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Posted: Tue July 27th, 2010, 3:52 am
by Ash
[quote=""Divia""]It depends. Is this person depressed or just a little blue? There is a difference.
Right now I'm in that dark abyss. Nothing makes me happy anymore. I can't write or read. I'm just here.
Either way I need to leave the house. But if you're always by yourself(which I am) its still maddening.
So really I have no answers. But I understand all too well.[/quote]

He was actually describing what happens, what he feels like when he is depressed. I think he was just in a funk, and was getting worried he was going to fall into the rabbit hole again. So we were coming up with ways to keep that from happening. But you and I know how hard that is to keep the dark at bay. And yes, get out of the house and take a walk, anywhere, just get out. It might not make you happier, but it might distract you enough to give your mind something else to think about. Hang in there.

Posted: Tue July 27th, 2010, 4:08 am
by Margaret
Speaking from personal experience, I would say depression is often the result of anger that is buried in the psyche because one feels trapped in an unhealthy situation. It would have been hard for me to feel safe unearthing and exploring that anger if I hadn't had the help of a good therapist. The real breakthrough came when I began exploring past lives with her. A past life memory emerged while we were working with some of my childhood memories. She had never done this with a client before, but had the good sense and flexibility to go with it. I'm not certain whether these "memories" are of objectively real experiences that my spirit had in other physical lifetimes before my present lifetime; perhaps they are just particularly powerful symbolic representations of important psychological dynamics in my present life. It doesn't really matter. Whichever they are, exploring them has really helped untie some of the knots in my psyche.

Posted: Tue July 27th, 2010, 10:22 am
by Madeleine
I think doing something that uses up physical energy, whether it's walking, swimming, gardening, whatever, can help too, I think it also helps to concentrate on something too.

Posted: Tue July 27th, 2010, 4:27 pm
by Michy
I have thought seriously of buying a bicycle and taking up riding, again. I live on the edge of a city, so I have options; I could either ride through residential neighborhoods or on roads along pastures with animals. On our trip to DC this spring we did a bicycle tour of the monuments and it made me realize again how much fun bicycling is. Besides, I can always use a good dose of endorphins!

Posted: Tue July 27th, 2010, 8:27 pm
by Telynor
As someone who struggles daily with depression, it's a damn hard thing to live with. The best advice is to 'do something' to break the chain of depressive thoughts -- and yes, it does take a little while to figure out what is and is not going to work for you. If that depressive cycle has been going on for weeks, it's time to call a pro. Look in the blue pages in the phone book for your local Helpline number, it's a toll free number and it doesn't cost anything. The folks there are helpful and want to help, and can steer you to the right people.

For me, I have a little mantra that helps -- am I feeling Hurt/hungry, am I feeling alone/angry/afraid, am I feeling lonely, am I feeling tired? If it's not any of those, then I pick up the phone and call someone. If it is one of those, I try and fix the feeling.

Sometimes it is something as easy as picking up one of the cats for some serious cuddle time.

Posted: Tue July 27th, 2010, 9:47 pm
by Vanessa
Oh yes, stroking cats is supposed to be very calming and therapeutic. But obviously not when they start to knead you with their claws!

Posted: Wed July 28th, 2010, 2:58 am
by Margaret
Sometimes it is something as easy as picking up one of the cats for some serious cuddle time.
Cats are so wonderful for this! If they're the right cats, of course.