Feeling so low!!

Clearblueocean

Hi All,

I am a new user and hope i have posted this thread in the correct area. Basically I am looking for some advice. I was diagnosed with depression about 2 yrs ago but am trying my best to come off the meds and try and tackle the low moods etc by myself. I am doing this with the advice of my G.P. I would love some pick me up advice or how you might have dealt with your struggles if you have depression. I have the best husband in the world who is always there for me but i feel like i'm always burdening him when i tell him im in a very low mood. I just about got through christmas putting on a brave face but underneath i just felt horrible and not my usual bubbly self. Depression is so debilating I hate it. I try to talk positively to myself but this battle is so hard. I would love if someone could please give me some advice on how to keep strong and keep fighting it. Reason i want to come off meds is to start a family. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

ElleEm

What else are you doing to look after yourself?
Often when people have low moods, they try to push on with a happy face which nearly damages you more in the longterm. You need to give yourself permission to not feel happy/ energetic.
Have you noticed triggers for your low moods? You need to try to combat that, and put little techniques in place to manage them.
For example, I have to watch my stress levels, as I suffer with health issues which lead to low moods if I get too stressed. I love to meditate or light candles in a dark room and focus on my breathing for a while. Giving yourself time and space to indulge in nothing can be really beneficial to your well being.
Just notice what your triggers are and move on from there.

Clearblueocean

Thank you sunflower27 & ElleEm for replying. Its nice to know someone is listening. I will have a look at the beyondblue website it looks good and good to read other peoples experiences makes me feel like im not alone. I'm not too sure what triggered this bout of depression i suppose i do need to stop and think about what it could have been. Just feel so low, no energy and guilty for feeling this way but as you said ElleEm maybe i shouldn't be putting myself underpressure and allow myself to feel a bit down. Thanks again for listening and replying.

December2012

In my past I have found that counselling helped me.

Flutterby80

December2012 wrote: »

In my past I have found that counselling helped me.

I agree, counselling goes a long way towards helping you work out your thoughts and understanding what may have triggered your negative feelings. Also ,I have always found that writing my thoughts and feelings down on paper has helped me clarify what's going on inside my head. I read back over what I've written and when I come to any kind of conclusion I burn it as those negative thoughts are over now, might sound a bit crazy but it helps me!

Mayboy

I found Jon Kabat Zinns Books on mindfulness very good. He is on you tube too - good luck :-)

holyhead

Hey OP, good on you for posting. That in itself took effort. Depression is as you point out debilitating so in posting you are in a small way fighting back. Is it possible as you are on meds that your depression is chemical and not incident related. By this I mean is it an occurence, time of the year or what that triggers the feeling of depression.
I would write down your feelings when you feel down. Both the circumstances in which it hits and how you felt. Also it can help to put down what percieve as wrong/sad in your life and then on the other side state what's good in your life.
Don't ever feel you are burdening your husband with your feelings. He is meant to be your best friend and he did say for better or for worse I presume . He loves you and he will want you to be happy and to help you through difficult patches when they arise. He may be able to judge when the blues have hit you but at the same time he isn't psychic. Talk to him.

Chazz Michael Michaels

I recommend meditation every day (try a class or get those Jon Kabat Zinn audiobooks where he guides you through it). I also recommend exercise, even light jogging/swimming and eating a healthy, nutritious diet.

As someone said, counselling is a great help.

holyhead

Chazz Michael Michaels wrote: »

I recommend meditation every day (try a class or get those Jon Kabat Zinn audiobooks where he guides you through it). I also recommend exercise, even light jogging/swimming and eating a healthy, nutritious diet.

As someone said, counselling is a great help.

The problem with your suggestion, if I may be so bold is that when you are depressed you very often have no energy or interest in doing anything and you can lose appetite and the less you feed yourself the less energy you have and the worse things feel. It can be a vicious circle. Indeed taking to the bed can seem the only option for relief.

Chazz Michael Michaels

holyhead wrote: »

The problem with your suggestion, if I may be so bold is that when you are depressed you very often have no energy or interest in doing anything and you can lose appetite and the less you feed yourself the less energy you have and the worse things feel. It can be a vicious circle. Indeed taking to the bed can seem the only option for relief.

It doesn't make my suggestions any less effective, even though they can be hard to do, when depressed. Trying to exercise on the better days is a feasible option, exercise feeds the appetite and lifts the mood, and can help to lessen or even prevent the relapse of depression.

holyhead

Your suggestion can only be effective if you want it to be effective. If you have no inclination to excercise then you wont. If you dont want to eat you wont. This is how debilitating depression is/can be depending on the individual.

Not quite sure what you mean by better days. I found depression was like being dumped at the very bottom of the world and for a period of time its just a truly horrid feeling and there are no better days. Gradually though you pull out of it and get back on an even keel.

I'm not saying your suggestions are poop its just what seems logical to you may seem impossible to the afflicted who ever they maybe. I can't over stress how debilitating depression can be.

Chazz Michael Michaels

holyhead wrote: »

Your suggestion can only be effective if you want it to be effective. If you have no inclination to excercise then you wont. If you dont want to eat you wont. This is how debilitating depression is/can be depending on the individual.

I'm not saying your suggestions are poop its just what seems logical to you may seem impossible to the afflicted who ever they maybe. I can't over stress how debilitating depression can be.

I have bipolar disorder. I know what depression is like. There are good and bad days, not every day is the same. On the (listen now) GOOD days, I recommend trying to exercise. The good days. Not the bad. Good.

holyhead

Not everybody who has experienced depression is bi polar. Your experience seems to differ from mine but both our experiences are valid and I think the OP deserves better than to have one poster talk down to another as you are doing. I'm perfectly aware what's meant by a good or by day I'm merely pointing out that not everybody experiences things in the exact way you do. Each persons dealing with the black dog is an individual experience with perhaps some shared thoughts and feelings.

Chazz Michael Michaels

holyhead wrote: »

Not everybody who has experienced depression is bi polar. Your experience seems to differ from mine but both our experiences are valid and I think the OP deserves better than to have one poster talk down to another as you are doing. I'm perfectly aware what's meant by a good or by day I'm merely pointing out that not everybody experiences things in the exact way you do. Each persons dealing with the black dog is an individual experience with perhaps some shared thoughts and feelings.

In fairness, I just offered the op some useful advice, the kind she could find on mental health websites, etc. Many people find it useful. Your response was not as helpful. You just shot it down with negativity, and negativity is the biggest enemy of the depressed.

Anyway, our discussion is obviously not helpful, so I'll drop out of the thread.

holyhead

Not everybody who reads these threads will/does suffer from depression. When the op described depression as debilitating, which from experience is correct, then people may wonder what she means.
In explaining why your some of your sensible MAY not work I was giving people insight into how debilitating depression can be and in a small way explaining the use of the word debilitating in the context of depression.

Any suggestion that helps the op in any way is to be commended.