|
What kind of things do you do to help get by depression?
That is hobbies and activities. Of course this medication too.
My hobbies include using the Internet and playing PC and video games. |
Praying
Listening to music Chocolates and candies Hugging my dog Downloading pics of the guys I like in the internet :) |
Walking
Making silk floral arrangements Sewing something (like a garment for myself or someone else) Watching comedies (TV or DVD) Playing Scrabble (or other word games) online Doing something that helps someone else (Random Act of Kindness) Listening to music |
Exercise
Read inspiring literature and quotes Talk with a friend Try to do a few productive things Do something kind for someone I love Prayer Music/Dance Clean Shop Play with my dog Basically...just put one foot in front of the other...and get moving...but these seem to be my "favorites!" |
multitasking
I actually enjoy cleaning.
Its the satisfaction of a clean and presentable home. Although, I do have two young boys - 2 & 4, so cleaning is something that needs to be done all the time. But sitting down to read a magazine in my lovely clean home is very relaxing. |
Quote:
I used to enjoy sewing, quilting, crocheting, knitting, needlepoint, gardening, puzzles, reading, taking care of my pets, etc, but had to give them up one at a time to keep the family happy (they saw it as wasted time and money). I had to give up music too until this year. I am again playing my horn, though not like I used to (not enough money for reeds and new music). |
Lost interest
Quote:
|
Billie...
Some of us were talking on the vitamin forum about how going to an integrative doc can be very helpful; especially when you've tried traditional doctors and haven't gotten very far. If you can find a physician who will explore using traditional medications combined with holistic ones, you might find a missing link. Some of the supplements said to help many with depression include: Vitamin D3, Fish Oil and the B Vitamins (many just take a B50 tablet). If you can motivate yourself, a little gentle exercise, especially in the morning might provide good results in due time. Please make sure your doctor knows that you are still struggling. And if you have not tried seeing a therapist to talk about your concerns, you might want to add this to your treatment plan. Wishing you well. |
I insist in music...
Billie, perhaps you feel you are not in the mood for listening to music, BUT, just turn it on, I bet it will end helping you... it will ""wrap" you... trust me... Also, sort of, pushing you to leave that depression... like... one night you sort of meditate and, talk to God and, like, programme yourself saying "tomorrow, Im starting to live... a new life..." and next day, you wake up, listen music, take a shower, eat a nice breakfast.... and try to enjoy and leave depression behind you... :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: Keep trying. It is good that you realise you are "tired" of being depressed... that happened to me and was the first step for getting out of that deep depression... Nowadays Im less depressed... depressed, but in a less way at least... :o :hug: |
gratititude
Quote:
|
Thank you
You are right, and I thank you for your helpful suggestions. And here you are with more to be depressed about than me. I do have pain, but it is more or less manageable. I have problems initiating any activity of any kind, but there is no reason for it, except some fear of throwing my back out, but mostly just a fealing a paralysis, lack of interest/motivation. This forum and chat is the first thing that has generated some interest in me. I think I will find lots of help here, and I Bless You for yours. billie
|
Yoga. The ultimate mind/body exercise, you stretch yourself physically and mentally in yoga class. Between the deep breathing and down-dogging, you'll wonder why you felt so stressed before you got started.
Chant or pray. Whether it's rosary beads or Buddhist chants, the rhythmic singsong cadence of repetitive prayer or mantras may have a calming effect on the heart, according to some studies. Give to charity. Nothing helps you put your life into perspective like seeing others who have more serious or even life-threatening problems. Volunteer at your local hospital, teach literacy classes, or dish up meals at the local shelter. Massage. This may be your secret splurge that leaves you feeling your best. If you're a trembling ball of nerves as you head to the spa, a good massage will cut stress and leave you feeling relaxed and invigorated. Humor. Even if you can't tell a joke, you sure can laugh at one. Studies have suggested that humor can lower blood pressure and boost levels of natural feel-good chemicals known as endorphins. Create a personal oasis. Even if it's just a pot of pansies on your windowsill, or a scrunchy pillow on a favorite chair, create an oasis in your home that neutralizes stress. Surround yourself with pleasing pictures, airy plants, or scrumptious smells -- a veritable "perfect storm" of feel-good vibes. Drink Chamomile Tea Affirmations To Paste On Your Mirror 1) I am at peace with the world, with myself and everyone in it. 2) I am financially free! My income greatly surpasses my expenses. 3) I love my work and the people love who work with me. 4) I now have only generous authentic loving relationships in my life. 5) I am physically healthy and feel safe, open and loving with all people. Keep an Amethyst cluster at your desk or in your therapy room to transmute negative energy. Amethyst helps you think and act at your highest level. Clear Quartz can be worn as a crystal pendant to deflect radiation from going to your body. Quartz is an excellent general physical system fortifier and protector. It increases mental clarity. Hold a clear crystal at your solar plexus and breath evenly for several minutes to calm your emotions, to relax the body, to clear the mind, and to refresh your energy. Stare into the crystal to clear writer's block and to increase creativity. Hematite reflects back negative energies to the sender (so you don't end up taking them on yourself). Hematite dissolves the issues when one meets with confrontation. Rose Quartz is very protective and soothing for many issues. Place a large chunk of the stone at your Heart Center for 15 minutes to relax after a stressful day. Rose Quartz helps to unblock anxiety and to promote healing of private emotional issues. It allows one to become more receptive and open to challenges. Smokey Quartz is an excellent stabilizer for mood swings. It helps ground feelings of depression, and both absorbs and transmutes negativity. Stress balls - sand is a good filler - lentils or flax seed would work, too..... You can make them using two balloons - fill one and cut off the end, then stretch another over it (with the end also cut off). A big bowl of chocolate kisses... Relaxation or meditation tapes A stuffed teddy bear... Play with a yoyo Write a list of the 10 things you enjoyed most about today. (Do this each day) "Treasure Mapping" - Goal Setting Visual Pictures to Move Treasure Mapping" (creative collage, story-boarding, or printed visualizations) is a wonderful way to clarify and add passion to your New Year's resolutions. The concept is simple, find a bunch of old magazines, get a big piece of white cardboard, and start cutting and pasting. Create your vision, your collage, with pictures you like, words that move you, etc. When you're done, put it up in your office, and watch the magic happen. You'll be surprised, when you look at the collage a year from now, how many of the pictures on the wall find a way into your life! http://www.creatavision.com/treasure_mapping.htm Speak to People. Even if you do not know their names. Nothing is as nice as a cheerful word of greeting. Smile at People. It takes 72 muscles to frown and only 14 to smile. Your smile is one of your finest assets. Use It! Collage Therapy Creativity is a joyous expression buried deep within the soul which suddenly bubbles up to the surface and overflows. To be truly creative, one needs to be in touch with their inner child. This means knowing how to laugh, how to play, how to pretend, and how breathe and feel deeply. Stop criticizing yourself. Coloring Therapy Spend 30 minutes coloring with whatever colors call to you. This is a form of meditation, good for hand-eye coordination, slows down the mind, and brings out your inner child.... Meditation Breathing strongly influences mind, body and moods. By simply focusing your attention on your breathing, and without doing anything to change it, you move in the direction of relaxation. There are many worse places to have your attention — on your thoughts, for one, since thoughts are the source of much of our anxiety, guilt and unhappiness. Get in the habit of shifting your awareness to your breath whenever you find yourself dwelling on upsetting thoughts. Bach's Flower Remedies, especially Rescue Remedy Berry, Rose and St. John’s Wort Relaxing Water Make a raspberry/strawberry mix water. Add a dash of St. John's Wort, add crushed white rose petals, as well. This water seems to have the effect of lifting moods and giving a sense of serenity , especially at tense get-togethers. Aromatherapy with essential oils such as lavender and orange together, or bergamot. Flowers for Depression Flowers set in vases on a window or throughout a home always changes the mood / atmosphere from one of depression to one of nature, lightness, seduction, relaxation, and more. Drink Pure Water - Our bodies are 70% water. Drinking impure water is responsible for many illnesses commonly attributed to other causes. Therefore, you should seriously consider installing a quality water filtration or distillation system. In addition, most people go through life dehydrated. Simply drinking when you are thirsty is not enough. Moreover, tea and coffee actually dehydrate the body even further thereby making the problem worse still. Dehydration also leads to many serious illnesses. You need to drink at least 8-12 glasses of clear water every day, and preferably more. Forgiveness - Grudges take up brain capacity and prevent us from performing at our very best. What we focus our minds upon grows; this is true of hatred too. Therefore, it is impossible to truly achieve great things for ourselves when we have a lot of our energetic capacity tied up in negativity. Remember that forgiveness is primarily for YOU. It free up your energy tremendously. So forgive all grudges, no matter how old they may be, and seek reconciliation. If you find this hard, begin with the easiest ones first. Then gradually work up to the harder ones. Clutter Clearance - If you want to let new opportunities into your life, you have to make room for them. Clear out the past - things you cling to that no longer serve any purpose, but which hold you back. This can be cupboards, the cellar, old clothes, old relationships, and outmoded ways of thinking. By holding on tenaciously to the past, we fail to make room for the future. So look in your closets and get rid of things you have not used for over a year or two. Review relationships in your life and see which ones are taking you where you want to go and which ones are holding you down. Clear your desk. Clear your computer. Then let fresh air flow into your life! Goals - Have clear, specific, written goals with deadlines for their achievement in every area of your life - physical, mental, emotional, physical, career, etc. People who do are FAR more successful. People who don’t are like ships adrift on the seas. A person without clear specific goals is like a ship cast adrift on the ocean without a captain or crew. The chances of it arriving anywhere specific are minimal. Yet most people live their lives like that. Make it your goal to have specific written goals in every area of your life and review them every day. Journal - A life worth living is a life worth recording. Keep a private journal where you can record events, your reactions to them, how you feel about situations, what you are learning. Keeping a journal awakens your intuition and deepens your contact with Spirit. If you’re feeling down or stuck in your thoughts, look up! Really see the sky: notice its colors, the patterns of buildings or branches against it. Are there birds flying? Follow them. Are there clouds? What do they remind you of? Can you tell what time of day it is from the light? If you really pay attention to the patterns above you, you may see surprising things. What if you could accept, just for a few minutes, a belief of many indigenous peoples: that the whole world offers itself to us with the intention of giving us guidance? That the world constantly wants to remind us how deeply connected we are to all of it? When you are lonely or frightened, talk to your guardian angel. You can do it out loud or inside your head—your angel can hear you. Ask your angel to be near you, to put his or her hand on your shoulder, to give you courage to protect you. Exercise can help address, prevent or lessen the risk of a host of diseases and illnesses - including mild to moderate depression. A recent study showed that walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike for 30 minutes several times per week may be as effective as taking antidepressant medications or using cognitive-behavioral therapy. While moderately intense aerobic exercise had the best results, any exercise is beneficial. Even those performing low-intensity aerobic workouts and stretching can show improvement. I recommend walking, especially outdoors, for at least 30 minutes per day, five days a week. Try it for a few weeks and see how it affects your mood. Create rewards for yourself. Ask yourself, What rewards would give me a reason to complete this activity? Be able to see the rewards in the outcome you desire. For example, if I were speaking to an audience, I'd see them applauding after the talk is finished. Sing. Singing draws more oxygen into your body, enhancing mental clarity, and banishing fatigue. Let in the light. One of the easiest ways to boost your energy is with natural light. Open the curtains, lift the shades, add a few lamps with full-spectrum light bulbs, and let the sun shine in. Look. Feast your eyes on sunrise colors of oranges, yellows, pinks, and reds. These are the colors of fire, heat, and energy. Bibliotherapy or reading therapy is a therapy in which a person suffering from depression reads self-help books and other motivational books in between therapies to speed up the recovery. Antidepressant Tincture 1 teaspoon tincture of Saint-John's-wort leaf ½ teaspoon tinctures of licorice root, ginseng root, lemon balm leaf and ashwaganda leaf (if available) Combine ingredients (if you do not or cannot drink alcohol, buy glycerites instead of tinctures). Take 1 dropperful 3 times a day. Kampo - Japanese Herbal Therapy Kampo is a Japanese system of herbalism. It is to treat disease and to return people to health. Kampo share the view with modern psychiatry that depression is a physical condition that manifests itself in emotional symptoms. Slow, relaxing music helps some people deal with the root causes of their depression, such as anger, frustration, sadness or anxiety. Listening to the music for at least 20 minutes each day can help slow down your heart rate and other body functions and can help you focus on your feelings. Take a Stimulating Shower: Start showering with warm water, gradually making it hotter. Then decrease the temperature as low as you can stand it. Cold water stimulates the nerves close to the surface of the skin and is rejuvenating. Do not do this if you have a serious illness or are pregnant, premenstrual, or menstruating. Two hours of early-morning sun help lift depression. Spend as much time as possible outdoors. Take daily walks, preferably in the park or along the sea shore, to connect with nature and appreciate the beauty it offers. Fresh air and deep breathing exercises are both good in aiding relaxation and promoting good oxygenation of the entire body. Have a good cry. If talking about your problems leads to tears, go ahead and cry. Crying is a wonderful release-especially if you know what you're crying about. Acupressure and acupuncture Auyruveda From the standpoint of Ayurveda there are two main causes of depression. An imbalance in the three doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. A lack of awareness of one's deeper, inner Self. From the Ayurvedic point of view, most depression is a kapha imbalance that is the culmination of vata and then pitta going out of balance. Initially the brain's electrochemistry has an erratic overreaction (vata imbalance), which triggers a loss of enzymatic activity in the metabolism (pitta imbalance). Kapha responds by trying to glue everything down, bringing about heaviness, darkness, and stagnation that the mind-body interprets as the negative message of hopelessness and depression. In other words, because of specific etiological factors, vata from the colon, pitta from the intestine, or kapha from the stomach enters the general circulation and lodges in the nervous system, interferes with normal functioning of the mind and nervous system, and causes depression. http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies ... urveda.htm Imagery If you're mildly depressed imagery or visualization is very useful. Doing an imagery exercise called the trapeze of hope may help brighten your outlook. This is how: Imagine that you are a trapeze artist standing high in the air on a platform. Now see yourself swinging from the left on a trapeze bar. From the right, you see another trapeze bar swinging toward you. Keep swinging and building up your momentum. When you're ready, let go of the old bar, and reach out and catch the new one. See yourself landing safely on the other platform. Grab a golden rope and lower yourself to the ground. Tie the golden rope around yourself and someone you love. Now see both of you standing in a golden light. Hydrotherapy (showers, baths, saunas, hot tubs) Reiki Treatment Plenty of sleep... go to bed earlier or take afternoon naps Afternoon tea break, especially drinking green tea, enjoy with an apple or pear, a handful of nuts, and a piece of good cheese. Visit babies in a hospital or elderly in a nursing home, or better yet, volunteer at one or the other.. Other places to volunteer... food banks, Habitat for Humanity, your local school. Detox... cut out alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine.. But eat a piece of dark chocolate, just don't over do... everything in moderation. Dance.. aerobics, ballet, bellydancing, or just move around the room to your favorite music. Go to a performance that makes your spirit soar.. a theater play, the symphony, a ballet, the opera. Get up early (or stay up all night) and watch the sunrise. Walk around your town or neighborhood and take pictures... of things, of places, of people... (ask their permission first). Get a piece of stretched canvas and some acrylic paints and paint your feelings. Don't worry what it looks like. Make an adult blanket to cuddle with. Use a variety of soft fabrics; velvet, silk, satin, soft cotton... and sew them together as a crazy quilt. Learn to play an instrument; piano, guitar, harp, cello, flute... provides a sense of accomplishment. Plant and tend to a garden, even a container garden or herb garden. Color raw rice with a few drops of one color of food coloring and a few drops of desired essential oil. Let sit and dry. Store in a low wooden box. This rice is very relaxing to play with, sift thru your fingers, fill small silver or wooden cups, pour out. Revert back to childhood. Walk on a labyrinth. Look at old photos, or better yet, put them in a scrapbook with colorful papers, stickers, die cutes, and journaling Get together with friends, and pretend you are not depressed. Jump rope, and see how many of the rhymes from childhood that you remember. Write a poem, about being sad, about being happy... write lots of poems, and keep them in a notebook. Join a club, often being with other people helps to lift depression. Do a jigsaw puzzle Blow bubbles, promises to make you giggle.. Learn how to juggle Learn a language; French, Dutch, Japanese, Sign Learn to cook, just cooking or baking can make you feel loved. Go swimming, enjoy the freedom of being lightweight... Phone a friend, and ask them how they are... don't concentrate on your own pain and depression... ask questions and listen, don't worry about what you will say. Count your blessings.. Make a poster of those blessings. Mood-Lifting Foods Chocolate Tuna Bananas Eggs Milk Avocados Whole Grains Sweet Potatoes Fix your favorite "comfort food" from when you were a child. Whether it was Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup, or grilled cheese sandwiches, it is amazing how much that special comfort food from our childhood can pick us up today! Turn off the telephone, lock the doors, run a hot bath with bubbles, add candles to the sides of your bath, and put on some soothing music (I recommend Enya!). Relax in your homemade "spa" for at least a half hour! Art therapy - The therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma, or challenges in living, and by people who seek personal development. Put a Clear Quartz Cluster in a glass container filled with pure filtered water and set in the sun for 3 hours. Drink a cup each day. Helps to lift depression and open the crown chakra. Anxiety and panic can interfere with normal life and certain nutrients may help the body and mind to cope. The B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, B6, biotin, pantothenic acid, B12, folic acid) are all important for the healthy functioning of the nervous system, especially the production of the key chemical messengers in the brain called neurotransmitters. ... Take Time for Breakfast. Breakfast is a source of energy, and you need it to replenish blood glucose levels in the brain. Boost Your Day with Positive Thinking: Visualize a positive and creative day ahead of you, and think of all the good things you have in your life. Look forward to the good things that are coming your way. AROMATHERAPY MODELING DOUGH 1 cup flour 1 cup warm water 2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 tsp. cooking oil 1/4 cup salt Essential oils of choice (One should obviously stay away from oils that could cause a serious problem to the skin, etc.). If color is desired food coloring or Kool-Aid powder work well. Kool-Aid also comes in a nice color variety:) Mix all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until smooth. Remove dough from the pan and knead until blended smooth. If you want colors, add food coloring or a pinch of Kool-Aid now until the desired color is made. Let cool. Now to make it aromatic, roll the dough into a ball and push a hole in it with thumb. Add a few drops of an essential oil (usually 1-3 to start) and knead the dough thoroughly. Sniff. Keep doing this until you get the aroma you are looking for. Here are some single EO's and color ideas: Brown -- Cardamom, Frankincense or Cocoa Absolute Orange -- Tangerine or Bergamot Yellow -- Lemon or Lemon Balm Green -- Mimosa, Eucalyptus or Spikenard Red -- Rose or Geranium Purple -- Lavender Blue -- German Chamomile Pink -- Pink Grapefruit White -- Peppermint or Tea Tree Lavender scented in a deep purple colored dough is wonderful!! Make small quantities and use them as office toys. Why sit and squeeze a tennis ball or rub a worry stone etc., while on the phone when you can squish, squeeze, roll, pinch, mash, and sniff play dough?! For packaging the dough as a gift, put each aromatic dough in a separate zip lock baggie and label according to scent with the color of the wording coordinating with the color of the dough. Leave the white one blank--it will give them something to think about. From there one could put all the zip lock baggies into a decorative container. The plastic containers baby wipes come in work well. Written and Complied by Cindi Wafstet/Epona'Bri © 2008 Permission to share freely as long as credit is given. |
Yoga. The ultimate mind/body exercise, you stretch yourself physically and mentally in yoga class. Between the deep breathing and down-dogging, you'll wonder why you felt so stressed before you got started.
Chant or pray. Whether it's rosary beads or Buddhist chants, the rhythmic singsong cadence of repetitive prayer or mantras may have a calming effect on the heart, according to some studies. Give to charity. Nothing helps you put your life into perspective like seeing others who have more serious or even life-threatening problems. Volunteer at your local hospital, teach literacy classes, or dish up meals at the local shelter. Massage. This may be your secret splurge that leaves you feeling your best. If you're a trembling ball of nerves as you head to the spa, a good massage will cut stress and leave you feeling relaxed and invigorated. Humor. Even if you can't tell a joke, you sure can laugh at one. Studies have suggested that humor can lower blood pressure and boost levels of natural feel-good chemicals known as endorphins. Create a personal oasis. Even if it's just a pot of pansies on your windowsill, or a scrunchy pillow on a favorite chair, create an oasis in your home that neutralizes stress. Surround yourself with pleasing pictures, airy plants, or scrumptious smells -- a veritable "perfect storm" of feel-good vibes. Drink Chamomile Tea Affirmations To Paste On Your Mirror 1) I am at peace with the world, with myself and everyone in it. 2) I am financially free! My income greatly surpasses my expenses. 3) I love my work and the people love who work with me. 4) I now have only generous authentic loving relationships in my life. 5) I am physically healthy and feel safe, open and loving with all people. Keep an Amethyst cluster at your desk or in your therapy room to transmute negative energy. Amethyst helps you think and act at your highest level. Clear Quartz can be worn as a crystal pendant to deflect radiation from going to your body. Quartz is an excellent general physical system fortifier and protector. It increases mental clarity. Hold a clear crystal at your solar plexus and breath evenly for several minutes to calm your emotions, to relax the body, to clear the mind, and to refresh your energy. Stare into the crystal to clear writer's block and to increase creativity. Hematite reflects back negative energies to the sender (so you don't end up taking them on yourself). Hematite dissolves the issues when one meets with confrontation. Rose Quartz is very protective and soothing for many issues. Place a large chunk of the stone at your Heart Center for 15 minutes to relax after a stressful day. Rose Quartz helps to unblock anxiety and to promote healing of private emotional issues. It allows one to become more receptive and open to challenges. Smokey Quartz is an excellent stabilizer for mood swings. It helps ground feelings of depression, and both absorbs and transmutes negativity. Stress balls - sand is a good filler - lentils or flax seed would work, too..... You can make them using two balloons - fill one and cut off the end, then stretch another over it (with the end also cut off). A big bowl of chocolate kisses... Relaxation or meditation tapes A stuffed teddy bear... Play with a yoyo Write a list of the 10 things you enjoyed most about today. (Do this each day) "Treasure Mapping" - Goal Setting Visual Pictures to Move Treasure Mapping" (creative collage, story-boarding, or printed visualizations) is a wonderful way to clarify and add passion to your New Year's resolutions. The concept is simple, find a bunch of old magazines, get a big piece of white cardboard, and start cutting and pasting. Create your vision, your collage, with pictures you like, words that move you, etc. When you're done, put it up in your office, and watch the magic happen. You'll be surprised, when you look at the collage a year from now, how many of the pictures on the wall find a way into your life! http://www.creatavision.com/treasure_mapping.htm Speak to People. Even if you do not know their names. Nothing is as nice as a cheerful word of greeting. Smile at People. It takes 72 muscles to frown and only 14 to smile. Your smile is one of your finest assets. Use It! Collage Therapy Creativity is a joyous expression buried deep within the soul which suddenly bubbles up to the surface and overflows. To be truly creative, one needs to be in touch with their inner child. This means knowing how to laugh, how to play, how to pretend, and how breathe and feel deeply. Stop criticizing yourself. Coloring Therapy Spend 30 minutes coloring with whatever colors call to you. This is a form of meditation, good for hand-eye coordination, slows down the mind, and brings out your inner child.... Meditation Breathing strongly influences mind, body and moods. By simply focusing your attention on your breathing, and without doing anything to change it, you move in the direction of relaxation. There are many worse places to have your attention — on your thoughts, for one, since thoughts are the source of much of our anxiety, guilt and unhappiness. Get in the habit of shifting your awareness to your breath whenever you find yourself dwelling on upsetting thoughts. Bach's Flower Remedies, especially Rescue Remedy Berry, Rose and St. John’s Wort Relaxing Water Make a raspberry/strawberry mix water. Add a dash of St. John's Wort, add crushed white rose petals, as well. This water seems to have the effect of lifting moods and giving a sense of serenity , especially at tense get-togethers. Aromatherapy with essential oils such as lavender and orange together, or bergamot. Flowers for Depression Flowers set in vases on a window or throughout a home always changes the mood / atmosphere from one of depression to one of nature, lightness, seduction, relaxation, and more. Drink Pure Water - Our bodies are 70% water. Drinking impure water is responsible for many illnesses commonly attributed to other causes. Therefore, you should seriously consider installing a quality water filtration or distillation system. In addition, most people go through life dehydrated. Simply drinking when you are thirsty is not enough. Moreover, tea and coffee actually dehydrate the body even further thereby making the problem worse still. Dehydration also leads to many serious illnesses. You need to drink at least 8-12 glasses of clear water every day, and preferably more. Forgiveness - Grudges take up brain capacity and prevent us from performing at our very best. What we focus our minds upon grows; this is true of hatred too. Therefore, it is impossible to truly achieve great things for ourselves when we have a lot of our energetic capacity tied up in negativity. Remember that forgiveness is primarily for YOU. It free up your energy tremendously. So forgive all grudges, no matter how old they may be, and seek reconciliation. If you find this hard, begin with the easiest ones first. Then gradually work up to the harder ones. Clutter Clearance - If you want to let new opportunities into your life, you have to make room for them. Clear out the past - things you cling to that no longer serve any purpose, but which hold you back. This can be cupboards, the cellar, old clothes, old relationships, and outmoded ways of thinking. By holding on tenaciously to the past, we fail to make room for the future. So look in your closets and get rid of things you have not used for over a year or two. Review relationships in your life and see which ones are taking you where you want to go and which ones are holding you down. Clear your desk. Clear your computer. Then let fresh air flow into your life! Goals - Have clear, specific, written goals with deadlines for their achievement in every area of your life - physical, mental, emotional, physical, career, etc. People who do are FAR more successful. People who don’t are like ships adrift on the seas. A person without clear specific goals is like a ship cast adrift on the ocean without a captain or crew. The chances of it arriving anywhere specific are minimal. Yet most people live their lives like that. Make it your goal to have specific written goals in every area of your life and review them every day. Journal - A life worth living is a life worth recording. Keep a private journal where you can record events, your reactions to them, how you feel about situations, what you are learning. Keeping a journal awakens your intuition and deepens your contact with Spirit. If you’re feeling down or stuck in your thoughts, look up! Really see the sky: notice its colors, the patterns of buildings or branches against it. Are there birds flying? Follow them. Are there clouds? What do they remind you of? Can you tell what time of day it is from the light? If you really pay attention to the patterns above you, you may see surprising things. What if you could accept, just for a few minutes, a belief of many indigenous peoples: that the whole world offers itself to us with the intention of giving us guidance? That the world constantly wants to remind us how deeply connected we are to all of it? When you are lonely or frightened, talk to your guardian angel. You can do it out loud or inside your head—your angel can hear you. Ask your angel to be near you, to put his or her hand on your shoulder, to give you courage to protect you. Exercise can help address, prevent or lessen the risk of a host of diseases and illnesses - including mild to moderate depression. A recent study showed that walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike for 30 minutes several times per week may be as effective as taking antidepressant medications or using cognitive-behavioral therapy. While moderately intense aerobic exercise had the best results, any exercise is beneficial. Even those performing low-intensity aerobic workouts and stretching can show improvement. I recommend walking, especially outdoors, for at least 30 minutes per day, five days a week. Try it for a few weeks and see how it affects your mood. Create rewards for yourself. Ask yourself, What rewards would give me a reason to complete this activity? Be able to see the rewards in the outcome you desire. For example, if I were speaking to an audience, I'd see them applauding after the talk is finished. Sing. Singing draws more oxygen into your body, enhancing mental clarity, and banishing fatigue. Let in the light. One of the easiest ways to boost your energy is with natural light. Open the curtains, lift the shades, add a few lamps with full-spectrum light bulbs, and let the sun shine in. Look. Feast your eyes on sunrise colors of oranges, yellows, pinks, and reds. These are the colors of fire, heat, and energy. Bibliotherapy or reading therapy is a therapy in which a person suffering from depression reads self-help books and other motivational books in between therapies to speed up the recovery. Antidepressant Tincture 1 teaspoon tincture of Saint-John's-wort leaf ½ teaspoon tinctures of licorice root, ginseng root, lemon balm leaf and ashwaganda leaf (if available) Combine ingredients (if you do not or cannot drink alcohol, buy glycerites instead of tinctures). Take 1 dropperful 3 times a day. Kampo - Japanese Herbal Therapy Kampo is a Japanese system of herbalism. It is to treat disease and to return people to health. Kampo share the view with modern psychiatry that depression is a physical condition that manifests itself in emotional symptoms. Slow, relaxing music helps some people deal with the root causes of their depression, such as anger, frustration, sadness or anxiety. Listening to the music for at least 20 minutes each day can help slow down your heart rate and other body functions and can help you focus on your feelings. Take a Stimulating Shower: Start showering with warm water, gradually making it hotter. Then decrease the temperature as low as you can stand it. Cold water stimulates the nerves close to the surface of the skin and is rejuvenating. Do not do this if you have a serious illness or are pregnant, premenstrual, or menstruating. Two hours of early-morning sun help lift depression. Spend as much time as possible outdoors. Take daily walks, preferably in the park or along the sea shore, to connect with nature and appreciate the beauty it offers. Fresh air and deep breathing exercises are both good in aiding relaxation and promoting good oxygenation of the entire body. Have a good cry. If talking about your problems leads to tears, go ahead and cry. Crying is a wonderful release-especially if you know what you're crying about. Acupressure and acupuncture Auyruveda From the standpoint of Ayurveda there are two main causes of depression. An imbalance in the three doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. A lack of awareness of one's deeper, inner Self. From the Ayurvedic point of view, most depression is a kapha imbalance that is the culmination of vata and then pitta going out of balance. Initially the brain's electrochemistry has an erratic overreaction (vata imbalance), which triggers a loss of enzymatic activity in the metabolism (pitta imbalance). Kapha responds by trying to glue everything down, bringing about heaviness, darkness, and stagnation that the mind-body interprets as the negative message of hopelessness and depression. In other words, because of specific etiological factors, vata from the colon, pitta from the intestine, or kapha from the stomach enters the general circulation and lodges in the nervous system, interferes with normal functioning of the mind and nervous system, and causes depression. http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies ... urveda.htm Imagery If you're mildly depressed imagery or visualization is very useful. Doing an imagery exercise called the trapeze of hope may help brighten your outlook. This is how: Imagine that you are a trapeze artist standing high in the air on a platform. Now see yourself swinging from the left on a trapeze bar. From the right, you see another trapeze bar swinging toward you. Keep swinging and building up your momentum. When you're ready, let go of the old bar, and reach out and catch the new one. See yourself landing safely on the other platform. Grab a golden rope and lower yourself to the ground. Tie the golden rope around yourself and someone you love. Now see both of you standing in a golden light. Hydrotherapy (showers, baths, saunas, hot tubs) Reiki Treatment Plenty of sleep... go to bed earlier or take afternoon naps Afternoon tea break, especially drinking green tea, enjoy with an apple or pear, a handful of nuts, and a piece of good cheese. Visit babies in a hospital or elderly in a nursing home, or better yet, volunteer at one or the other.. Other places to volunteer... food banks, Habitat for Humanity, your local school. Detox... cut out alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine.. But eat a piece of dark chocolate, just don't over do... everything in moderation. Dance.. aerobics, ballet, bellydancing, or just move around the room to your favorite music. Go to a performance that makes your spirit soar.. a theater play, the symphony, a ballet, the opera. Get up early (or stay up all night) and watch the sunrise. Walk around your town or neighborhood and take pictures... of things, of places, of people... (ask their permission first). Get a piece of stretched canvas and some acrylic paints and paint your feelings. Don't worry what it looks like. Make an adult blanket to cuddle with. Use a variety of soft fabrics; velvet, silk, satin, soft cotton... and sew them together as a crazy quilt. Learn to play an instrument; piano, guitar, harp, cello, flute... provides a sense of accomplishment. Plant and tend to a garden, even a container garden or herb garden. Color raw rice with a few drops of one color of food coloring and a few drops of desired essential oil. Let sit and dry. Store in a low wooden box. This rice is very relaxing to play with, sift thru your fingers, fill small silver or wooden cups, pour out. Revert back to childhood. Walk on a labyrinth. Look at old photos, or better yet, put them in a scrapbook with colorful papers, stickers, die cutes, and journaling Get together with friends, and pretend you are not depressed. Jump rope, and see how many of the rhymes from childhood that you remember. Write a poem, about being sad, about being happy... write lots of poems, and keep them in a notebook. Join a club, often being with other people helps to lift depression. Do a jigsaw puzzle Blow bubbles, promises to make you giggle.. Learn how to juggle Learn a language; French, Dutch, Japanese, Sign Learn to cook, just cooking or baking can make you feel loved. Go swimming, enjoy the freedom of being lightweight... Phone a friend, and ask them how they are... don't concentrate on your own pain and depression... ask questions and listen, don't worry about what you will say. Count your blessings.. Make a poster of those blessings. Mood-Lifting Foods Chocolate Tuna Bananas Eggs Milk Avocados Whole Grains Sweet Potatoes Fix your favorite "comfort food" from when you were a child. Whether it was Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup, or grilled cheese sandwiches, it is amazing how much that special comfort food from our childhood can pick us up today! Turn off the telephone, lock the doors, run a hot bath with bubbles, add candles to the sides of your bath, and put on some soothing music (I recommend Enya!). Relax in your homemade "spa" for at least a half hour! Art therapy - The therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma, or challenges in living, and by people who seek personal development. Put a Clear Quartz Cluster in a glass container filled with pure filtered water and set in the sun for 3 hours. Drink a cup each day. Helps to lift depression and open the crown chakra. Anxiety and panic can interfere with normal life and certain nutrients may help the body and mind to cope. The B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, B6, biotin, pantothenic acid, B12, folic acid) are all important for the healthy functioning of the nervous system, especially the production of the key chemical messengers in the brain called neurotransmitters. ... Take Time for Breakfast. Breakfast is a source of energy, and you need it to replenish blood glucose levels in the brain. Boost Your Day with Positive Thinking: Visualize a positive and creative day ahead of you, and think of all the good things you have in your life. Look forward to the good things that are coming your way. AROMATHERAPY MODELING DOUGH 1 cup flour 1 cup warm water 2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 tsp. cooking oil 1/4 cup salt Essential oils of choice (One should obviously stay away from oils that could cause a serious problem to the skin, etc.). If color is desired food coloring or Kool-Aid powder work well. Kool-Aid also comes in a nice color variety:) Mix all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until smooth. Remove dough from the pan and knead until blended smooth. If you want colors, add food coloring or a pinch of Kool-Aid now until the desired color is made. Let cool. Now to make it aromatic, roll the dough into a ball and push a hole in it with thumb. Add a few drops of an essential oil (usually 1-3 to start) and knead the dough thoroughly. Sniff. Keep doing this until you get the aroma you are looking for. Here are some single EO's and color ideas: Brown -- Cardamom, Frankincense or Cocoa Absolute Orange -- Tangerine or Bergamot Yellow -- Lemon or Lemon Balm Green -- Mimosa, Eucalyptus or Spikenard Red -- Rose or Geranium Purple -- Lavender Blue -- German Chamomile Pink -- Pink Grapefruit White -- Peppermint or Tea Tree Lavender scented in a deep purple colored dough is wonderful!! Make small quantities and use them as office toys. Why sit and squeeze a tennis ball or rub a worry stone etc., while on the phone when you can squish, squeeze, roll, pinch, mash, and sniff play dough?! For packaging the dough as a gift, put each aromatic dough in a separate zip lock baggie and label according to scent with the color of the wording coordinating with the color of the dough. Leave the white one blank--it will give them something to think about. From there one could put all the zip lock baggies into a decorative container. The plastic containers baby wipes come in work well. Written and Complied by Cindi Wafstet/Epona'Bri © 2008 Permission to share freely as long as credit is given. |
That long post was beautiful and hopefully, pretty helpful.
Thanks a lot for sharing. |
exercise, lots of exercise, training and bicycle racing, and photography
I was very depressed before I started racing, and it was like a cure for my depression. I still get depressed feeling every now and then, but nothing like it was before I started racing. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
And hey roadracer ! your avatar is funny ! I love family guy !!! :winky: |
best long-term predictor of happiness....
I just saw a segment on happiness on CBS Sunday morning news. It said the one thing that was the best predictor of long-term happiness was social connections. Like having friends or family you enjoy and can spend time with, co-workers that you get along with, or other social situations you can be involved in such as church, volunteering, clubs, etc. Human beings are not meant to be alone, like so many other animals on the planet!
I also think exercise is wonderful for depression, as it causes your body to release endorphins, which make you feel better, happier & more relaxed. And don't expose yourself to a lot of negativity from other people or the media. I think negative people/news/television/music has a negative energy that will eventually bring you down if you expose yourself to it enough. |
Hi Krista
You are right about energy. I really believe that too. I try hard when I am depressed to seek those people who try and have a better outlook. I don't watch the news much, one half hour. I want to focus on the better things, like how my garden is. The world needs to pump good vibrations, afterall they are saying in Physics that String theory is exactly that; vibrations. I vote the world should stand up say no to war and violence, and send out the good vibrations no matter what health condition you have! The good vibrations will out do the bad, we would have peace. I am 59, an old flower child, grown up and sick, but I still have hope for the world and all of us on this site. ginnie:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:
|
these are a few of my favorite things
I feel to stop ones depression is what makes you feel good I like
- Spending time with family, friends & pets - Making my wife smile or laugh - Riding my motorcycle down the blue ridge or anywhere - Walking thru the wilderness or watching nature - Reading & thinking about sailing - Trying out new things to test my createtivity - Yard work - Having a discussion about life experiences with others - Helping others & become a part of the community - Watching or reading about something possitive and/or funny Write down a list of things that make you feel good and take time to do one thing on your list at least once a week or a day if you can find the time, but make time for at least once a week accept no excuses from your self do it for you! |
Light therapy
Now that it's spring, I'm reminded of something else I find helpful for depression: getting out into the sunshine! It always makes me feel better, especially after several days of rainy, dreary weather. People with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) show improvement in their depressed symptoms when they get some type of light therapy treatment. And it's easy to do, just go outside and take a walk, sit and read a book, garden/yardwork, etc.
Full spectrum lighting article |
let there be light
A little good sunshine and a great book goes a long way. That is what I am doing to appease my anger today. Just try to chill out and relax is what i do, when depressed or worried. take care....ginnie
|
I used to go to the internet cafe and spent 10++ hours.. Sometimes I fapped too..
|
Dear Boy of ending misery
No matter how bad depression gets, you can beat it back. I am doing this right now, after bad news this weekend. I spent a whole day in a rage, I did not eat. I picked up a book, that is spiritual in nature, locked myself in my room. Used my back lit nook, and read this until I felt better. I slept some too, to get control of myself back. Today I am better, my head is clearer, I am not worried about tomorrow. It will get here anyway. The sun is out. Birds are chirping in my yard. Small small things help the most. Try to turn to God. ginnie
|
i contact a few people that i have met here like my new sister "ginnie".its nice to coresspond with them privatley:wink::hug:.and mostly go to the gym(YMCA)in just one year i have made so many new friends.as soon as i check in .i get the big"Hey Don","what's up".lots of laughs in the lockeroom and lounge:D:D.we cover just about every subject under the sun. also because they all come from every walk of life you can think of.and its getting me out of the house.so important to me.this place can be a place of "doom"to.my pastor in my churched talked of this.and how our mind can play/feed negative thoughts in your head.he kind of just drifted away from the bible for a little bit just to talk on this subject.he even talked on brain excerises on can do to help the mind think positively.i have trouble concentrating and remembering things.this site he recommended to his congregation.its free.i try it everyonce in awhile.hope this helps others:hug::hug:
http://www.lumosity.com/app/v4/personalization |
Hello eponabri
:Good-Post::yahoo::I-Agree: Thank you for this post. You had a lot of really good ideas to share. I for one am going to do some of them. I do have depression, and struggle alot from it. I actually coppied your post and put it up. As I try to do some of those things, I will check them off the list. I am not real mobile right now, I am having my ankle re-built soon so I can walk again. We just had a spa open up down the block from me. They do massage, accuepressure, acuepuncture, and alot of other spa activities. I am going to do this formyself, to prepare for what is coming. I appreciate the time it took you to post all those good ideas. Best wishes to you too, and I hope others will take a look at your ideas too. ginnie
|
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:57 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin • Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
vBulletin Optimisation provided by
vB Optimise (Lite) -
vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.