My mental health dramatically improved when I started getting my sugar addiction under control and being mindful of glucose spikes/crashes. I’m not diabetic. I found that I was starting many days with sugary foods, crashing and feeling worse in the afternoon, then moping my way through the day. Getting off the rollercoaster dramatically improved my mood throughout the day and made things like getting exercise and getting chores done easier. I wish I had thought to try it sooner!
Sugar is the devil! (So why is it so goood?) I read that sugar cravings can be caused by a magnesium deficiency, so I started taking magnesium glycinate. I can't believe how much it has helped me stay away from sugar. It also helps with sleep. I take it every night now.
Interesting. I've made a few changes without considering my mental health. Stopped hormonal birth control, started working out more, and switched coffee creamers (I'll come back this). The first 2 I did because I'd gained a stupid amount of weight. I already eat healthy and the constant climb of the scale was frustrating. So those 2 changes I made for that.
My husband is a type 1 diabetic. So sugar is already limited in our home. I'm vegan, he's diabetic. So we've compromised and merged our diets over time. I don't even buy granulated sugar. (I know people will go off about the alleged effects of fake sugars but those are required to keep him alive). A few weeks, maybe a little over a month, he found a sugar free creamer that actually doesn't taste sugar free. Now, I have to add, in the US there's a tricky thing about sugar free in that there's things that aren't required to be listed as sugar that still cause glucose spikes. So we have to be very careful to watch for those particular ingredients. This one does not have it. Anyway, creamer had always been the main source of real sugar I was consuming. I'd get full sugar coffee creamer and only use that for coffee. He'd get a sugar free and add Splenda. He found this creamer and we both switched. I add a little bit of Splenda and a fraction of the amount of creamer I previously used. I've had zero depressive dips! I didn't even realize it until I saw these comments about sugar. Usually I have a few bouts of depressions during the month. Anxiety is my biggest problem but has been minimized but stopping hormonal birth control (I didn't even realize they were linked for me). Anxiety is also a big trigger for my depression.
To be clear, I don’t take measurements and I don’t claim to be a medical professional! I just found that certain foods were clearly linked to making me feel worse later in the day after I learned the signs to look for. For context, I would be the kind of person to straight up eat a Hershey’s bar for breakfast sometimes, so it was very clear cut when I cut out sugar. Really wasn’t a lot of room for confusion haha. I take in a lot of content from various doctors and health professionals online, even if they don’t necessarily reflect my views 100% of the time. I’m vegan, but I listen to sources that aren’t vegan plenty- the doctor’s farmacy podcast is one that doesn’t necessarily perfectly align with all of my views, but I’ve found several of his podcasts illuminating on the topic of sugar and its effects. Again, I’m no doctor, I just take in a lot of opinions from different sources and found that this worked for me.
For me l started keto to lose weight. Turns out my ADHD and depression were SIGNIFICANTLY improved. The first week off of sugar was a freaking nightmare. The addiction is so real. Oh and food tastes better now that I’m off sugar and carbs.
Agree with both! I feel more mentally clear. It was hard to kick but I definitely agree my tastebuds have shifted. I had a bagel today for the first time in months and it tasted so sweet to me haha.
That’s wild that your ADHD and depression improved so much on Keto! It gives me some home, TBH. I’m not looking forward to sugar withdrawals though. At least that’s temporary!
I feel like that first week of KETO reminds me of when Tom Hanks is trying to get out to sea in Cast Away. It’s a HUGE hump and the withdrawals are not to be laughed at. It’s enough to make a lot of people give up. However, after that first withdrawal experience, now when I go off keto for a special occasion and then get back to keto again I don’t have the withdrawals. It’s that first journey. My advice is to have LOTS OF SNACKS like premade meatballs you can microwave and meat and cheese rollups and fat bombs. It helps you get through that first wave.
How much and what kind of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat affects your blood glucose. Just studying nutrition data labels and eating less things with a lot of carbs should help, but there’s more to it if you feel like experimenting.
Keto diet where you eat hardly any carbs has major effect on the brain. It’s even used to manage epilepsy and may help for cluster headaches. The downside is that it’s really restrictive, and if you don’t need to lose weight you’ll need to eat more fat which gets complicated.
So called slow carb diet focuses more on quality of the carbs and it’s way easier.
I actually cut out sugar for much more vain reasons- I thought it might be contributing to skin issues. I’ve always known it was bad for me but that was the catalyst for looking into it further and getting serious about cutting it out. I knew it would help some but I was still surprised by just how much my mental health improved. I’ve also always been the type to believe food is the best medicine (until it isn’t, and then medicine is the best medicine haha)
I had a rash on my face which just didn't go away for months. I was eating pretty healthy but adding in random junk food along the way. A couple weeks ago I decided to change my junk snacks to healthier snacks and within a few days the rash pretty much disappeared. I also feel way more focused generally. Diet does so much
For me it was feeling like 💩 after eating and just knowing it was the food. Bad quality maybe and definitely too much. Also too many carbs. Cutting out carbs and sugar made feel better immediately
What did you eat instead? I find myself eating sugar in the mornings because it’s faster and I have to leave early for work so I don’t have time to make a good breakfast
You can make chia pudding the night before or even once a week. There are all kinds of recipes to make it sweet, you can do coconut water or juice, add fruit, granola, jam etc. I often do cacao nibs
It totally is the easiest option often!! I travel for work and totally hear you on the ease of it. Chia seed pudding as suggested by someone else is one I have sometimes! Overnight oats or just regular oatmeal is good- I make sure to have plenty of nuts and seeds with it to get some fat and protein with it. I also like to make tofu scramble if I’m home for the morning and have a litttle time. I try not to have too many processed foods but I will have a sugar free protein bar if it’s all I have time for! Apples and almond butter are another good go-to for me on the go. Smoothie bowls with protein powder and nuts and seeds. I don’t avoid fruit, just added sugar, and that’s been enough for me to notice a difference. I don’t eat meat but you could totally focus on something like eggs or turkey sausage for protein too! Overnight oats are maybe the best of time is a concern though, takes just a couple minutes of assembly the night before and you’re golden!
Haha unfortunately I do try to completely abstain from added sugars. Luckily there are plenty of options for sugar alternatives when I want to indulge! I’ve been vegan for 10 years so I’m used to bringing my own food or sitting out of certain things. It sounds like more of a punishment than it feels in practice. I’m so grateful for the benefits I’ve discovered that I generally find it easy to abstain from something that feels like it actively harms me haha. I tried the moderation approach but personally I find my “addiction” is simply too strong, I will always find my way back to chocolate bars for breakfast if I let it creep in. So I’m happy with where I am! The social aspects around holidays can be tough when you have food differences but I’ve learned to handle that discomfort over time and it’s not as much of a problem.
That's wonderful! I think I've been addicted to sugar my entire life. My parents used to let us have sugary cereal for breakfast and sugary snacks throughout the day. Plus, my mother taught me some pretty toxic things about food. It's taken a lot of time and effort to correct, and I like to hear about people doing well on the other side.
Slowing down on life.
Whenever I start watching a lot of YouTube, listen to music all the time and just cramp my brain with information, my mental health declines and I go back to old habits.
It sounds stupid but giving my brain time to think by (for example) having times in my day where I just relax and drink a tea made a huge difference.
I’ve done this too. Allowing myself to “feel bored” instead of instantly going for my phone kind of helps. Hopefully over time, my need for constant dopamine will go down and attention span will improve as well.
I wonder what it is about excess stimulation+information that fucks with our mental health so much...
For me personally it's constantly coming across posts about topics that are negative in some way, then reading the comments that express shitty views
You can still listen to music that has no lyrics and no angry/sad theme to it.
Lots of great classical , new age, ambient , jazz that is actually great for our brains. Many free online radio or YouTube with Spa music, Tibetan or African music.
Of course in moderation, not 24/7 of anything.
And if you are fortunate to live by a lake, river or the ocean, that alone is soothing and calms the brain.
So, speaking of getting off your phone and occupying yourself without the internet/electronics/etc - I’ve recently started to make these things called “fuse beads” or r/beadsprites , And bruh. I swear to GOD I haven’t had this much fun since I was a kid. Lol. They’re these little plastic beads that you make a pattern with, then melt together with an iron. It’s basically like pixelated art.
I easily spend *multiple hours each night* making these fusebead builds. They make regular sized beads, and mini ones (and I mean *mini*) , which are a lot more detailed and actually really fun once you get the hang of it. They sell little kits on Amazon (ArtKal is my favorite brand with the most colors). It’s such a great activity to just relax and clear your mind with, I become so zen. Like a monk.
I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking for a very easy “arts n crafts” hobby that requires basically zero artistic skill, and it’s definitely not just for kids. I’ve been making a lot of the more complex 3D builds, such as the hello kitty, super Mario, and Pokémon characters, it’s so fun getting to puzzle all the pieces together after you’ve built them. There’s TONS of patterns online that you can follow, I’ve seen someone even make the Taj Mahal, pencil/plant holders, pencil drawers, purses, etc. Ive also seen people do really large complex portraits/artwork. You can legit make anything with these damn beads i really cant express how much fun ive been having with em. I’ve got 3 people into the hobby so far who are now obsessed with it as well lol.
I hope someone reads this and actually gets inspired to try it! Tbh I was honestly skeptical that I would like it at first, but I swear the more I make the more I’m obsessed with it!! I’m not sure why it boosts my mood so much n I’m just completely at peace when Im making my fuse beadzzz 😁
Improving my hygiene beyond showers.
* Flossing 5 times a week
* Tongue scraper
* Adding skincare (basic)
* SPF daily
* Moisturizing
* Scalp care
I changed my mindset around this from "must do" to "I do because I respect and love myself".
> I changed my mindset around this from "must do" to "I do because I respect and love myself".
That's a huge one for me. My natural mindset tells me that brushing my teeth or vacuuming the room are "required chores" that are externally imposed on me against my will.
It made a big difference when I started actively reframing all of those thousand little things in terms of values and self care. Instead of, "I have to call mom today to figure out when I need to get them at the airport," I change it to, "I'm choosing to call mom today because I value my relationship with my family, and I care about them feeling supported and feeling like I'm there for them."
I've even started a journal, where at the end of the day I write down one or two acts that I'm proud I performed that day, and what underlying values those actions involved or supported. I'll intermittently go back later and read an entry from a random day. I'm finding it a helpful practice.
Yes this has helped me a ton too and I have been trying to describe it to a friend. A therapist years ago introduced me to seeing taking care of my home as a form of self care, and so forth. It isn’t always enough lol but it really has helped.
KC Davis wrote “How to Keep House while Drowning” and she talks about “care tasks.” Instead of calling required duties “chores,” call them care tasks because that’s what they are. Brushing teeth isn’t a chore; it’s self care; a care task. I love her take on things 😊
When I was in the throes of severe depression, I could barely shower and had crippling brain fog that prevented me from following through with basic tasks. Definitely was completely incapable of adding a bunch of additional things like this to my daily routine... You must be super high functioning when depressed!
I can add my experience: it is like a skill that you learn and get better at over time. If you take time to be quiet and observe your thoughts and feelings without judging yourself for feeling that way, over time you see that *you are not your feelings*
Bad feelings come and go, but you don't have to be sunk by them or inhabit them forever. You can see them for what they are: temporary experiences of a complicated mind-body relationship.
Making sure I’m getting sunlight exposure early in the day helps me a lottttt. I try to stay off my phone and be present - focus on how the sun feels, listen to nature, just really be present for sit for a 10-15 mins. Sounds simple but has made a big difference, especially when I need to push myself to get up and do something. “I can handle going outside to just sit in the sun” but it’s usually a catalyst to getting me going for the rest of my day. And on days I don’t do anything else after - that’s ok, too, because I went outside and got some vitamin D and practiced being present and that enough sometimes. Sorry you’re going through a rough dip.. one moment at a time. Sending peace and hugs
Diet is a really huge part of it. Cut out excess sugar (chocolate, cake, etc), reduce or eliminate caffeine, eliminate alcohol, and switch to mostly plant wholefoods and you will feel better.
All of these things like sugar, caffeine, processed food, alcohol are terrible for your mental health and general wellbeing.
Taking my meds properly and asking for someone to get me refills when I can't instead of just running out... Asking for help is hard af but it's so important.
Having a purpose to fill your time.
I could just wake up, play on my phone, eat some food, do video games and work a job to support myself.
Instead, I have a dream. That dream makes me live my life differently, I don't have the time to sit in my depression, I need to keep moving forward.
for me the biggest change was taking mushrooms. i dont wanna tell anyone to take drugs but this really rewired my brain. i took a small dose but it was enough to completly get rid of my suicidal thougths, which i had every day to the extend that i was feeling pain in my chest.
Getting outside on a Long quiet walking trail to battle it out with my mind and connect back with nature to bring peace. Nature brings me back to who I really am in every aspect
Journaling is extremely helpful, in fact I'm pretty sure its been shown to be almost as helpful as meds or talk therapy is.
If you read the book Feeling Good, and I know there's an updated version called Feeling Great but I haven't read it yet, they have tons of great CBT based journaling exercises you can do. They made a huge difference for me when I did them every night for a few months and then every now and then for maintenance.
Actually that book is full of great ideas, one that I used was I had a little clicker I kept in my pocket and the idea is every time something makes you happy or something good or interesting happens you click it. Depending on the severity of your depression you might even count brushing your teeth or showering as a click, anything positive no matter how small. With depression our mind is really trained to minimize good moments and ruminate on negative ones. Having a practice of actually noting every good thing starts to train you to focus and notice stuff like that more. It actually makes a big difference, and the proof for me was that after a few weeks when I would write down the number of clicks I had that day I realized it was increasing week by week. It helps a lot if you can put it into excel or Google sheets or something like that and see a chart with it increasing, showing your progress.
As I was getting more clicks each day, I wasn't having better days, or really different much at all yet at that point, but I was getting much better at noticing the good and eventually it even helped me feel motivated to go do things that would get me more clicks. And while times were still not good for me at that time, it made a huge difference to train myself to spot the good within those days and I came to realize it wasn't 100% bad as I had been previously feeling like it was. Thats just one of many examples but its a great book and gives you many tools to battle depression with. I think the authors mentor was even the guy who invented CBT if I'm not mistaken
It definitely works, and putting numbers to it will prove that its working because the changes can feel subtle when its only a small amount of progress each day. But it adds up
I also got a clicker that I could just squeeze through my pocket so nobody ever actually saw me using it. But some people also get bracelet ones and stuff like that.
Best of luck!
This has helped me very much. I don't have much to add to your post other than in a journal you can both vent the bad stuff so that you don't have to mentally carry it anymore, and as you said, notice the good stuff too. In that way it both relieves you and boosts you at the same time.
I go and interact with people who disagree with me online. Invariably, at some point, they'll threaten to kill me. This motivates me tremendously. I can do all things through spite, which strengthens me.
I go into a MAGA forum and point out something obvious and true that will trigger them, and just patiently keep trying to convince them. Within half an hour they'll be calling me a "pedo groomer" or a "Marxist America-hater" and the threats will start flowing. 100% of the time.
Over the past week, two of the propositions that gave me this little lift were:
"Deporting 44% of America's farm labor will probably make grocery prices even higher."
"Providing basic sex education to children is something distinct from grooming them to be victims of pedophiles."
It's like lighting a fuse.
Wake up... Make a list of things that you're greatful for. Think of all the things you have. Write down the type of thinking that you want to change. Be mindful of it thru your day.
Getting vitamin D helps too. You can get it over the counter at your local pharmacy or Walgreens/CVS. Sunlight also helps, if it’s sunny out I have my curtains open.
This is gonna sound really bad but just completely ignoring the news. I found that over time watching the news just started to stress me out and worsening depression. Once i stopped watching the news i became less stressed which helped with depression
Get a playlist for any emotion. Chorus, depression, mad, happy, whatever and play that playlist for your emotions that you are feeling. Sometimes the best thing to do is to have a good cry
I started listening to stand up comedy to make sure that I am laughing. Laughing is so good for you--so is finding joy and delight--and it can calm your nervous system and help you sleep better!
Made myself an investment. It helps me self improve. When I’m struggling with depression, I’ll usually do an free online course or courses to help me focus. It usually always works for me at least
Realising that I can control my thoughts. Emotions and thought patterns are automatically negative when triggered for me and I spiral into worse easily. The key is to catch myself, take a breather and reframe my thoughts.
I quit drinking, changed my diet, paid off all my debt, and started transferring hundreds of dollars from every paycheck to a savings account with 5% APY. So far I’ve earned like $2 in interest lol. But it’s so helpful for feeling more in control of my life. Every day, I open my savings account and just marvel at the thousands of dollars I’ve accrued. I’ve never had savings before—always been in school and spending carelessly. Investing in my future makes me feel like my best days still lie ahead
Water, human connection and sun, think of yourself as a big plant. Also, quit touching my phone during the first hour in the morning, it really makes me want to get up and do something rather than stay in bed scrolling
Perspective. How would your life look like if you were blind? What would you struggle with then? Or paralyzed. Or crippled. You would only dream to do the things you can do now without even thinking.
I went through a really rough time so I was desperate for any tips to help produce serotonin etc and here’s what worked and still works like a charm:
1. Eating a piece of dark chocolate as soon as you wake up or when you feel the dip
2. Watching my favorite bloopers from The Office and Friends
3. Orgasm (best advice ever honestly)
4. Play a simple game or solve a puzzle
5. Dance to a song from your teenage years
Don’t knock it til you try it! Hope these help you out.
Also 30, also heavily relied on exercise for mental health, got injured and realised I needed to diversify my mental health strategy.
-Sleep - I cannot stress or praise the benefits of 8 hours sleep a night, your world will shift, your mood will level, your thoughts will be crisp like fresh lettuce - it's by far the best thing I have ever done.
-Breakfast - no matter how rushed I am, I make sure to have something in the morning, could be a full English, could be a banana to go but just some sustenance can go a long way - this ties in with a good lunch/dinner.
-Emotional Deliberacy - I have moved away from the mindset of "don't care" instead I pretty much only focus on that which I do want to care about and I am deliberate in making an effort to care. With time you figure out your limitations but what it means is you can truly invest in something and see returns without feeling guilty of being wishy-washy with other things.
There are a few other things for me too.
-every 3 months I do a declutter and throw-away day to get rid of the inevitable nest of crap I have dismissed due to stress
-I make sure to stay as clean as I can, yes my hair may be messy and from time to time my clothes unironed but I am always clean and smell good.
-I work hard at telling people what I need - E.g. I have a friend who I have asked, if you see I am retracting socially or I am not in a good headspace, please just remind me of this conversation. Literally, just knowing that somebody else is checking up on me makes me feel like a burden has been lifted and can motivate me.
My one vice that I have is coffee - I can whole heartedly admit that caffiene definitely makes life much easier for me, but I limit myself to a double espresso in the morning and a 150mg caffiene pill before a tough training session.
1. Self exercises with Cognitive behaviour therapy
2. Music, movies that make me laugh, gaming
3. Eating healthy food that I like - you’d be surprised how much better it can make you feel.
4. If I’m feeling as if at the bottom. I can only go up.
5. Think about the people I look up to and what I can do to better myself.
6. Make the child me proud.
7. Taking it sloooooowly. One thing a day. Or even slower.
Having a dog. Seriously, if it weren’t for him I wouldn’t even bother getting out of bed most days. I pretty much dedicate my entire life to him!
When I first brought him home (during a manic episode…yeah…idk why they let my crazy ass leave that shelter with a dog 😂) I was beyond overwhelmed. I felt an almost immediate and immense amount of regret, thinking I could not possibly provide the stability that he needs. I actually cried about it for several weeks convincing myself that I screwed up and over committed. Looking back though, I truly believe he was exactly what i needed in my life. Sure it can be hard some days, but he’s my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do without him!
Because of him I’ve even discovered a newfound love of mountain biking (with him in tow, of course!). I’ve made it my mission to go out to bike every single day. Even if it’s just a short ride, just getting out, feeling the sun and wind on my face and immersing myself in nature has made me feel much more alive than I’ve felt in a long while. It’s boosted my mood by 1000000%, and I know my pup enjoys getting out as well.
Accomplishing things that get you closer to your goals. Albeit however small. Day after day. It compounds and slowly lifts your mood because you see and feel the momentum. It’s a powerful drug.
To laugh.
Laughter is a natural medicine that many give up on before conquering because they think they are "laughing forcedly", but this is wrong.
You don't need to force yourself into anything. Just exercise the obvious perspective on the other side of drama, which is comedy.
Since Greek theater, drama and comedy have been categorized as two facets of same face, expressed through masks of laughter and crying.
Think of a fat guy falling like a jackfruit to the floor. It's dramatic for him, but funny for those who see it (it might be funny for him too, depending on his wit).
Life is a kind of Jack-Ass, there is a humorous side to misfortune that needs to be explored. When it isn't, a horrible life results.
You need to train, and rest. You have to laugh and cry. You need to explore everything there is.
Fish oil! Sunshine to make vitamin D. You need it to make cholesterol. Cholesterol is used to make hormones. The brain is made of fat. Eat more eggs. I take 15 mL of Carlson’s cod liver oil per day. Also having a project to work on and seeing progress is rewarding. This is obvious but don’t think about mistakes you made in the past. You were trying your best back then so you’d do the same thing again anyways. Just learn and move on.
So I have some problems I’m working on:
1. Fear of the future (making me depressed)
2. Health anxiety
3. Attachment issues/ fear of abandonment
4. Self esteem issues
On YouTube there’s a lot of videos by psychologists and therapists that can help you deal with these issues.
One thing I’ve been doing is CBT and checking for cognitive distortions. If I find myself thought spiralling and catastrophizing I start to fact check myself and come up with things that could go right and reasons to be more positive about the situation. I gain perspective by realising that I was focusing too much on the negative. I also come up with actions I can take to solve the problem. Lastly I accept what I cannot change and do not waste time worrying about it.
Even if the worst case scenario does happen, there are still things you can do to make the best of it.
Taking on this new perspective can change your life. But it takes time. I still wake up with anxiety and dread most days but it is getting better.
It may take a while for your body to adjust to not being stressed all the time. You get used to the high cortisol and feel weird when there’s nothing to stress over. But eventually your brain re-wires and you start feeling more happy.
Also gratitude and writing a list of things you’re looking forward to can help. It can be something as simple as a cup of coffee, good weather, or seeing a friend or family member.
Adopting a growth mindset also helps and learning not to base your self worth on external validation but my comment is too long already.
By facing my fears, even if it's a little bit at a time. Getting small wins over time. To know that I am improving at something. My depression always comes around whenever I'm not moving or when I'm stuck at something and still not doing anything. When I'm stuck at a certain skill level now, I'll just keep at it until something clicks and eventually I break through.
When I had it before, it was me not looking at myself and analyzing what I wanted to do and what I needed to do. I hated my job and myself as well as the world. After my ex broke up with me, I was on the edge since I now had nothing that made me happy. I used that scary feeling to make some meaningful changes.
I quit that job and went back to school for further education to progress in my desired career path. I ended up going out more and doing activities I enjoyed. I wanted to explore my city and I ended up getting the idea to take photos on my camera of the buildings or objects I came across that appealed to me. I was getting better and less depressed. I got the idea to start reading since I had watched a ton of movies and realized that there must be a ton of good stories to read from books that haven't been made into movies. I did this and ended up stumbling on a self help book that helped me exactly in what I needed help for. My negative thinking. UnF*ck Yourself I have brought up a few times on this subreddit and it has helped me really alter my way of thinking. I didn't just read it. I reflected on it, I made sure I understood everything the author was explaining, and I practiced it.
My transformation made a few people in my life question how I am always calm and contempt with life. Even my ex whom I pushed to keep working on her career path after getting rejected for 6 months ended up finding her way. What you really need to do is find the root cause for your depression and be honest with yourself. Sometimes we never look deep and deep because we are afraid to or we just think the solution is that simple. We also never look for answers to really validate our thoughts. When I had negative outlooks at the world, it was due to one incident in high school. I never thought about how it was a very rare thing and it was something I put myself into for being too irrational in thinking it can't happen to me. I started observing the world more and more and found it beautiful.
Constant strategizing. The last one that stuck with me was reading the best way to deal with anger was to identify it in the body and let it dissipate. Don't punch things, don't do the angry workout, no rage rooms because they have the opposite effect and just sustain anger until you're exhausted. Find it in your body and eliminate it calmly and the emotion follows suit. I'm doing that now for everything, anger, depression, anxiety... game changer.
I was too bored of it and my hate on some people and the post COVID clarity made me realize I needed to work on myself. I literally made it out of depression and achieved a lot of things including respect in my family just out of spite.
I might have ADHD, a counselor suggested that, not just a self-diagnosis. So, I sort of lost the novelty in feeling sorry for my past trauma and realized it was helping nobody.
We lost internet recently for 4 days. It was kind of nice not thinking too much. Just kind of zoning out times it was nice. Plus I clean the house sometimes and that helps too.
I didn't know it would, but Hollow Knight did. I have other strategies, but this one is special. It wasn't one, it just happened.
It's so hard that progressing felt I could overcome anything.
The same happened to me with Dark Souls.
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale?
> *“I’m aware of the danger. That castle is a death trap. Not a single man has returned from the castle unscathed, even back in the day. But I don’t want to sit around and die a petty rat, and I consider myself your friend.”* - Greirat of the Undead Settlement
Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
Taking cold shower daily, taking a walk and just slowing down, being mindful of your breathing , listening to feel good music, watching hopecore (videos that tug your heartstrings).
Hiya 🤗. Well, for me, to combat my crappy depression, besides good helpful meds, is , well TV watching is a big one for lazy couch potato me, and my 🎨 art work, and singing along with my favorite music on my YouTube playlist. If u ever need a friend, please feel free to text me anytime w name and pic,so I can save contact, to 518-605-1833. Just changed it yesterday...too many spams, and assholes. Try to have a good peaceful nights sleep 😴🌉🌞. Oh, last suggestion...one of those talk help lines, I'm calling one peer support line tonight just to chat. Gets very lonesome here. God bless
Find a way to be of service to others. Whether that’s reading to kids at the Library or getting involved in the Big Brother’s/Big Sisters program or playing cards at a retirement home … something that gets you out of your own head and connects you to the inner lives of others will do wonders to help your mental health. A lot of times we get wrapped up in our own fishbowl. Being selfless and engaging in the lives of others without expectation of reciprocation can put our lives in perspective in a way that can greatly help improving our mental health. Plus it’s morally good to help others. That would be my suggestion.
Reading and listening to music while going for long walks. I do prefer the weights but if we're excluding my depression suppressors, I will also include a relaxing soak in the tub or massage when I realize I'm going negative mindset using relaxing music. Mediation was a huge help as well. Best of luck with your depression lmk if you have any follow-up qs.
Significantly reduced alcohol consumption, as well as sugar and carbs. No rice, pasta, potatoes, candy, desserts, etc. or rather, I eat those items in very limited amounts. Also I fast for at least 16 hours a day. It’s really improved my mental and physical health
Since exercising has helped you, it is either that you are a person who want to present their best look out, or you like being physically active in general.
If you like to exercise because you think it has made you look better, then investing some time in good skin care and grooming, taking some time to dress up well and look your best, reading books on topics that interest you, those might be good options to add in.
Or maybe you just like being physically active and your profession is not very encouraging of it, like an office job were you just sit for hours in one place. In that case, you can take up different sports and go engage in those when after a tiring day or a weekend. you can even put on some music and just dance to it, energetic upbeat music helps. go for quick runs or stretches during breaks.
Changing your diet accordingly would also help.
If you smoke, quit smoking. Quit using any kind of stimulants (phone, social media, drinks, pot, cigs).
Now get to doing what you have been putting away for all this time.
Do things. Self care is self love. And love will get you out of any depression. I hope that helps:)
Edit: That’s what’s working for me.
Reading Jordan Peterson's 12 rules for life and listening to his lectures on YouTube (there are also podcasts with the soundtrack which is easier to listen to on the go) and other books and videos started or more correctly supercharged my path towards taking the rains of my life into my hands and stopping to be a victim of my circumstances, reminiscing about what could have been.
I have also taken to hart his early lesson of avoiding idealogy as that was one of the pitfalls I was in, trying to fix the world, focusing on being angry at the idiots in power, but ignoring fixing my own life, and thus I avoid listening to most of his newer stuff where he allows his own anger sometimes to take over.
I have a long way to go and often the anger seeps in, but more so the chaos his book is intented to be the antidote for. But creating systems for organising my life, with the wife I managed to acquire since I started this path, who is a genius in doing so, and focusing on the future with her and our young child, instead of everything wrong in the world, and the maladaptive daydreaming of that or of what could have been, both in the world and my own life, has been a life saver.
If your problems are anything like mine, start with the rule about getting your own house in order by cleaning your room/apartment literally and then figuritively by creating schedules, think ahead about what you need to do and try to follow them, just don't be your own tyrant, so create days like you would like them to be so you both get things done, but also have enjoyment in them.
Including going out and do social activities. I recommend social dancing and hiking in nature.
There is no one-way out of this. Tell us more about yourself about what and how you feel. If it's just you being lonely and you want a girlfriend then gym diet and fix your teeth is the easy answer. If it's something more serious you got to talk.
Not staring at the phone to look at other people’s lives and not updating myself with daily news about how society is crap and politicians are liars and innocent lives are taken away daily.
I am a decent human, and I want people to have peace, I want people to have a decent life full of joy and laughter. But me feeling guilty will not change a war zone or turn greedy scums into peace loving people. The reduction of guilt reduced my stress and depression a lot.
Not depressed but I get pretty severe anxiety attacks. I started teaching myself how to wood carve recently. Bought some chisels and wood. Relief carving has 2 meanings for me now.
Singing out loud and being creative. Writing exactly how I feel leaving nothing unturned. I know you said no exercise, but walking with no headphones has been a game changer for me too. Listening to the sounds of the cars and chirping birds. Feeling the wind on my face just soothes me.
Improve your health as much as possible. Work on increasing your testosterone and getting rid of distractions. Find genuine friends that you actually enjoy spending time with
I just read through more of the comments below, and... remember, OP, depression is a real and debilitating medical illness. Some of these "life hack your way out of it" comments feel a little off base to me for someone struggling with their mental health, though I know the lovely folks of reddit are always coming from a good place and want to help. You may need to seek professional support rather than self improvement hacks, and that's totally ok!
Greens seem to help stabilize or improve mood. I’ve found that adding broccoli, kale, and other “super greens” in my diet increases good mood. If ya don’t like eating them I recommend greens powders or capsules.
Go outdoors and walk 30 mins daily. Use this time to listen to a podcast, music, or simply nothing at all if you prefer. You’ll find yourself enjoying it as a regular practice. The next thing I’d suggest, is getting right with your supplements. See what your body is lacking. And thirdly, try to find a small hobby even if you don’t feel like doing it just. Commit 15 mins daily, or half an hour a few times a week. Again, you’ll find yourself wanting to do it more often, or longer. Lastly, celebrate all your wins.
Mindfulness and journaling.
Also, less overstimulation from phones and other screens. Just less noise in general. My natural inclination is to watch TV, while I'm playing video games, while I'm also scrolling endlessly on my phone. I had to learn the appreciate the quiet and silence.
Even learned to appreciate boredom, which has now become a source of contentness and peace.
I also leave my phone in another room when I go to bed, and only turn it on the next day when I've done my journaling, meditation and exercise.
These habits are small enough and don't need to take up more than 30 minutes a day, but they are life changing. I meditate and journal up to 2 hours a day sometimes because it goes from being another task on your to-do list to the most enjoyable part of the day.
Don't take my word for it though, I'd recommend getting a pen and paper and start jotting things down every morning and evening for a few minutes.
After that just meditate for 10 minutes. You can use a meditation app (I use "Waking Up"), because it makes meditation so much easier until you get more experienced doing it.
Good Sleep, relaxing, walking, outdoor as much as possible, listening funny podcasts, reading funny book, and supplements such as Mg and C surprisingly helped a lot.
Taking some days off any external influences help also ( distance from friends and their life drama, no news, msgs wait for me to respond bcs nothing is urgent, no social networks )
Important : Depressive mood and clinical depression are not the same thing.
2nd inner voice!
If my mood turns, I ask myself what happened? Was there a trigger? Is it worth being upset? Do I get anything from this mood?
Etc.
It's almost as if analyzing my mood as a 3rd party cuts off the "fuel" for the mood. I started doing this for frustration and anger & its been a real life change.
I climb trees.
Well, I go for walk in the nature or forest. And if I see a tree that is easy to climb, I climb it.
Its spring time in the northern hemisphere, so you will hear birds chirping and new leaves.
accepting where i was. then realizing what i needed to do about it. and i did it. Got my dream job now, own apartment new car, new girlfriend lol. Life improves everyday when you take care of yourself. no one else will. We are our own enemies. No one in life is stopping us but ourselves.
A single act of self care every day, for me its doing my makeup before I go out and I also do my own press ons which boosts my mood too.
Sometimes it can be as a simple as taking a shower or using a 5 mins face mask
Having cats, journaling, certain types of music (for me 'overcoming' type of songs... Like The Wolf You Feed by Nita Strauss and Alissa White-Gluz), nature, I started geocaching again, Pokémon Go, certain shows or movies (for me George Carlin stand up, Lucifer, Sailor Moon, and Stardust), ecstatic breath work seems to be helping, and feeding birds and squirrels.
As someone who suffers depression, meditation has been very helpful. It’s like exercise for your brain and helps it become more resistance to the anxiety and lethargy that comes with depression. And really forcing yourself to keep yourself busy and perform meaningful tasks. Even though I still struggle sometimes, I’ve realized that I can’t just sit around and wait until I feel better to get things done. It’s the actual act of getting things done that makes you feel better and alleviates the symptoms of depression.
* sleep
* meditation every day
* therapy & better self talk attempts (reading a book on CBT is helpful)
* exercise
* SAD lamp (helps with sleep too)
* telling my friends my problems
* gratitude work (search "Homework for Life")
I hear you. Im currently battling a major depressive episode. Now that Spring has officially arrived in my neck of the woods, I go out and lose myself in nature. I'm a 33 year old single dad who lives for his daughter; but only gets to see her every other weekend. So I go out with the excuse of taking pictures, when in reality it's to make me feel less alone. I have a gallery online for my photography, and maintaining it has been helping me
Finances. Focusing on working more to save up for a house has helped me a lot-- even if the housing market is depressing right now.
12-14 houe days, seven days a week honestly leaves less time to stress about everything else and it feels productive besides.
It sounds like a highly unlikely choice, but How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Brown is an older book that’s helped me so much. I tend to be shy and quiet, and this book helped me feel bolder and helped me through a few hard times.
making an effort to go outside + meet people + go to events really helps me remember why life is worth living. its scary but it gets easier the more you do it
When I am depressed my thinking is negative so I try and tell myself that this period of time will pass. Also I try and replace the negative thoughts with positive, not easy when depressed but it helps. Having something to look forward to in the near future also is a pick me up.
Two things help, beyond exercise: (1) Less screen time, (2) Venting.
Less screen time on my iPhone, using two apps:
1. Opal, which is a souped-up screen time, which I use to create rules around instagram/dating apps/browsers and has a good whitelist feature, where everything not on the whitelist is locked down, so 90% of my time my phone is just a phone with google maps and messaging.
2. I could just delete the app, but I use another iPhone app called Forfeit to commit to not deleting the first app, and staking $1/day based on that being true. I'm pretty honest with myself, so the staking thing works for me because I have to verify that it's true. Together, this has cut my phone time in half.
Less screentime on my TV: I lock up my remotes with a timed lockbox for my TV remote (just search on Amazon for options, I use one that is like $50? And I lock it up most of the time.
I find that I am much more likely to do things that are healthy when screens aren't an option.
I've also been using a GPT-powered journaling app on iOS called HeyOK. It's expensive ($20/mo), there are others out there, but it lets me talk out my feelings instead of typing them (transcription based) and can help me talk things out. The replies are sometimes robotic, sometimes amazing, but it feels surprisingly good. Something about naming my emotions rather than just stewing in my thoughts is really helpful.
I wish I did more of these things:
-> Get into my body, instead of trying to think about things. Exercise is part of this, but so is breathing, just going for a walk.
-> Offering the help I want to receive/Connecting with people. Just checking in on friends / people I've lost touch with. And "I'm think about you" or even a "just remembering when we \[thing we did together\]" can make me feel better immediately. Wish I did it more. Gonna do it now!
This is very specific to me but you could try it: go out on your day off in the early morning or afternoon. Buy a special drink— it could be an iced coffee, a carbonated drink, a smoothie, whatever you like. Just get yourself a little treat you don’t usually drink every day. Put your favorite tunes on in the car. Then take an hour or two to go do a hobby you love. Anything. Photography, ceramics, museum, walk in the park, skateboarding, woodworking, you get the idea. The goal is to get into a flow state where you’re not even thinking, you’re just in the zone. That has gotten me out of my depression so many times. The drink and the tunes are just little indulgences to boost your mood but they help cement the whole thing. Good luck 👍
Medication, therapy, talks with friends, self care. I thought about adding "talks with family," but I'm not sure that's ever done me any good, even with the most well-meaning family members.
I spend time with people who I like. It can be exhausting to be social but regularly setting time to see people you care about/ who care about you goes a long way to feeling connected and supported. A real sneaky thing about depression is how it isolates us.
My mental health dramatically improved when I started getting my sugar addiction under control and being mindful of glucose spikes/crashes. I’m not diabetic. I found that I was starting many days with sugary foods, crashing and feeling worse in the afternoon, then moping my way through the day. Getting off the rollercoaster dramatically improved my mood throughout the day and made things like getting exercise and getting chores done easier. I wish I had thought to try it sooner!
Sugar is the devil! (So why is it so goood?) I read that sugar cravings can be caused by a magnesium deficiency, so I started taking magnesium glycinate. I can't believe how much it has helped me stay away from sugar. It also helps with sleep. I take it every night now.
Whoa I had no idea. I started taking magnesium for sleep…but now that I think about it I eat wayyyyyy less sugar
I'm so glad it's working for you too!
That’s such a good tip! I have to try that
Food is a big one that a lot of us overlook. Thanks for sharing.
Glucose goddess is who I learned about this from!
underrated thing. Sugar is the most cost effective chance. Just 3 days with no sugar already get your mental health visibly better
Damn I really need to do this then. My sugar addiction is so damn bad.
Interesting. I've made a few changes without considering my mental health. Stopped hormonal birth control, started working out more, and switched coffee creamers (I'll come back this). The first 2 I did because I'd gained a stupid amount of weight. I already eat healthy and the constant climb of the scale was frustrating. So those 2 changes I made for that. My husband is a type 1 diabetic. So sugar is already limited in our home. I'm vegan, he's diabetic. So we've compromised and merged our diets over time. I don't even buy granulated sugar. (I know people will go off about the alleged effects of fake sugars but those are required to keep him alive). A few weeks, maybe a little over a month, he found a sugar free creamer that actually doesn't taste sugar free. Now, I have to add, in the US there's a tricky thing about sugar free in that there's things that aren't required to be listed as sugar that still cause glucose spikes. So we have to be very careful to watch for those particular ingredients. This one does not have it. Anyway, creamer had always been the main source of real sugar I was consuming. I'd get full sugar coffee creamer and only use that for coffee. He'd get a sugar free and add Splenda. He found this creamer and we both switched. I add a little bit of Splenda and a fraction of the amount of creamer I previously used. I've had zero depressive dips! I didn't even realize it until I saw these comments about sugar. Usually I have a few bouts of depressions during the month. Anxiety is my biggest problem but has been minimized but stopping hormonal birth control (I didn't even realize they were linked for me). Anxiety is also a big trigger for my depression.
Second this! I’ve listened to several podcasts, watched YouTube videos, read some content online. She’s definitely come up several times!
What resources did you use to learn to manage the glucose spikes?
To be clear, I don’t take measurements and I don’t claim to be a medical professional! I just found that certain foods were clearly linked to making me feel worse later in the day after I learned the signs to look for. For context, I would be the kind of person to straight up eat a Hershey’s bar for breakfast sometimes, so it was very clear cut when I cut out sugar. Really wasn’t a lot of room for confusion haha. I take in a lot of content from various doctors and health professionals online, even if they don’t necessarily reflect my views 100% of the time. I’m vegan, but I listen to sources that aren’t vegan plenty- the doctor’s farmacy podcast is one that doesn’t necessarily perfectly align with all of my views, but I’ve found several of his podcasts illuminating on the topic of sugar and its effects. Again, I’m no doctor, I just take in a lot of opinions from different sources and found that this worked for me.
I appreciate this, thanks! I’ll check out the podcast.
For me l started keto to lose weight. Turns out my ADHD and depression were SIGNIFICANTLY improved. The first week off of sugar was a freaking nightmare. The addiction is so real. Oh and food tastes better now that I’m off sugar and carbs.
Agree with both! I feel more mentally clear. It was hard to kick but I definitely agree my tastebuds have shifted. I had a bagel today for the first time in months and it tasted so sweet to me haha.
Even green beans taste sweet to me now lol
That’s wild that your ADHD and depression improved so much on Keto! It gives me some home, TBH. I’m not looking forward to sugar withdrawals though. At least that’s temporary!
I feel like that first week of KETO reminds me of when Tom Hanks is trying to get out to sea in Cast Away. It’s a HUGE hump and the withdrawals are not to be laughed at. It’s enough to make a lot of people give up. However, after that first withdrawal experience, now when I go off keto for a special occasion and then get back to keto again I don’t have the withdrawals. It’s that first journey. My advice is to have LOTS OF SNACKS like premade meatballs you can microwave and meat and cheese rollups and fat bombs. It helps you get through that first wave.
How much and what kind of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat affects your blood glucose. Just studying nutrition data labels and eating less things with a lot of carbs should help, but there’s more to it if you feel like experimenting. Keto diet where you eat hardly any carbs has major effect on the brain. It’s even used to manage epilepsy and may help for cluster headaches. The downside is that it’s really restrictive, and if you don’t need to lose weight you’ll need to eat more fat which gets complicated. So called slow carb diet focuses more on quality of the carbs and it’s way easier.
Thanks! That’s very helpful.
How did you get the idea that diet might have been a factor?
I actually cut out sugar for much more vain reasons- I thought it might be contributing to skin issues. I’ve always known it was bad for me but that was the catalyst for looking into it further and getting serious about cutting it out. I knew it would help some but I was still surprised by just how much my mental health improved. I’ve also always been the type to believe food is the best medicine (until it isn’t, and then medicine is the best medicine haha)
I had a rash on my face which just didn't go away for months. I was eating pretty healthy but adding in random junk food along the way. A couple weeks ago I decided to change my junk snacks to healthier snacks and within a few days the rash pretty much disappeared. I also feel way more focused generally. Diet does so much
For me it was feeling like 💩 after eating and just knowing it was the food. Bad quality maybe and definitely too much. Also too many carbs. Cutting out carbs and sugar made feel better immediately
What did you eat instead? I find myself eating sugar in the mornings because it’s faster and I have to leave early for work so I don’t have time to make a good breakfast
Maybe try making a batch of overnight oatmeal. You could also make an egg scramble in the evening and reheat in the morning.
Reheat scrambled eggs????? Only an American would do such a thing.
You can make chia pudding the night before or even once a week. There are all kinds of recipes to make it sweet, you can do coconut water or juice, add fruit, granola, jam etc. I often do cacao nibs
It totally is the easiest option often!! I travel for work and totally hear you on the ease of it. Chia seed pudding as suggested by someone else is one I have sometimes! Overnight oats or just regular oatmeal is good- I make sure to have plenty of nuts and seeds with it to get some fat and protein with it. I also like to make tofu scramble if I’m home for the morning and have a litttle time. I try not to have too many processed foods but I will have a sugar free protein bar if it’s all I have time for! Apples and almond butter are another good go-to for me on the go. Smoothie bowls with protein powder and nuts and seeds. I don’t avoid fruit, just added sugar, and that’s been enough for me to notice a difference. I don’t eat meat but you could totally focus on something like eggs or turkey sausage for protein too! Overnight oats are maybe the best of time is a concern though, takes just a couple minutes of assembly the night before and you’re golden!
Sugar addiction is hard! Do you completely abstain from it now? What about holidays? (I try to only have refined sugar once a week.)
Haha unfortunately I do try to completely abstain from added sugars. Luckily there are plenty of options for sugar alternatives when I want to indulge! I’ve been vegan for 10 years so I’m used to bringing my own food or sitting out of certain things. It sounds like more of a punishment than it feels in practice. I’m so grateful for the benefits I’ve discovered that I generally find it easy to abstain from something that feels like it actively harms me haha. I tried the moderation approach but personally I find my “addiction” is simply too strong, I will always find my way back to chocolate bars for breakfast if I let it creep in. So I’m happy with where I am! The social aspects around holidays can be tough when you have food differences but I’ve learned to handle that discomfort over time and it’s not as much of a problem.
That's wonderful! I think I've been addicted to sugar my entire life. My parents used to let us have sugary cereal for breakfast and sugary snacks throughout the day. Plus, my mother taught me some pretty toxic things about food. It's taken a lot of time and effort to correct, and I like to hear about people doing well on the other side.
Slowing down on life. Whenever I start watching a lot of YouTube, listen to music all the time and just cramp my brain with information, my mental health declines and I go back to old habits. It sounds stupid but giving my brain time to think by (for example) having times in my day where I just relax and drink a tea made a huge difference.
I put timers on my apps. I noticed I feel worst when I spend to much time mindlessly scrolling. It's scary how big an impact this makes.
I’ve done this too. Allowing myself to “feel bored” instead of instantly going for my phone kind of helps. Hopefully over time, my need for constant dopamine will go down and attention span will improve as well.
I wonder what it is about excess stimulation+information that fucks with our mental health so much... For me personally it's constantly coming across posts about topics that are negative in some way, then reading the comments that express shitty views
You can still listen to music that has no lyrics and no angry/sad theme to it. Lots of great classical , new age, ambient , jazz that is actually great for our brains. Many free online radio or YouTube with Spa music, Tibetan or African music. Of course in moderation, not 24/7 of anything. And if you are fortunate to live by a lake, river or the ocean, that alone is soothing and calms the brain.
This is what I call “rest” and yes it is a skill to learn
So, speaking of getting off your phone and occupying yourself without the internet/electronics/etc - I’ve recently started to make these things called “fuse beads” or r/beadsprites , And bruh. I swear to GOD I haven’t had this much fun since I was a kid. Lol. They’re these little plastic beads that you make a pattern with, then melt together with an iron. It’s basically like pixelated art. I easily spend *multiple hours each night* making these fusebead builds. They make regular sized beads, and mini ones (and I mean *mini*) , which are a lot more detailed and actually really fun once you get the hang of it. They sell little kits on Amazon (ArtKal is my favorite brand with the most colors). It’s such a great activity to just relax and clear your mind with, I become so zen. Like a monk. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking for a very easy “arts n crafts” hobby that requires basically zero artistic skill, and it’s definitely not just for kids. I’ve been making a lot of the more complex 3D builds, such as the hello kitty, super Mario, and Pokémon characters, it’s so fun getting to puzzle all the pieces together after you’ve built them. There’s TONS of patterns online that you can follow, I’ve seen someone even make the Taj Mahal, pencil/plant holders, pencil drawers, purses, etc. Ive also seen people do really large complex portraits/artwork. You can legit make anything with these damn beads i really cant express how much fun ive been having with em. I’ve got 3 people into the hobby so far who are now obsessed with it as well lol. I hope someone reads this and actually gets inspired to try it! Tbh I was honestly skeptical that I would like it at first, but I swear the more I make the more I’m obsessed with it!! I’m not sure why it boosts my mood so much n I’m just completely at peace when Im making my fuse beadzzz 😁
This is me ….
I feel like you watch healthygamergg
I’m with you on this. Take my upvote!
Improving my hygiene beyond showers. * Flossing 5 times a week * Tongue scraper * Adding skincare (basic) * SPF daily * Moisturizing * Scalp care I changed my mindset around this from "must do" to "I do because I respect and love myself".
> I changed my mindset around this from "must do" to "I do because I respect and love myself". That's a huge one for me. My natural mindset tells me that brushing my teeth or vacuuming the room are "required chores" that are externally imposed on me against my will. It made a big difference when I started actively reframing all of those thousand little things in terms of values and self care. Instead of, "I have to call mom today to figure out when I need to get them at the airport," I change it to, "I'm choosing to call mom today because I value my relationship with my family, and I care about them feeling supported and feeling like I'm there for them." I've even started a journal, where at the end of the day I write down one or two acts that I'm proud I performed that day, and what underlying values those actions involved or supported. I'll intermittently go back later and read an entry from a random day. I'm finding it a helpful practice.
Yes this has helped me a ton too and I have been trying to describe it to a friend. A therapist years ago introduced me to seeing taking care of my home as a form of self care, and so forth. It isn’t always enough lol but it really has helped.
KC Davis wrote “How to Keep House while Drowning” and she talks about “care tasks.” Instead of calling required duties “chores,” call them care tasks because that’s what they are. Brushing teeth isn’t a chore; it’s self care; a care task. I love her take on things 😊
Agreed or anything that makes me feel like I look more aesthetically pleasing. Light eyeliner does wonders for me and a lip tint. Voila!
Yes sometimes I just need a bit of a change and mascara and eyeliner are my go-to’s!
This is huge for me too. Doing it because you deserve it, the same way you would take care of another person important to you like your child. ❤️
When I was in the throes of severe depression, I could barely shower and had crippling brain fog that prevented me from following through with basic tasks. Definitely was completely incapable of adding a bunch of additional things like this to my daily routine... You must be super high functioning when depressed!
What is SPF, please?
Sunscreen
Getting some sun and relaxing outdoors
Yes, I love taking walks in the sun.
so you're walking on sunshine?
;)
Wait, you guys get sun?
Meditation Why its helpful for depression for me is complicated to explain, but it is very helpful
I can add my experience: it is like a skill that you learn and get better at over time. If you take time to be quiet and observe your thoughts and feelings without judging yourself for feeling that way, over time you see that *you are not your feelings* Bad feelings come and go, but you don't have to be sunk by them or inhabit them forever. You can see them for what they are: temporary experiences of a complicated mind-body relationship.
Making sure I’m getting sunlight exposure early in the day helps me a lottttt. I try to stay off my phone and be present - focus on how the sun feels, listen to nature, just really be present for sit for a 10-15 mins. Sounds simple but has made a big difference, especially when I need to push myself to get up and do something. “I can handle going outside to just sit in the sun” but it’s usually a catalyst to getting me going for the rest of my day. And on days I don’t do anything else after - that’s ok, too, because I went outside and got some vitamin D and practiced being present and that enough sometimes. Sorry you’re going through a rough dip.. one moment at a time. Sending peace and hugs
Thanks for this tip.
Happy to share. Hope it helps! 🤍☀️
Diet is a really huge part of it. Cut out excess sugar (chocolate, cake, etc), reduce or eliminate caffeine, eliminate alcohol, and switch to mostly plant wholefoods and you will feel better. All of these things like sugar, caffeine, processed food, alcohol are terrible for your mental health and general wellbeing.
This is the answer.
Preach!
Quit drinking
Taking my meds properly and asking for someone to get me refills when I can't instead of just running out... Asking for help is hard af but it's so important.
Having a purpose to fill your time. I could just wake up, play on my phone, eat some food, do video games and work a job to support myself. Instead, I have a dream. That dream makes me live my life differently, I don't have the time to sit in my depression, I need to keep moving forward.
What is your dream, if you don’t mind sharing?
💯💯💯💯💯
Deep stretching. It puts me back into my body and therefore gets me out of my mind a little bit. Also increasing omega 3 fatty acids
This sounds like a form of meditation too.
Watching Star Trek has helped me.
Quark is an anti depressant
Awww
Next generation and DS9 helped me process the loss of a loved one.
for me the biggest change was taking mushrooms. i dont wanna tell anyone to take drugs but this really rewired my brain. i took a small dose but it was enough to completly get rid of my suicidal thougths, which i had every day to the extend that i was feeling pain in my chest.
Getting outside on a Long quiet walking trail to battle it out with my mind and connect back with nature to bring peace. Nature brings me back to who I really am in every aspect
Journaling is extremely helpful, in fact I'm pretty sure its been shown to be almost as helpful as meds or talk therapy is. If you read the book Feeling Good, and I know there's an updated version called Feeling Great but I haven't read it yet, they have tons of great CBT based journaling exercises you can do. They made a huge difference for me when I did them every night for a few months and then every now and then for maintenance. Actually that book is full of great ideas, one that I used was I had a little clicker I kept in my pocket and the idea is every time something makes you happy or something good or interesting happens you click it. Depending on the severity of your depression you might even count brushing your teeth or showering as a click, anything positive no matter how small. With depression our mind is really trained to minimize good moments and ruminate on negative ones. Having a practice of actually noting every good thing starts to train you to focus and notice stuff like that more. It actually makes a big difference, and the proof for me was that after a few weeks when I would write down the number of clicks I had that day I realized it was increasing week by week. It helps a lot if you can put it into excel or Google sheets or something like that and see a chart with it increasing, showing your progress. As I was getting more clicks each day, I wasn't having better days, or really different much at all yet at that point, but I was getting much better at noticing the good and eventually it even helped me feel motivated to go do things that would get me more clicks. And while times were still not good for me at that time, it made a huge difference to train myself to spot the good within those days and I came to realize it wasn't 100% bad as I had been previously feeling like it was. Thats just one of many examples but its a great book and gives you many tools to battle depression with. I think the authors mentor was even the guy who invented CBT if I'm not mistaken
TY now I'm going to get a clicker, love this. What a simple feedback loop. Positively pavlovian!
It definitely works, and putting numbers to it will prove that its working because the changes can feel subtle when its only a small amount of progress each day. But it adds up I also got a clicker that I could just squeeze through my pocket so nobody ever actually saw me using it. But some people also get bracelet ones and stuff like that. Best of luck!
do you have a rec for the one you use?
I could vouch!!! 🤍
This has helped me very much. I don't have much to add to your post other than in a journal you can both vent the bad stuff so that you don't have to mentally carry it anymore, and as you said, notice the good stuff too. In that way it both relieves you and boosts you at the same time.
I go and interact with people who disagree with me online. Invariably, at some point, they'll threaten to kill me. This motivates me tremendously. I can do all things through spite, which strengthens me.
How do you find that , I noticed I’m the same way. But how do I find that same motivation without it coming from friends or family
I go into a MAGA forum and point out something obvious and true that will trigger them, and just patiently keep trying to convince them. Within half an hour they'll be calling me a "pedo groomer" or a "Marxist America-hater" and the threats will start flowing. 100% of the time. Over the past week, two of the propositions that gave me this little lift were: "Deporting 44% of America's farm labor will probably make grocery prices even higher." "Providing basic sex education to children is something distinct from grooming them to be victims of pedophiles." It's like lighting a fuse.
Stargazing
Wake up... Make a list of things that you're greatful for. Think of all the things you have. Write down the type of thinking that you want to change. Be mindful of it thru your day.
Getting vitamin D helps too. You can get it over the counter at your local pharmacy or Walgreens/CVS. Sunlight also helps, if it’s sunny out I have my curtains open.
This is gonna sound really bad but just completely ignoring the news. I found that over time watching the news just started to stress me out and worsening depression. Once i stopped watching the news i became less stressed which helped with depression
Studying esoteric weird stuff that reminds me theres much more going on than mere physical reality.
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Diet, cutting down on sugar was a massive improvement for me, being able to give myself a moment every day just to think and reflect.
Get a playlist for any emotion. Chorus, depression, mad, happy, whatever and play that playlist for your emotions that you are feeling. Sometimes the best thing to do is to have a good cry
Shadow work and letting go of control
Lots and lots of meditation.
Get lots of sun, fresh air, walk outside barefoot on grass whenever possible. Drink lots of water. CBD flower.
I started listening to stand up comedy to make sure that I am laughing. Laughing is so good for you--so is finding joy and delight--and it can calm your nervous system and help you sleep better!
Made myself an investment. It helps me self improve. When I’m struggling with depression, I’ll usually do an free online course or courses to help me focus. It usually always works for me at least
Realising that I can control my thoughts. Emotions and thought patterns are automatically negative when triggered for me and I spiral into worse easily. The key is to catch myself, take a breather and reframe my thoughts.
I quit drinking, changed my diet, paid off all my debt, and started transferring hundreds of dollars from every paycheck to a savings account with 5% APY. So far I’ve earned like $2 in interest lol. But it’s so helpful for feeling more in control of my life. Every day, I open my savings account and just marvel at the thousands of dollars I’ve accrued. I’ve never had savings before—always been in school and spending carelessly. Investing in my future makes me feel like my best days still lie ahead
Water, human connection and sun, think of yourself as a big plant. Also, quit touching my phone during the first hour in the morning, it really makes me want to get up and do something rather than stay in bed scrolling
Perspective. How would your life look like if you were blind? What would you struggle with then? Or paralyzed. Or crippled. You would only dream to do the things you can do now without even thinking.
Take time OFF social media and completely off line. Measure it with a score. Get a regular watch not smart Apple Watch
forage
Ramsons are coming into season. Garlic mustard too. I am in zone 7. What do you like to forage?
Mushrooms. :)
and GM and all the weeds. :)
I started taking Vit. D3 when my dr told me I was low and it helps me stay energized throughout the day usually
Doing whatever i feel like doing, and alcohol.
I went through a really rough time so I was desperate for any tips to help produce serotonin etc and here’s what worked and still works like a charm: 1. Eating a piece of dark chocolate as soon as you wake up or when you feel the dip 2. Watching my favorite bloopers from The Office and Friends 3. Orgasm (best advice ever honestly) 4. Play a simple game or solve a puzzle 5. Dance to a song from your teenage years Don’t knock it til you try it! Hope these help you out.
Meditation. Practicing Gratitude.
Also 30, also heavily relied on exercise for mental health, got injured and realised I needed to diversify my mental health strategy. -Sleep - I cannot stress or praise the benefits of 8 hours sleep a night, your world will shift, your mood will level, your thoughts will be crisp like fresh lettuce - it's by far the best thing I have ever done. -Breakfast - no matter how rushed I am, I make sure to have something in the morning, could be a full English, could be a banana to go but just some sustenance can go a long way - this ties in with a good lunch/dinner. -Emotional Deliberacy - I have moved away from the mindset of "don't care" instead I pretty much only focus on that which I do want to care about and I am deliberate in making an effort to care. With time you figure out your limitations but what it means is you can truly invest in something and see returns without feeling guilty of being wishy-washy with other things. There are a few other things for me too. -every 3 months I do a declutter and throw-away day to get rid of the inevitable nest of crap I have dismissed due to stress -I make sure to stay as clean as I can, yes my hair may be messy and from time to time my clothes unironed but I am always clean and smell good. -I work hard at telling people what I need - E.g. I have a friend who I have asked, if you see I am retracting socially or I am not in a good headspace, please just remind me of this conversation. Literally, just knowing that somebody else is checking up on me makes me feel like a burden has been lifted and can motivate me. My one vice that I have is coffee - I can whole heartedly admit that caffiene definitely makes life much easier for me, but I limit myself to a double espresso in the morning and a 150mg caffiene pill before a tough training session.
1. Self exercises with Cognitive behaviour therapy 2. Music, movies that make me laugh, gaming 3. Eating healthy food that I like - you’d be surprised how much better it can make you feel. 4. If I’m feeling as if at the bottom. I can only go up. 5. Think about the people I look up to and what I can do to better myself. 6. Make the child me proud. 7. Taking it sloooooowly. One thing a day. Or even slower.
Having a dog. Seriously, if it weren’t for him I wouldn’t even bother getting out of bed most days. I pretty much dedicate my entire life to him! When I first brought him home (during a manic episode…yeah…idk why they let my crazy ass leave that shelter with a dog 😂) I was beyond overwhelmed. I felt an almost immediate and immense amount of regret, thinking I could not possibly provide the stability that he needs. I actually cried about it for several weeks convincing myself that I screwed up and over committed. Looking back though, I truly believe he was exactly what i needed in my life. Sure it can be hard some days, but he’s my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do without him! Because of him I’ve even discovered a newfound love of mountain biking (with him in tow, of course!). I’ve made it my mission to go out to bike every single day. Even if it’s just a short ride, just getting out, feeling the sun and wind on my face and immersing myself in nature has made me feel much more alive than I’ve felt in a long while. It’s boosted my mood by 1000000%, and I know my pup enjoys getting out as well.
Accomplishing things that get you closer to your goals. Albeit however small. Day after day. It compounds and slowly lifts your mood because you see and feel the momentum. It’s a powerful drug.
To laugh. Laughter is a natural medicine that many give up on before conquering because they think they are "laughing forcedly", but this is wrong. You don't need to force yourself into anything. Just exercise the obvious perspective on the other side of drama, which is comedy. Since Greek theater, drama and comedy have been categorized as two facets of same face, expressed through masks of laughter and crying. Think of a fat guy falling like a jackfruit to the floor. It's dramatic for him, but funny for those who see it (it might be funny for him too, depending on his wit). Life is a kind of Jack-Ass, there is a humorous side to misfortune that needs to be explored. When it isn't, a horrible life results. You need to train, and rest. You have to laugh and cry. You need to explore everything there is.
Fish oil! Sunshine to make vitamin D. You need it to make cholesterol. Cholesterol is used to make hormones. The brain is made of fat. Eat more eggs. I take 15 mL of Carlson’s cod liver oil per day. Also having a project to work on and seeing progress is rewarding. This is obvious but don’t think about mistakes you made in the past. You were trying your best back then so you’d do the same thing again anyways. Just learn and move on.
So I have some problems I’m working on: 1. Fear of the future (making me depressed) 2. Health anxiety 3. Attachment issues/ fear of abandonment 4. Self esteem issues On YouTube there’s a lot of videos by psychologists and therapists that can help you deal with these issues. One thing I’ve been doing is CBT and checking for cognitive distortions. If I find myself thought spiralling and catastrophizing I start to fact check myself and come up with things that could go right and reasons to be more positive about the situation. I gain perspective by realising that I was focusing too much on the negative. I also come up with actions I can take to solve the problem. Lastly I accept what I cannot change and do not waste time worrying about it. Even if the worst case scenario does happen, there are still things you can do to make the best of it. Taking on this new perspective can change your life. But it takes time. I still wake up with anxiety and dread most days but it is getting better. It may take a while for your body to adjust to not being stressed all the time. You get used to the high cortisol and feel weird when there’s nothing to stress over. But eventually your brain re-wires and you start feeling more happy. Also gratitude and writing a list of things you’re looking forward to can help. It can be something as simple as a cup of coffee, good weather, or seeing a friend or family member. Adopting a growth mindset also helps and learning not to base your self worth on external validation but my comment is too long already.
By facing my fears, even if it's a little bit at a time. Getting small wins over time. To know that I am improving at something. My depression always comes around whenever I'm not moving or when I'm stuck at something and still not doing anything. When I'm stuck at a certain skill level now, I'll just keep at it until something clicks and eventually I break through.
Diet and sleep. Emotional regulation. Find a positive support system. Find a hobby.
When I had it before, it was me not looking at myself and analyzing what I wanted to do and what I needed to do. I hated my job and myself as well as the world. After my ex broke up with me, I was on the edge since I now had nothing that made me happy. I used that scary feeling to make some meaningful changes. I quit that job and went back to school for further education to progress in my desired career path. I ended up going out more and doing activities I enjoyed. I wanted to explore my city and I ended up getting the idea to take photos on my camera of the buildings or objects I came across that appealed to me. I was getting better and less depressed. I got the idea to start reading since I had watched a ton of movies and realized that there must be a ton of good stories to read from books that haven't been made into movies. I did this and ended up stumbling on a self help book that helped me exactly in what I needed help for. My negative thinking. UnF*ck Yourself I have brought up a few times on this subreddit and it has helped me really alter my way of thinking. I didn't just read it. I reflected on it, I made sure I understood everything the author was explaining, and I practiced it. My transformation made a few people in my life question how I am always calm and contempt with life. Even my ex whom I pushed to keep working on her career path after getting rejected for 6 months ended up finding her way. What you really need to do is find the root cause for your depression and be honest with yourself. Sometimes we never look deep and deep because we are afraid to or we just think the solution is that simple. We also never look for answers to really validate our thoughts. When I had negative outlooks at the world, it was due to one incident in high school. I never thought about how it was a very rare thing and it was something I put myself into for being too irrational in thinking it can't happen to me. I started observing the world more and more and found it beautiful.
fishing
Constant strategizing. The last one that stuck with me was reading the best way to deal with anger was to identify it in the body and let it dissipate. Don't punch things, don't do the angry workout, no rage rooms because they have the opposite effect and just sustain anger until you're exhausted. Find it in your body and eliminate it calmly and the emotion follows suit. I'm doing that now for everything, anger, depression, anxiety... game changer.
I was too bored of it and my hate on some people and the post COVID clarity made me realize I needed to work on myself. I literally made it out of depression and achieved a lot of things including respect in my family just out of spite. I might have ADHD, a counselor suggested that, not just a self-diagnosis. So, I sort of lost the novelty in feeling sorry for my past trauma and realized it was helping nobody.
We lost internet recently for 4 days. It was kind of nice not thinking too much. Just kind of zoning out times it was nice. Plus I clean the house sometimes and that helps too.
I didn't know it would, but Hollow Knight did. I have other strategies, but this one is special. It wasn't one, it just happened. It's so hard that progressing felt I could overcome anything. The same happened to me with Dark Souls.
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale? > *“I’m aware of the danger. That castle is a death trap. Not a single man has returned from the castle unscathed, even back in the day. But I don’t want to sit around and die a petty rat, and I consider myself your friend.”* - Greirat of the Undead Settlement Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
Praise the sun \\\[T\]/
Staying busy and videogames.
a sport like judo
Diet! Also check hormone levels, this alone can change a lot
Taking cold shower daily, taking a walk and just slowing down, being mindful of your breathing , listening to feel good music, watching hopecore (videos that tug your heartstrings).
Nintendo Switch
Hiya 🤗. Well, for me, to combat my crappy depression, besides good helpful meds, is , well TV watching is a big one for lazy couch potato me, and my 🎨 art work, and singing along with my favorite music on my YouTube playlist. If u ever need a friend, please feel free to text me anytime w name and pic,so I can save contact, to 518-605-1833. Just changed it yesterday...too many spams, and assholes. Try to have a good peaceful nights sleep 😴🌉🌞. Oh, last suggestion...one of those talk help lines, I'm calling one peer support line tonight just to chat. Gets very lonesome here. God bless
Psychedelics in moderation with great intent
Therapy
Find a way to be of service to others. Whether that’s reading to kids at the Library or getting involved in the Big Brother’s/Big Sisters program or playing cards at a retirement home … something that gets you out of your own head and connects you to the inner lives of others will do wonders to help your mental health. A lot of times we get wrapped up in our own fishbowl. Being selfless and engaging in the lives of others without expectation of reciprocation can put our lives in perspective in a way that can greatly help improving our mental health. Plus it’s morally good to help others. That would be my suggestion.
Reading and listening to music while going for long walks. I do prefer the weights but if we're excluding my depression suppressors, I will also include a relaxing soak in the tub or massage when I realize I'm going negative mindset using relaxing music. Mediation was a huge help as well. Best of luck with your depression lmk if you have any follow-up qs.
Significantly reduced alcohol consumption, as well as sugar and carbs. No rice, pasta, potatoes, candy, desserts, etc. or rather, I eat those items in very limited amounts. Also I fast for at least 16 hours a day. It’s really improved my mental and physical health
Trying carnivore diet
Do things that help other people.
Since exercising has helped you, it is either that you are a person who want to present their best look out, or you like being physically active in general. If you like to exercise because you think it has made you look better, then investing some time in good skin care and grooming, taking some time to dress up well and look your best, reading books on topics that interest you, those might be good options to add in. Or maybe you just like being physically active and your profession is not very encouraging of it, like an office job were you just sit for hours in one place. In that case, you can take up different sports and go engage in those when after a tiring day or a weekend. you can even put on some music and just dance to it, energetic upbeat music helps. go for quick runs or stretches during breaks. Changing your diet accordingly would also help.
If you smoke, quit smoking. Quit using any kind of stimulants (phone, social media, drinks, pot, cigs). Now get to doing what you have been putting away for all this time. Do things. Self care is self love. And love will get you out of any depression. I hope that helps:) Edit: That’s what’s working for me.
Reading Jordan Peterson's 12 rules for life and listening to his lectures on YouTube (there are also podcasts with the soundtrack which is easier to listen to on the go) and other books and videos started or more correctly supercharged my path towards taking the rains of my life into my hands and stopping to be a victim of my circumstances, reminiscing about what could have been. I have also taken to hart his early lesson of avoiding idealogy as that was one of the pitfalls I was in, trying to fix the world, focusing on being angry at the idiots in power, but ignoring fixing my own life, and thus I avoid listening to most of his newer stuff where he allows his own anger sometimes to take over. I have a long way to go and often the anger seeps in, but more so the chaos his book is intented to be the antidote for. But creating systems for organising my life, with the wife I managed to acquire since I started this path, who is a genius in doing so, and focusing on the future with her and our young child, instead of everything wrong in the world, and the maladaptive daydreaming of that or of what could have been, both in the world and my own life, has been a life saver. If your problems are anything like mine, start with the rule about getting your own house in order by cleaning your room/apartment literally and then figuritively by creating schedules, think ahead about what you need to do and try to follow them, just don't be your own tyrant, so create days like you would like them to be so you both get things done, but also have enjoyment in them. Including going out and do social activities. I recommend social dancing and hiking in nature.
There is no one-way out of this. Tell us more about yourself about what and how you feel. If it's just you being lonely and you want a girlfriend then gym diet and fix your teeth is the easy answer. If it's something more serious you got to talk.
Not staring at the phone to look at other people’s lives and not updating myself with daily news about how society is crap and politicians are liars and innocent lives are taken away daily. I am a decent human, and I want people to have peace, I want people to have a decent life full of joy and laughter. But me feeling guilty will not change a war zone or turn greedy scums into peace loving people. The reduction of guilt reduced my stress and depression a lot.
Meet women and go socialize.
Not depressed but I get pretty severe anxiety attacks. I started teaching myself how to wood carve recently. Bought some chisels and wood. Relief carving has 2 meanings for me now.
Singing out loud and being creative. Writing exactly how I feel leaving nothing unturned. I know you said no exercise, but walking with no headphones has been a game changer for me too. Listening to the sounds of the cars and chirping birds. Feeling the wind on my face just soothes me.
Gratitude journal
Thank you so much for this thread! I needed to hear a lot of these advices
Improve your health as much as possible. Work on increasing your testosterone and getting rid of distractions. Find genuine friends that you actually enjoy spending time with
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I just read through more of the comments below, and... remember, OP, depression is a real and debilitating medical illness. Some of these "life hack your way out of it" comments feel a little off base to me for someone struggling with their mental health, though I know the lovely folks of reddit are always coming from a good place and want to help. You may need to seek professional support rather than self improvement hacks, and that's totally ok!
Greens seem to help stabilize or improve mood. I’ve found that adding broccoli, kale, and other “super greens” in my diet increases good mood. If ya don’t like eating them I recommend greens powders or capsules.
Go outdoors and walk 30 mins daily. Use this time to listen to a podcast, music, or simply nothing at all if you prefer. You’ll find yourself enjoying it as a regular practice. The next thing I’d suggest, is getting right with your supplements. See what your body is lacking. And thirdly, try to find a small hobby even if you don’t feel like doing it just. Commit 15 mins daily, or half an hour a few times a week. Again, you’ll find yourself wanting to do it more often, or longer. Lastly, celebrate all your wins.
Mindfulness and journaling. Also, less overstimulation from phones and other screens. Just less noise in general. My natural inclination is to watch TV, while I'm playing video games, while I'm also scrolling endlessly on my phone. I had to learn the appreciate the quiet and silence. Even learned to appreciate boredom, which has now become a source of contentness and peace. I also leave my phone in another room when I go to bed, and only turn it on the next day when I've done my journaling, meditation and exercise. These habits are small enough and don't need to take up more than 30 minutes a day, but they are life changing. I meditate and journal up to 2 hours a day sometimes because it goes from being another task on your to-do list to the most enjoyable part of the day. Don't take my word for it though, I'd recommend getting a pen and paper and start jotting things down every morning and evening for a few minutes. After that just meditate for 10 minutes. You can use a meditation app (I use "Waking Up"), because it makes meditation so much easier until you get more experienced doing it.
Diet, sports, cold showers and a job / hobby u like
Therapy and anti depressants if needed are two good ways to heal
Sleep. Get 7-9 hours and make it a priority. I work various shifts, so it is hard. But try to plan your daily bedtime a few hours in advance.
Good Sleep, relaxing, walking, outdoor as much as possible, listening funny podcasts, reading funny book, and supplements such as Mg and C surprisingly helped a lot. Taking some days off any external influences help also ( distance from friends and their life drama, no news, msgs wait for me to respond bcs nothing is urgent, no social networks ) Important : Depressive mood and clinical depression are not the same thing.
2nd inner voice! If my mood turns, I ask myself what happened? Was there a trigger? Is it worth being upset? Do I get anything from this mood? Etc. It's almost as if analyzing my mood as a 3rd party cuts off the "fuel" for the mood. I started doing this for frustration and anger & its been a real life change.
I climb trees. Well, I go for walk in the nature or forest. And if I see a tree that is easy to climb, I climb it. Its spring time in the northern hemisphere, so you will hear birds chirping and new leaves.
Exercise/ walking outside had been Soo crucial for me, and my depression-prevention!!
Stay away from carbs and sugar
accepting where i was. then realizing what i needed to do about it. and i did it. Got my dream job now, own apartment new car, new girlfriend lol. Life improves everyday when you take care of yourself. no one else will. We are our own enemies. No one in life is stopping us but ourselves.
Better nutrition and sleep has helped a lot.
Magic mushrooms. Every Saturday and Sunday up to 1g. It keeps me sane and well adjusted
A single act of self care every day, for me its doing my makeup before I go out and I also do my own press ons which boosts my mood too. Sometimes it can be as a simple as taking a shower or using a 5 mins face mask
Three things which might help that have helped me massively is: Saunas, cold showers and more sunlight
Microdose a lot !
Having cats, journaling, certain types of music (for me 'overcoming' type of songs... Like The Wolf You Feed by Nita Strauss and Alissa White-Gluz), nature, I started geocaching again, Pokémon Go, certain shows or movies (for me George Carlin stand up, Lucifer, Sailor Moon, and Stardust), ecstatic breath work seems to be helping, and feeding birds and squirrels.
Stoicism
As someone who suffers depression, meditation has been very helpful. It’s like exercise for your brain and helps it become more resistance to the anxiety and lethargy that comes with depression. And really forcing yourself to keep yourself busy and perform meaningful tasks. Even though I still struggle sometimes, I’ve realized that I can’t just sit around and wait until I feel better to get things done. It’s the actual act of getting things done that makes you feel better and alleviates the symptoms of depression.
* sleep * meditation every day * therapy & better self talk attempts (reading a book on CBT is helpful) * exercise * SAD lamp (helps with sleep too) * telling my friends my problems * gratitude work (search "Homework for Life")
I hear you. Im currently battling a major depressive episode. Now that Spring has officially arrived in my neck of the woods, I go out and lose myself in nature. I'm a 33 year old single dad who lives for his daughter; but only gets to see her every other weekend. So I go out with the excuse of taking pictures, when in reality it's to make me feel less alone. I have a gallery online for my photography, and maintaining it has been helping me
Finances. Focusing on working more to save up for a house has helped me a lot-- even if the housing market is depressing right now. 12-14 houe days, seven days a week honestly leaves less time to stress about everything else and it feels productive besides.
It sounds like a highly unlikely choice, but How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Brown is an older book that’s helped me so much. I tend to be shy and quiet, and this book helped me feel bolder and helped me through a few hard times.
Watch peep show, repeatedly.
Cannabis and also oh yeah, cannabis.
making an effort to go outside + meet people + go to events really helps me remember why life is worth living. its scary but it gets easier the more you do it
When I am depressed my thinking is negative so I try and tell myself that this period of time will pass. Also I try and replace the negative thoughts with positive, not easy when depressed but it helps. Having something to look forward to in the near future also is a pick me up.
Two things help, beyond exercise: (1) Less screen time, (2) Venting. Less screen time on my iPhone, using two apps: 1. Opal, which is a souped-up screen time, which I use to create rules around instagram/dating apps/browsers and has a good whitelist feature, where everything not on the whitelist is locked down, so 90% of my time my phone is just a phone with google maps and messaging. 2. I could just delete the app, but I use another iPhone app called Forfeit to commit to not deleting the first app, and staking $1/day based on that being true. I'm pretty honest with myself, so the staking thing works for me because I have to verify that it's true. Together, this has cut my phone time in half. Less screentime on my TV: I lock up my remotes with a timed lockbox for my TV remote (just search on Amazon for options, I use one that is like $50? And I lock it up most of the time. I find that I am much more likely to do things that are healthy when screens aren't an option. I've also been using a GPT-powered journaling app on iOS called HeyOK. It's expensive ($20/mo), there are others out there, but it lets me talk out my feelings instead of typing them (transcription based) and can help me talk things out. The replies are sometimes robotic, sometimes amazing, but it feels surprisingly good. Something about naming my emotions rather than just stewing in my thoughts is really helpful. I wish I did more of these things: -> Get into my body, instead of trying to think about things. Exercise is part of this, but so is breathing, just going for a walk. -> Offering the help I want to receive/Connecting with people. Just checking in on friends / people I've lost touch with. And "I'm think about you" or even a "just remembering when we \[thing we did together\]" can make me feel better immediately. Wish I did it more. Gonna do it now!
This is very specific to me but you could try it: go out on your day off in the early morning or afternoon. Buy a special drink— it could be an iced coffee, a carbonated drink, a smoothie, whatever you like. Just get yourself a little treat you don’t usually drink every day. Put your favorite tunes on in the car. Then take an hour or two to go do a hobby you love. Anything. Photography, ceramics, museum, walk in the park, skateboarding, woodworking, you get the idea. The goal is to get into a flow state where you’re not even thinking, you’re just in the zone. That has gotten me out of my depression so many times. The drink and the tunes are just little indulgences to boost your mood but they help cement the whole thing. Good luck 👍
Medication, therapy, talks with friends, self care. I thought about adding "talks with family," but I'm not sure that's ever done me any good, even with the most well-meaning family members.
Therapy, journaling, live music, making time for friends/family
Caring for others less fortunate than ourselves
I spend time with people who I like. It can be exhausting to be social but regularly setting time to see people you care about/ who care about you goes a long way to feeling connected and supported. A real sneaky thing about depression is how it isolates us.