much pressure on myself (the inner critic).

One of the key things is my continued WORK and prioritising my mental health. Its easy to feel good and think that I have sorted it all out, then BAAM. Right back at the beginning. When I practise good emotional mental health techniques regularly (irrespective of my mood), I feel better for longer. I regularly get complacent and pay for it dearly!

I don't take any anti depressants although I have in the past. They helped me sometimes but not always. Sometimes they helped me get balance at which stage I had to put in the mental work to allow me to learn the tools to cope with life on my own.

mickstupp

Have been finding a transition between medications very difficult.

Gleeso_Finglas

mickstupp wrote: »

Have been finding a transition between medications very difficult.

This happend to me in the past. Your mind is getting withdrawls from the med your coming off and its sitting and waiting for the new drug to kick in. very frustrating.:mad:

Gleeso_Finglas

Hi All,

this pains me to say this but i have had the best 12 months in the the past 8-9 years........until a week ago.

Earlier in the year in June my contract ended with one of the top telcos in Ireland and after 8 years of me putting my heart and soul into the job they decided not to renew my contract. This hit me hard and i left the building straight away went to my car and cried my eyes out. This was all I knew, this is all I was good at! What will i do now? how will i support my family? I am going to get down? I put a text into an old friend who advised that the recruitment agency he is working in is looking for an account manager so I got an interview and got the job. New beginnings! It took a while to adjust but i was doing good.I was doing so good in life i was getting up at 5:40 am to get the bus into town to attend flyfit gym before work started. I was the happiest i have been in a long time. I was winning at life. I was helping friends with mental health problems to be their depressive spells.

The powers that be then promoted one of the current account managers as an office manager, nice guy, good intentions but very much micromanaged us and could have done with a managment course i couldnt take it and i found myself in bad form and starting to dislike the job. I kept my mental health issues quiet as I have felt that in the past people judged me and never gave me a chance to better my career. I felt so confident in me as as person and recently i was contacted by a top telcos provider about joining them. They made me offers and add ons that i could not refuse. My wife was let go from her job so basically the new job would cover us, I would be back doing something that i missed and I will be linking up with an old manager of mine who knows about my mental health problems. He really is a top guy and the best sales manager ive ever had. I went for the interview and with in an hour of leaving I was offered the job which I accepted and i start next monday. I was so so happy and life was beautiful......until last sunday.

I can honestly say that it was like a switch was flicked in my head and i woke up on sunday morning turned on the ufc and i fell back asleep i woke an hour later and boom it hit me anxiety was through the roof and my mood was completely low and since then it has all been down hill.I am now back in that hole that i had fought 12 months to stay out of. I went to my doc and got him to up my meds for depression and anxiety. Im on a very high dosage of meds now. When i have been down in the past including being hospitalised the only thing that has worked is the medication. All the therapy in the world has never worked for me it has always been the medication that has helped me out.

The anxiety and fear of everything is too much. Like i get that sharp anxious feelings when my phone rings for god sake. Everything sound annoys my and effects me so much that i sit nearly 24/7 with my headphones in and listen to all sorts of crap. To try and quiet the thoughts in my mind. In fact i have them in now as i type. My apeitite is gone the very though or smell of food repulses me. All i do is sit around, cry and sleep. I never thought that i would feel like this again.i THOUGHT i could handle this better. How wrong was i !! I am terrified as my interest in everything has gone, I feel dead inside and it is really taking its tole on my mind and my family. Everything is pointless at the moment and i know
that i need to get up and do as much as possible but im anxious and depressed about everything. My apartment has become a drepressing prision. My wife is very supportive and always has been but she is fed up with me not taking a stand and not "fighting" back. I am trying to fight it in my head and at the moment i am very weak and cannot find that fight!.

So yea im frustrated, depressed, anxious and hopless at the moment. Hopefully the increase in meds work soon. I cannot face a new job like this.

Really sorry about the long post.

Gremlinertia

Gleeso, what shines through for me is your level of awareness of how you are at all times. I've wandered about in a cloud for a long time, through both good and bad, completely ignorant of emotions etc. Your description of the last years is primarily positive, you went to your doctor immediately too, you haven't put a foot wrong in your strategy to fight this set back.. Well done..

Gleeso_Finglas

Gremlinertia wrote: »

Gleeso, what shines through for me is your level of awareness of how you are at all times. I've wandered about in a cloud for a long time, through both good and bad, completely ignorant of emotions etc. Your description of the last years is primarily positive, you went to your doctor immediately too, you haven't put a foot wrong in your strategy to fight this set back.. Well done..

I have done well the last 12 months and i completely forgot how bad I feel when this comes round. I just cant cope at the minute and i am doing everything in my mind to avoid hospital. I am trying to face this head on but it is kicking my ass at the minute.

Gremlinertia

Gleeso, your posts are both coherent and to the point. There's a good brain structuring everything you write and you can still see how well you were.. Treat this hiccup as just that, don't give it the power to anchor into you. I read here all the time though I don't always post I felt like I had to say well done for not giving in..

DeVore

Gleeso, you are doing all the right things. This is a hiccup, you know that because you've already seen "the promised land". You got there before, starting from a worse place and you will get there again.

I wrote this a while back about my experiences with these patches.

DeVore wrote: »

Set your course.

I found this very helpful. It comes from... of all things... snowboarding. Yep, snowboarding. I'm a big snowboarder. Loved it until and accident broke my femur in half and I decided to become a wood turner instead

But as a snowboarder (bear with me, this is going somewhere) there is one thing you fear above all else and that's a patch of black ice. Its deadly. The board needs snow to carve into, to be able to turn. Black ice is the opposite of that... no grip whatsoever. Plus you cant see it coming.
It makes a sort of weird "growling" noise as the front of the board goes over it and that's your one and only signal... when you hear that growl, theres only one thing to do. Set your course.

The only way out of it is to ride through it. If you try to change direction or control the board, you are going on your arse and whats worse... you will land on hard ice, duh! The only way through, is through. You set your course and you ride through, no changes , no attempt to alter anything.

Its the same with a bad patch of mental health. You set your course and you ride through. Don't make any big decisions about your future, personal relationships, your career etc. Nothing, just set your course and ride through. Somes that's day at a time, sometimes that's hour at a time. And I don't mean passively, I mean actively question every decision and say "do I need to make this decision now, in the middle of a bad patch, or can it wait a few days".

Don't change direction in the middle of a bad patch, recognise you are in the middle of some black ice, set your course and ride through.

Big hugs and love your way... see you on the other side.

You have some unavoidable changes coming in terms of your job etc. Ok, that's your focus. Everything else, toss it. Got to do something for a friend this weekend? Call them, tell them you cant. Gotta fix that thing in the shed? Not this month buddy! Thinking of changing car insurance? Its fine as it is.

Take everything that is weighing on you, other than the truly important things, and simplify them out the door until this passes. And it will pass... you have a course, keep to it and everything else is secondary at the moment. That simplicity of focus really helps me and stops me making any bad decisions during a bad patch.


The new job may be a blessing in disguise... I find one of the best cures for me is to learn something novel, something new... it engages me and seems to lift my mood.

As of today, I am now taking a 15mg dose of Mirtazapine daily in addition to 225mg Venlafaxine.....I'm kind of glad I was prescribed something else but am very wary of the fact that I'm now spending a whole lot extra a month on prescriptions, in addition to the demotivating factor of requiring extra medication just to try and function like a normal human being. For the past couple of months, I've also been seeing a CBT specialist for €65 a session (which is on the cheaper end of the scale, that I could find) but I've had to reduce the sessions from weekly to once every two weeks, just 'cause it's costing so damn much. I do feel like the CBT is helping in some ways but a lot of what's required (like keeping thought records, and recording your weekly activities and corresponding thoughts) is so damn inconvenient.....like, I don't always have a pen and notebook at hand; how the hell am I supposed to accurately jot down exactly what I'm feeling every damn hour every damn day? I know this shít works, and is backed by evidence, but that doesn't stop it being a massive pain in the hole.....

Every bit of progess I make never feels like enough, it's like when I take a step in the right direction, the end target just moves yet another step further away. I joined a gym recently and, unsurpisingly, going twice a week for a couple of weeks hasn't magically given me a six-pack and bucketloads of stamina and fitness; that in itself is so demotivating and makes everything feel so futile. I've also been reading stuff about music theory recently (listening to music is my favourite thing in the world, and I would love more than anything to be able to write and produce my own music) but 30 minutes browsing through "Music for Dummies" hasn't made me an internationally acclaimed musician, so what's the fúcking point? :mad: I'm so fúcking far from where I want to be, that which would make me happy, that any tiny step in the "right direction" feels like nothing whatsoever.

I just want to wake up and see that everything has magically worked itself out. However, I know that will never be a reality, and that realisation is what makes me not want to wake up at all.

looking_around

Deleted User wrote: »

As of today, I am now taking a 15mg dose of Mirtazapine daily in addition to 225mg Venlafaxine.....I'm kind of glad I was prescribed something else but am very wary of the fact that I'm now spending a whole lot extra a month on prescriptions, in addition to the demotivating factor of requiring extra medication just to try and function like a normal human being. For the past couple of months, I've also been seeing a CBT specialist for €65 a session (which is on the cheaper end of the scale, that I could find) but I've had to reduce the sessions from weekly to once every two weeks, just 'cause it's costing so damn much. I do feel like the CBT is helping in some ways but a lot of what's required (like keeping thought records, and recording your weekly activities and corresponding thoughts) is so damn inconvenient.....like, I don't always have a pen and notebook at hand; how the hell am I supposed to accurately jot down exactly what I'm feeling every damn hour every damn day? I know this shít works, and is backed by evidence, but that doesn't stop it being a massive pain in the hole.....

careful with the metrazapam, guaranteed weight gain on that.

Can you not get on the public list? I know there's about 1-2years waiting list for therapist..but you do get to see the psych nurses in between that time, and more and more nurses are qualified or getting qualified to do CBT.

Jot it down in your phone?
Smart phones have a memo function. As I recall there are also mood recording apps you can download.

I joined a gym recently and, unsurpisingly, going twice a week for a couple of weeks hasn't magically given me a six-pack and bucketloads of stamina and fitness; that in itself is so demotivating and makes everything feel so futile.

Try a class instead. Working in a class tends to emphasize improvements. In my experience anyway.
I've found doing yoga, much more motivating than gym and improves confidence. It's such a positive class.

I've also been reading stuff about music theory recently (listening to music is my favourite thing in the world, and I would love more than anything to be able to write and produce my own music) but 30 minutes browsing through "Music for Dummies" hasn't made me an internationally acclaimed musician, so what's the fúcking point? :mad: I'm so fúcking far from where I want to be, that which would make me happy, that any tiny step in the "right direction" feels like nothing whatsoever.

The aim isn't to be the best, it's to live. Do what you enjoy. Do it for the enjoyment of it not for the finish line.

I just want to wake up and see that everything has magically worked itself out. However, I know that will never be a reality, and that realisation is what makes me not want to wake up at all.

I know this feeling well.

Try not to focus on where you want things to be, but the smaller steps you're are DOING to get there.

Drumpot

Deleted User wrote: »

As of today, I am now taking a 15mg dose of Mirtazapine daily in addition to 225mg Venlafaxine.....I'm kind of glad I was prescribed something else but am very wary of the fact that I'm now spending a whole lot extra a month on prescriptions, in addition to the demotivating factor of requiring extra medication just to try and function like a normal human being. For the past couple of months, I've also been seeing a CBT specialist for €65 a session (which is on the cheaper end of the scale, that I could find) but I've had to reduce the sessions from weekly to once every two weeks, just 'cause it's costing so damn much. I do feel like the CBT is helping in some ways but a lot of what's required (like keeping thought records, and recording your weekly activities and corresponding thoughts) is so damn inconvenient.....like, I don't always have a pen and notebook at hand; how the hell am I supposed to accurately jot down exactly what I'm feeling every damn hour every damn day? I know this shít works, and is backed by evidence, but that doesn't stop it being a massive pain in the hole.....

Every bit of progess I make never feels like enough, it's like when I take a step in the right direction, the end target just moves yet another step further away. I joined a gym recently and, unsurpisingly, going twice a week for a couple of weeks hasn't magically given me a six-pack and bucketloads of stamina and fitness; that in itself is so demotivating and makes everything feel so futile. I've also been reading stuff about music theory recently (listening to music is my favourite thing in the world, and I would love more than anything to be able to write and produce my own music) but 30 minutes browsing through "Music for Dummies" hasn't made me an internationally acclaimed musician, so what's the fúcking point? :mad: I'm so fúcking far from where I want to be, that which would make me happy, that any tiny step in the "right direction" feels like nothing whatsoever.

I just want to wake up and see that everything has magically worked itself out. However, I know that will never be a reality, and that realisation is what makes me not want to wake up at all.

Homer, I know exactly how you feel. The reason I highlighted your bits about feeling is because feelings are only relevant to each of us individually. There are times that I feel that I have taken 2 steps forward, 3 steps back, but just because I feel this way does not necessarily represent what is actually going on with me. When I step back and look at my progress, I realise its not that I have regressed so much as it is I have higher expectations on my life.

Life is sometimes just hard and it can be hard to learn to live life on life's terms. People wont always be nice/friendly. My expectations wont always be met in different circumstances. Events will happen that will make me sad/depressed. I wont always be able to achieve every goals or desires in life. If I can learn to accept that, my life will be much easier.

I don't know if you can relate to this but some days I feel awful and some days I feel fine and the only difference is whatever it is going on inside of me. Everything else in my life could be the same, but I feel differently. This says to me that how I feel is not necessarily a reflection of what is actually going on in my life.

But when I am feeling depressed/anxious I feel vulnerable, fed up and start looking for solutions. I feel like I need to stop feeling like I am feeling as soon as I can. This in turn can lead me to look at CBT (or other tools I have learned) and call them a failure. "Sure look at how bad I feel, these things are supposed to make me feel better"!

What I have learned through the ups and downs is that it can be hard for me to see the progress I am making because I can often allow myself to be ruled by my feelings.

For me, CBT and non prescription based solutions do not make life awesome and perfect, they make it manageable and certainly better then what it was. The expectations I put on these therapies can often lead me to give up or blame the therapys when in truth the problem is that I either don't want to put in the work required to see if they really work or I just amnt prepared to give them proper time to start working.

I understand the whole wanting to wake up and life just be sorted. Its ok to think it, but I find learning to live in the now a useful remedy. Whether I am feeling good or bad, I try to remain in the moment because its easy to get into "oh life is so hard and I cant see an end to this misery" kind of mindset. The worst thing I can do is go into myself and start thinking things over and over and coming to negative conclusions. When I am feeling bad, I often awknowledge I am feeling sh*t but I also accept that this will pass.

DeVore

There is a human bias to weigh the negative far heavier than the positive. I think it would be reasonably safe to say that that goes double for us

The steps forward come so slowly and hard fought for that we sometimes don't notice them. The steps back are fast, easy to spot and feed straight into the black dogs desire for Things To Beat Us With.

Homer, as long as I can remember on this thread you've been here, fighting and helping others to fight. Don't look at this as a set back, you won the first round, think of this as "seconds away, round 2" ...

Gleeso_Finglas

DeVore wrote: »

Gleeso, you are doing all the right things. This is a hiccup, you know that because you've already seen "the promised land". You got there before, starting from a worse place and you will get there again.

I wrote this a while back about my experiences with these patches.



You have some unavoidable changes coming in terms of your job etc. Ok, that's your focus. Everything else, toss it. Got to do something for a friend this weekend? Call them, tell them you cant. Gotta fix that thing in the shed? Not this month buddy! Thinking of changing car insurance? Its fine as it is.

Take everything that is weighing on you, other than the truly important things, and simplify them out the door until this passes. And it will pass... you have a course, keep to it and everything else is secondary at the moment. That simplicity of focus really helps me and stops me making any bad decisions during a bad patch.


The new job may be a blessing in disguise... I find one of the best cures for me is to learn something novel, something new... it engages me and seems to lift my mood.

De Vore your explanation of patches is brilliant and got me out of my own head for a few minutes (I'm a very slow reader) and although you are 100% right its very hard to ride it out. I have a bit of a head cold now too which sucks. It just feels like life is trying to kick me while im down. When i get through these bouts im usually good at keeping well. I am on very heavy medication the same as the poster above but im on a higher dosage and add in 400mg of pregablin and i can also add that the mirtazipin are a bitch for increasing the apetite. Depression can either have you eating nothing or over eating usually simple food like take aways, frozen pizzas etc because going to the shops and trying to eat healthy are virtually impossible. Mental health and physical health are similar in the both take a lot of time and hard work to get any decent results. Both dishearting as all we want are quick fixes.

I will tell you where I am at now: Anxiety is through the roof at the moment as I have to get up at 7 am and get onto the bloody m50 which means sitting in traffic for like 2hrs. (too much time to think) One of my good friends are starting the job with me and i will be linking back up with an old boss who knows about my mental health problems. You would think that this would calm me down but no. I am worrying about eating tomorrow and having to try socialise in a large training group and the fact that i have gained alot of weight im kind of mind reading what people may be thinking of me. The wife and stepson are putting up the tree on friday and the toy show etc is on......im in no mood for this yet so I am hoping that my mood picks up this week.

I found that no matter what you have learned when you are really in the middle of ****s creek nothing works for me only medication and that in its self takes time. You really just have to do what you can to ride it out. Its horrible and i would not wish it on my worst enemy.

This bout is 3 weeks old so hopefully not too much longer. Im drained.

Gleeso_Finglas

Deleted User wrote: »

As of today, I am now taking a 15mg dose of Mirtazapine daily in addition to 225mg Venlafaxine.....I'm kind of glad I was prescribed something else but am very wary of the fact that I'm now spending a whole lot extra a month on prescriptions, in addition to the demotivating factor of requiring extra medication just to try and function like a normal human being. For the past couple of months, I've also been seeing a CBT specialist for €65 a session (which is on the cheaper end of the scale, that I could find) but I've had to reduce the sessions from weekly to once every two weeks, just 'cause it's costing so damn much. I do feel like the CBT is helping in some ways but a lot of what's required (like keeping thought records, and recording your weekly activities and corresponding thoughts) is so damn inconvenient.....like, I don't always have a pen and notebook at hand; how the hell am I supposed to accurately jot down exactly what I'm feeling every damn hour every damn day? I know this shít works, and is backed by evidence, but that doesn't stop it being a massive pain in the hole.....

Every bit of progess I make never feels like enough, it's like when I take a step in the right direction, the end target just moves yet another step further away. I joined a gym recently and, unsurpisingly, going twice a week for a couple of weeks hasn't magically given me a six-pack and bucketloads of stamina and fitness; that in itself is so demotivating and makes everything feel so futile. I've also been reading stuff about music theory recently (listening to music is my favourite thing in the world, and I would love more than anything to be able to write and produce my own music) but 30 minutes browsing through "Music for Dummies" hasn't made me an internationally acclaimed musician, so what's the fúcking point? :mad: I'm so fúcking far from where I want to be, that which would make me happy, that any tiny step in the "right direction" feels like nothing whatsoever.

I just want to wake up and see that everything has magically worked itself out. However, I know that will never be a reality, and that realisation is what makes me not want to wake up at all.

Ask your chemist about cheaper brands, i pay 145 per month on the drugs payment scheme that the chemists offers. Look into it. Stop aiming for perfection and aim for contentment. When you a goal to an urealistic "perfect version of you that will never exist set lesser goals and when you achieve it anything else after that is a bonus. I put on alot of weight and when i was doing good instead of picturing of how i would like to look i set weight loss goals for eg 1 stone with in the first 2 months....then go from there. We are on silimiar paths your are fighting 2 battles mental health and weight loss.

PTH2009

gave up my tablets last april (anti depressents and Rizpiridone) and have not looked back since. Feel much better.

hated the tablets they made me restless and put on weight.

I thought the tablets were not working for me.

DeVore

That said, what works for one person will not work for another. You should not change prescription or dosage without talking with your doctor.
I cant tell you how many people I know came off their drugs without saying anything to anyone and wound up in a much worse place as a result. A couple of them 6 feet under.

Gleeso, if the car ride has too much time, why not get a language class on iTunes and learn a new language. Or watch/listen to TED.com talks (I find them great!). If you know you are going to be bored, try to plan to have something to do, that's my usually strategy.

looking_around

PTH2009 wrote: »

gave up my tablets last april (anti depressents and Rizpiridone) and have not looked back since. Feel much better.

hated the tablets they made me restless and put on weight.

I thought the tablets were not working for me.

I've given up meds also, (due to the side effects being so bad and I refuse to take any med with "weight gain" as a side effect, so that left me short on choice,)
I'm doing better off them ...but I don't deny that they helped a great deal. I would never have gotten to this stage if it weren't for meds.

And no one should consider stopping without supports in place or good coping skills learned.

daithi7

Good tv programme on mental health: Bressie's Ironmind on rte 2 on Sunday @9.30pm , repeat on this Friday (, and next episode on this coming Sunday @9.30pm again.

Didn't see it myself yet, but addresses mental health, physical fitness and the positive link between the 2, great reviews, worth a watch imho.

Drumpot

daithi7 wrote: »

Good tv programme on mental health: Bressie's Ironmind on rte 2 on Sunday @9.30pm , repeat on this Friday (, and next episode on this coming Sunday @9.30pm again.

Didn't see it myself yet, but addresses mental health, physical fitness and the positive link between the 2, great reviews, worth a watch imho.

It makes perfect sense that "a healthy body helps a healthy mind", but for me personally one does not automatically mean the other when I am trying to lift anxiety/depressed states.

I think a healthy body/diet is always a plus and will always give you a better chance at feeling better. BUT for me, its not enough. I have lost 11Kg in the last year, have not been as fit since my teens, yet I still get low moods and struggle with insomnia. In fact, I think I was sleeping better this time last year when I had a poor diet/exercise regime!

I am not saying that this proves fitness doesn't help, but I know people who think getting fit and physically healthy should be enough to "sort em out". I know some people who couldn't be healthier (nearly borderline too fit) and their minds are tortured. Sometimes I come back from the gym feeling awesome and energetic. Sometimes I feel lethargic, knackered and deflated. Its kind of similar to how I can respond to some medication.

I suppose, what I am trying to say that getting healthy physically and from a dietary perspective certainly helps and is a must for me to help combat my struggles with anxiety/depression. However, without professional therapy/support to address the problem I consider it to be similar to medication in that it helps, but doesn't resolve the underlying problem.

looking_around

Drumpot wrote: »

Sometimes I come back from the gym feeling awesome and energetic. Sometimes I feel lethargic, knackered and deflated. Its kind of similar to how I can respond to some medication.

Oh wow, I know exactly how this is!

I could go mountain biking, have a blast and still come back feeling awful, exhausted and depressed.
Or I could go and come back feeling great, awesome and ready for whatever life throws at me.

It's chance and I don't think either is connected directly to the exercise, but more to just how I was feeling that day.
The exercise can help push people out of depression, but I cannot stand those who think "it's the answer".
If it works for someone...great... but lets not assume it helps everyone.

I really hope that program doesn't reinforce the idea that..depressed people aren't just exercising enough.

DeVore

Agreed.

For me its got less to do with the exercise and more to do with the "being in the moment"... when I'm training, particularly since I train in kickboxing, I cant exactly let my mind wander. I have to be present and 100% focus on what I'm doing, both for my own sake (I don't want to step the wrong way and get a shin to the head) and for my sparring partners sake (shouldn't be daydreaming if you are trying to kick someone, control of power is paramount ).

So, my theory based on my own experience is that its more like an intensive CBT therapy in that I ABSOLUTELY cannot lose focus on right-here-right-now. When the session is over, I'm VERY tired, exhausted usually, and I just don't have the energy for my mind to start to race again. Somehow that puts me into a better mindset and gives me breathing space from everything that's "in on me".

I'm sure that some physical exercise wont do anyone any harm but in terms of mental health I find that idea of in-the-moment focus to be very beneficial to me.

daithi7

Yes, and there's also the physiological feedback mechanisms that reward us for treating our bodies better. So when you exercise, eat and rest well your body gives positive feedback to your brain (through endorphins ,etc) so that you do it again.

Our bodies are not static they are dynamic, the cells renew, oxygen and aerobic exercise lift things like metabolism rates so this renewal is positive and hence makes us feel positive. I'm not saying its a cure all, things like work, purpose, social links, friends, support and optimism are all huge drivers too of course. But if you're looking for something you can do for yourself, that will help fight against pre mature aging, disease and depression, then appropriate exercise is that something. Better if its part of a team or a group, as then you also get the shared experience feeling from it. If depression is a dog, exercise is surely wings, it may not beat the dog but it will sure as chips lighten the load a bit.

looking_around

daithi7 wrote: »

Yes, and there's also the physiological feedback mechanisms that reward us for treating our bodies better. So when you exercise, eat and rest well your body gives positive feedback to your brain (through endorphins ,etc) so that you do it again.

Our bodies are not static they are dynamic, the cells renew, oxygen and aerobic exercise lift things like metabolism rates so this renewal is positive and hence makes us feel positive. I'm not saying its a cure all, things like work, purpose, social links, friends, support and optimism are all huge drivers too of course. But if you're looking for something you can do for yourself, that will help fight against pre mature aging, disease and depression, then appropriate exercise is that something. Better if its part of a team or a group, as then you also get the shared experience feeling from it. If depression is a dog, exercise is surely wings, it may not beat the dog but it will sure as chips lighten the load a bit.

What if that exercise makes you feel more depressed?
I do it for the health aspects, but more times then not, I struggle afterwards. Particularly after cardio exercises. Though they don't always knock me down.
The only one that never has that negative drop for me, is yoga.
But it doesn't always keep things balanced either.

I disagree that exercise "will" lighten the load. I believe for some it CAN. But there are many. Myself included, where it can and has made things much worse. Much harder to handle.

I don't say this as a "don't try exercise/focus activities etc", they may well work for you. But please, please do not assume that they help everyone.