How about anyone fighting depression

[entropy]

Okay, I know, I talk a lot, well, maybe too much.
I want all of you to know that my journey, which has
only been one in the sense of being really serious, has only been 6 years.
Its been real hard, sometimes hell. But Im, just preaching
to the choir right now. Discussing all these things, stirs up
ones insides a bit. I have read some things that you guys
have been through, and it hurts to hear and know, and I cant
even imagine what it would be like (I thank the Lord for that).


I just wanted to say, thanks for helping me, for giving me perspective, for reminding me, for sharing...Im kinda at a loss right now, so just know I am grateful for you guys and this thread.

 

[entropy]

...

You are a lucky man, you have a pretty wife. You have a pretty wife, who is a soldier and can kick butt! Very cool.

Yea, the separation is hard. That voice you hear, its not really you. Its not what the real you wants. Im not sure what your religious beliefs are, but depending, you can liken it to that little devil on your shoulder whispering crap into your ear. When you hear that voice, try to calm and quiet yourself, and keep repeating (silently or out loud - no yelling, the neighbors will freak!), "get out of my head", "get out of my head". Try and take control of your thoughts. Learning to control your thoughts, can help you control feelings, and what you do with them.

Every time you hear the voices, I want you to do this, and I want you to look at a picture of your wife. Think about how much you love her, how important she is, and how much she loves you, and how important you are to her!


BTW: people often dismiss this, but its medically proven. Do you have a dog? Can you have a dog where you live? Can you have a dog when you find out where she will be stationed? If you dont have one, and you can get one - DO IT! Go to a shelter, grab yourself a 3-12 month old Labrador, and man you are gonna love it!

 

[ghtpdm5]

i have 2 jack russells and 80 acres of land lol, the dogs are a great help and any one that claims different is full of it.

 

[entropy]

i have 2 jack russells and 80 acres of land lol, the dogs are a great help and any one that claims different is full of it.

Damn 2 Russels, thats a lot of energy into small packages. Is 80 acres big enough for the two of them. Those little dudes take, and can really command a lot of space. Cool dogs, glad you have some 4-legged friends. They are the best (well, except cats, cats are the other white meat):shock::lmao:

Hey, feel free to PM me if you ever need an ear!

 

[Twiztid Metal]

I skimmed the thread and there is alot of great advice in here. Im dealing with my own issues, it goes back and forth between stress and depression. some times i feel like doing nothing, some days I do. I also read that you are a commercial truck driver. Perhaps thats a cause of some issues. I know my brother was having issues doing the same thing, he ended up taking a loss and finding a closer to home job that gave him more time to enjoy the things he likes,and still drive truck. along with his new son hes glad he made the decision, probly saved years of stress and depression. aim for something else to accomplish, perhaps youv been driving for too long and need a change. You said its not money or toys thats the problem maybe its lifestyle.

not to condone it but its gotten me pumped a few time and get shit done but do up some lines, party on a friday clean on a monday. Its amazing how much you can get accomplished in a weekend and at the end, feel good about yourself because you did accomplish soo much in a short amount of time. Hope everything get straight, the mind is one of the worlds wonders.

 

[entropy]

Maybe a party without alcohol or illegal drugs might be better. Self medication is not good, especially when one may not know enough chemistry.
Mixing your candy, can be bad, it can be fatal.

As far as doin something - maybe some adrenaline junky thing, or something youve always wanted to do, but never got off of your butt to do (my butts in the same place). Do something or make something, that you can look at, touch, hear, or come away from, and think, WOW!

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

In a nutshell:

Psychologist: focuses on behavior and therapy.

Psychiatrist: focuses on treatment and prescribes medication.

IMO both are needed, and one may refer you to another. Sometimes a persons condition may just be a chemical imbalance, sometimes its not. The mental health field really is a fairly new sector in the medical world, and much is still not known about how the brain works. 100 years ago they were drilling holes in peoples heads to let the demons out. Hooray for medical advancements! "thumbsup"

Probably one of the best things anyone can do is to educate themselves and not just nod like you understand when the doctor tells you something. Get a library card if you've got one and go do some reading. While the books may not be as up to date as what you might find on the web, you will find much less misinformation.

Its been said more than a few times in this thread, but a healthy diet and even just a little excersize will do wonders. My wife finally got my sis in law (medicated manic depressive) to join her in walking on the treadmill 10-20 minutes a day and also to cut back on her consuption of Diet Pepsi. We've seen a noticable improvement in her attitude and general mental state.

For those depressives with no motivation, make a little list of stuff to do. Not hard crap like reroofing the house or cleaning the carpet or anything, just little, quick, easy to do things. Dust off the tv, or clean the bathroom mirror, easy shit. Write it down, stick it to the wall, and mark it off when you get it done. Even if it takes you a week to do a half a dozen things. Make it a dumb game to challenge yourself a little bit.

If you've got firearms in the house, gather them up and give them to a family member to hold on to. If they aren't in the house, you won't think about them.

Caymin: I went though a similar situation with my sister in law. I know its different in that she is not my child, but I understand what its like to have to deal with someone you know and love being in that place. It is scary, sad, and horribly stressful. By a long shot, it was the most stressful time in my life to date...but we kept at it, and with the right doctors, and a lot of family support, we all came out on the other side.

 

[BansheeManiac]

Just found this thread, all i can say is that i have had depression for about 7 or 8 years now, all started after i had my aunt pass from cancer at a young age, which caused my family to split up. I havent seen or heard from my cousins or uncle in over 7 years, it really sucks, I think about them all the time and it hurts knowing that i may never see them again. Then a few years later both my grandma's passed away within a month, and thats when i started to feel that i had to get help because i felt useless, made stupid decisions, failed a year of school , drank and did drugs, I didn't give a shit what the next day would bring back then. But I was able to turn my life in a new direction with the help of my family, friends that would sit and listen to what i have to say(sometimes i talk 2 or more hours) My family, and friends that i have met since this condition started has saved my life, and boy am i glad. I'm 19 now and I still have days where i tear up thinking of my past, the good, the bad, all of it. And I dont see the emotional pain ever going away completely, But now that i'm surrounded by friends and my family i know that im not alone and that I wont stop living my life.


You only live once, your life is the most important thing you have. Live it to the fullest.

-Lance

 

[Knarly Nerd]

Depression, is that what they call it now? My parents called it being lazy.

What a dickhead.

 

[BansheeManiac]

. ..

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

What a dickhead.

In his defense, there are a lot of people now-a-days with the "waaa I'm depressed gimme a pill" syndrome. Or the "I don't want to do anything, I must have depression" sickness. All that is partially their fault, but mostly our society today is to blame. People feel a little down and they go running for something to make it all better, and the pharma companies are more than happy to give it to them. Meanwhile, it makes all those that really do need the help look like lazy bastards who just want their hands held through life.

If that wasn't who he was refering too, then yeah, he's a db. :ror:

 

[entropy]

I'm 19 now and I still have days where i tear up thinking of my past, the good, the bad, all of it. And I dont see the emotional pain ever going away completely, But now that i'm surrounded by friends and my family i know that im not alone and that I wont stop living my life.


You only live once, your life is the most important thing you have. Live it to the fullest.

-Lance

Hard stuff man, but great for you. You arent alone, and life is the most incredible journey there is"thumbsup""thumbsup" Nice to hear someone feelin better!

Pain is also often mixed with joy - as when a close loved one dies. After healing it is a that time, one discovers what "bittersweet" really means!

 

[entropy]

In a nutshell:

'

Dude, you have given some great advice on many occasion"thumbsup""thumbsup"
Its good to have someone caring and knowledgeable
supporting us.

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

'

Dude, you have given some great advice on many occasion"thumbsup""thumbsup"
Its good to have someone caring and knowledgeable
supporting us.

:lmao:


Actually, I'm just pulling all this out of my ass. Seems to be working though...

 

[entropy]

:lmao:


Actually, I'm just pulling all this out of my ass. Seems to be working though...

Well, looks like a pretty good ass then - uh.......................................

um, er, hum, that didnt come out quite right! Ah hell, great butt! What do ya feed it?


Ya know, Ive been wondering about that extra hole in my head.

 

[ghtpdm5]

:lmao:


Actually, I'm just pulling all this out of my ass. Seems to be working though...

doing a better job than i am at figuring this whole thing out Duuuuuuuude, may have to try out that piddly shit list and see what happens. so far i'm up to doing the dishes, more to do tomorrow than i had planned, but i have something to do now.

 

[MnRockCrawler]

I am a psych major and drugs and alcohol are the WORST thing a person can do if they are feeling depress. It is a good way to add addiction to your depression. Drugs and Alcohol will make you feel "ok" (usually more numb) while under the influence, but coming off of them will increase your depression. So alot of the times a person will stay doped up or keep drinking. In the end they end up with MORE problems.

Myself I deal with a anxiety disorder mixed in with a little agoraphobia. I have been dealing with it since I was about 15 years old (thats when we could finally put a name on it). Usually depression gets tied in with anxiety but Ive been lucky and dont think that I have any more depression than your average person. I really usually only get bummed out with a death of a loved one of friend, or thinking of someone who has passed already.

I know noone likes taking medication but there are some great meds out there to help people. Depression is a pretty common diagnoses these days and can most of the time be easily treated. Society puts such a stigma on these types of treatments and its quite sad. If a person has a head ache, no problem to take a asprin. If a person is feeling down and pops a Prozac, they feel weak and less normal. That aint right. Do what you have to do to take care of yourself and know that severe depression isnt something a person has to live with.

 

[Knarly Nerd]

:lmao:


Actually, I'm just pulling all this out of my ass. Seems to be working though...

Market that ass!"thumbsup"

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

Market that ass!"thumbsup"

Yeah, I could be the next Dr. Phil. :roll:


I could call my show "WTF is your problem?!", co-hosted by Leif Garret.

 

[BansheeManiac]

Hard stuff man, but great for you. You arent alone, and life is the most incredible journey there is"thumbsup""thumbsup" Nice to hear someone feelin better!

One of the greatest things that i find helps the most, Is talking about what you feel. For instance a friend tells another friend a secret, he keeps his mouth shut for a while then blabs the secret, Depression is the secret, holding it in gets unbearable and bad things happen. But talking to a friend can release the stress and help take away the pain.

I think that for me its what keeps me motivated and clears my mind.
Rccrawling has been a big part also, i have made many friends that understand what depression is, and dont mind talking about it. and since i crawl and have comps every other week it keeps me active and i feel good, but there in my mind is a cloud that casts a shadow in my thoughts and i have days that i take off work,school,everything and just think of how far i have come, what is my future going to look like, who will i meet and be able to help with the same problems that affect me.

Ive been in tears this whole time, reading all youz guyz posts and being able to relate your lives to what i live is a good/painful feeling.


Thanks,
Lance