I don't have any tips either.
Here's a hug for those that need it.
Get help, don't be ashamed of it........ get out the house, don't fall into routine and put stuff off, and most importantly, you might not want to have chat with people but force yourself, that daily chat will bring some comfort...
Find something to do, keep yourself busy, and get a sense of accomplishment
Stress and depression go hand and hand, and is a viscous cycle. This is what has worked for us is:
A. Talk to your primary physician and have him refer you to a psychiatrist, preferably one who specializes in stress and depression.
B. He or she can refer you to a state licensed, board certified psychotherapist. Along with the psychiatrist, who may prescribe a psychotropic medication to help with a deep depression and the psychotherapist who may coach you through "Talk Therapy", which is the one we used, or one of the other proven programs now being used.
We are leery of "Life Coaches". I am sure there are some who can help. However, at least here in S.C.. they are not licensed. There are several who had been state licensed, board certified psychotherapist who lost their license due to malpractice but became "Life Coaches" because there are no regulatory or licensing requirements to be a "Life Coach".
Good luck on your journey.
JackStay
I walk two hours every morning with my camera, contemplating life while trying to get birds and bugs to pose for me. Its invigorating and humbling at the same time. I won't deny I still take my meds, but less often now. My life in Lush helps, too.
I've been battling with it for as long as I can remember whilst I still struggle I have found ways of keeping myself from going completely off the deep end into the sad swamp.
Exercise, Writing, cat cuddles, trying new hobbies, remembering my prozac, listening to 90s music, putting myself first more often
getting outside and getting sunshine.
Another thing if you have people who run you down or make you feel bad about yourself in any way..cut them out now! and start focusing on the people that make you feel good in life those people matter most of all.
Xanax and Citalopram wok well for me. Been on these since 1985. I'm a Vietnam Vet. No PTSD but severe depression and Anxiety.
I quit smoking 27 years ago after smoking for 24 years. At the end, I was inhaling 2 1/2 packs of Pall Mall non filter cigarettes every day. I was dying. But when I quit, my brain went haywire. I would wake up at 3 am, sit on the couch, and cry for no reason for an hour. This went on for months until I decided to see a psychiatrist. He explained that my brain chemistry was way out of whack after being cut off cold turkey from over 400 doses of nicotine every day. He put me on Paxil, 20 mg doses. I would wake up in the afternoon, feeling groggy beyond description after sleeping 14 hours. Cut back dosage to 5 mg. Ok, but still felt washed out most of the time. I then decided to try running mainly to help clean my lungs. I noticed immediately that running improved the depression, like day and night difference. Doc took me off the pills saying that he would prescribe running ahead of drugs but few would do it. I still run four days a week, at least one 10 miler a week. If I get lazy and cut out the running I end up in depression. Running cleans out my brain. It makes life worth living for. I swear by it.
I struggled with severe depression in my early twenties and so took up meditating three times a day to try and take back control of my my runaway thoughts. Not sure if it worked, or whether I just stopped having unrealistic expectations about what my life should be.
But, it was a habit that stuck. I still meditate for an hour each morning.
I find that recognizing shoots of negativity that lead to self-defeating feelings is the best defense. Blasting narcissistic thoughts just as they are germinating saves a whole lot of troweling later on down the line.
As others have said, exercise is a great weapon in the battle.
Read this yesterday, spoken by a character in a Lorrie Moore short story. Sort of sums up how I have come to feel at my present age:
"You reach a point when you cannot cry anymore, and you look around you at the people you know,
at the people your own age, and they're not crying either. Something has been taken.
And they are emptier. And they are grateful"
"the Great God (snicker)" - James 'Bear' Llewellyn
I'm not going to repeat any of the advice here. Because of another condition I don't like to take even simple pain killers if I can avoid them. I was lucky (if you can call it that) I was able to get counselling through my work at the time. That failed, but I was referred to a charity where I went through a program of CBT. It didn't cure me, but I now recognise the signs and can employ the tools I have to fight it. Sometimes it takes hours, sometimes it takes weeks, but I've only been close to a complete breakdown once since since my first in 2008.
Another valid question, that I've not heard asked is how to deal with stress and depression in others.
My daughter has anxiety issues and my godson PTSD, I can talk with both of them and it's like we have a whole different vocabulary.
My wife and mum among others do their best but just cannot comprehend what is going on. I try to explain and fail every time.
Personally and this won't work for everyone, I know, I don't want people to patronise me, I also don't want them to be scared of talking about it, any aspect of it.
I stress that's just me, nothing is off topic when talking about my depression, this is not necessarily right for everyone.
And remember a broken head is no less valid a health concern than than a broken arm, like a broken arm it needs professional help and is nothing to be ashamed of (no matter what you try to tell yourself).
Well, with me, with an official diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder x at least 18 years, it's escitalopram (Lexapro) 20mg PO q24h, clonazepam (Klonopin) 1-2mg PO q12h, and alprazolam (Xanax) 2mg PRN. The latter I do not take often d/t my work.
I also have zolpidem 12.5mg (Ambien ER), to be taken PO PRN sleep, d/t my work schedule, but again, as under normal circumstances I have my entire 24h schedule reversed d/t working nights, I do not take it often.
I don't do any kind of talk therapy, as I learned long ago that my every answer to every question is invariably "I'm good. Next question."
That said, with both my oldest and youngest now diagnosed with the exact same diagnoses, responding to the exact same medications (the youngest does not tolerate benzodiazapine class meds, so still working on that, but otherwise the same), I can assure you that in some cases, including both of my affected sons, talk or behavioural cognitive therapy or whatever the fuck the talk therapy is called, definitely works when used in addition to medication, and more importantly, with the psychologist working with the psychiatrist.
And feelings? Yah, okay, yah, no. Those are not a thing, not for me, ever, and especially not right now. Doesn't mean they aren't a thing--just not a thing for me. I take care of shit first and then I document that shit and then I move on. It should also be noted that the word "feelings" should not be confused for the more empirical "caring".
Meaning that if someone within the scope of my authority, especially my sons, any of them, is threatened with danger/in danger/sick/whatever, well, you can choose to get behind me (sick) or choose to remove yourself from my path (threatened with/in danger), or I will assist you in removing yourself from my path.
As for dealing with stress by itself--not a thing, not for me.
I don't know how to explain that except by saying that in this era of a pandemic, plus idiots, plus the normal stress concomitant with working at a tertiary/quaternary hospital on a L&D/Antepartum unit that even pre-pandemic served the most critical patients/pregnancies from a five state region, yah. Pretty sure that if my own house caught fire, after verification that both younger sons and Lily/any fosters were evacuated and being treated, I would just sit down and call my insurer.
Probably not helpful, J. is way more helpful, but this is me answering you.
Want to spend some time wallowing in a Recommended Read? Pick one! Or two! Or seven!
After losing a job I didn't even like because of Covid, I spiraled down over this last year. It also caused a move, and I was lucky to have a place to go and supportive family.
I got of social media for most of last year, and that took me my mood from about a negative 8 to a negative 3. Then I was able to start working a plan to fill my days and didn't feel as panicked and hopeless as I did around May of 2020.
"The Punished Nonpartisan" <- Extreme BDSM and humiliation story. Heavy on plot. Served on a plate of political drama with a side of domestic terror. Currently Free download.
Jocelyn the Wicked <- futanari, fantasy fan fic, and some tentacles that escaped the laboratory
I'm learning to lean on others more too, but that's not always easy.
