Hey Pandas, What Are Your Ways Of Coping With Depression? (Closed)

I have existential angst. This means I worry about things completly and utterly out of my control. This leads to depression. What I do when this feeling butts its head is read things that make me happy. When I am feeling down, I always read about people having a worse day than me, because it puts my issues into perspective. If that does not work, I embroider while listening to an audiobook. By surrounding myself with things that make me happy, I can dig myself out of the pit of despair.

I don't suffer from major depression, so I know that this may seem rather flyweight. I go for walks. I put my favorite music on while I'm driving and sing along. If I'm at home (alone--I get embarrassed), I'll put on some really fun music and dance. I watch stand-up comedy for a laugh. I'll allow myself to indulge in some nice chocolate. And I give myself small tasks that I can easily accomplish and pat myself on the back for getting them done.

I like to go outside and write songs. I act like I'm someone important that people need to survive. It's weird, but it works sometimes.

I stubbornly keep on breathing and I ignore everything my head thinks. Depression lies.

I have a check list on the fridge of things I forget: keep warm, drink tea, take Zinc, being overwhelmed is a symptom you are quite fierce in reality, wear hat, eat proteins before noon, brush teeth before noon.

Apart from the obvious, antidepressants, I have strategies. However, when you have a bout of severe depression, it's so overwhelming that you just have to go with the flow. Even though I'm on a high dose of sertraline, I still have episodes. The last one was as recent as last week; I just laid on the kitchen floor for about 10 hours, that's it, nothing else, just laid there. But not all days/weeks are like that, most of the time I'm generally 'content', even 'happy'?

I have been struggling with anxiety and depression throughout all of Middle School, and into High School. Except no one knows about it, so everyone just thinks I'm fine. But I don't talk about it, because I am concerned about how people would react. Which really just makes everything worse. But some things I have done to help my self. I focus on the things that I do have. I am lonely and don't have many friends but, I realized that thinking senselessly about the people who don't care about me, doesn't help at all and makes things worse. But focusing on who cares about me, make me feel happy and cared for. Additionally, I have started a journal to record my thoughts that I have, when I go through a mental breakdown. Writing it down, helps me think about it more, and cope with it.

I like to walk around outside, I feel like it clears my thoughts. One of my main things to do is to pour all of my emotions into something physical, ie a drawing, and then destroy it. Listen to happy music, read, take a bath are standard go-to's. Hope this helps! and remember your loved, wanted and needed in this world. also If you feeling suicidal please call a hotline, the world needs you.

I do things that comfort me. I mostly just watch RuPaul’s drag race, eat food and play video games. I honestly just ignore it and let it build up. It’s not healthy but I like it

I have depression & anxiety. I used to believe it when I was told by media in various forms and by specialists that working or volunteering in something you care about, always helps people with depression. It Doesn't. Never believe that something Helps Everyone. I had a breakdown, then started volunteering after a while - that caused things to get worse.

How do I cope with depression? I read, if I'm reading I can mostly forget the real world, my real situation, my real future, I feel a bit better. My other coping mechanism is to sleep, even with nightmares sleep is far better than being awake.

If the anxiety worsens at the same time as the depression and becomes very, very bad I lie on my bed and look out the window. I can't do anything else except get to the bathroom as needed. It's like a weird paralysis.

In years past, I would cope with depression by drawing a picture daily of how my day had been. Write down 5 good things each day. Write. Just write. Thoughts, fears, worries, hopes, regrets, anything. Lie on the lounge with my doona and a pillow while my mother did things and I would just watch and we would talk unless I was too bad, then I just observed and Mum did her things and talked to me.

Drawing.

I don't have depression, but I think I might have some form of anxiety. I like to listen to music. And talk with friends. And clean. Cleaning really helps because it keeps my hands and mind busy, also I know that I will have 1 less thing to be stressed about. Also, something that REALLY helped me: a stress journal. I'm a person that likes to be organised, and it's kind of like a hard drive for my brain. I just write down what I'm stressed or anxious about and it helps me calm down. Also I like to look at it later and see how irrelevant that thing that I was stressed about was.

I've dealt with major depression for almost 20 years now. A few ways I survive:

1. Give my dog (who's passed away, so now my cat) a hug. I also talk(ed) to them
2. Read. Live in that world instead of mine
3. Listen to music
4. Journal (including keeping a gratitude journal), and just go back and reread
5. Sleep, so I don't feel anything

I try not to give myself to much importance. Meaning it’s okay not to succeed or to miss work. The world doesn’t revolves around you. You are not that important. For me, it takes all the stress off my shoulder and I can just simply be instead of doing and having.

Reading sci-fi and fantasy adventure books, the further they are from our reality, the better. Also working with my hands, and doing something good for others (I'm currently renovating my mom's apartment).

I have huge problems with my level of endorphins so..
I avoid ibuprofen
Don’t drink to much alcohol especially when I am in a bad mood.
Sports! Even when I think I can’t. (You can start in your bed raise your legs and try to hit the ceiling.)
I talk to people that I love about things that I love.
Sometimes I look in the mirror and make silly faces and fake smiles.
Avoid TV, Netflix and Co.
I read a book, a good one, nothing that tells you how to do something right!
No plans!
Feeding my pets.
Clean up my flat, then taking a long bath and put my best dress on and take a walk in my neighborhood.
Getting to bed and build up my own super hero world (super powers, accessories and villians) and try to sleep..
what all depressed guys do!? ;)

My favorite thing to do is to go to an isolated place, preferably outside. I will talk out loud to myself, the person who made me feel this way, God or really anyone else in my head and when I get it all out and feel completely emotionally drained, I sit back and appreciate what my senses can soak in.

Smell the fresh air. Look at the endless sky. Touch the grass, dirt, rocks, etc. Taste the fresh water in my bottle. Many people around the world don't even get those little things, for one reason or another, and we tend to take it all for granted.

So, in my head, I'm substituting the good for the bad in my life and reminding myself that it's better than nothing.

I like to draw and browse artwork and crafts on Deviantart. I also have a little crochet Blip. His name is Bill and he is my best friend. You can find Blips on Etsy, just search for them.

as i am a person who bottles up their feeling and lets them all out at once its hard for me to say this. But when i get really depressed i sit down on the couch and blast Juice WRLD through my airpods for hours.

RIP Juice WRLD

I listen to comedian podcasts like Conan Obrian and Marc Maron. While not all Marc’s shows are funny, he has suffered a lot of tragedies this year and keeps going. And he shares how he feels completely and honestly. We listeners feel like close friends with how he’s shared the pain of this year and I’m grateful to have someone along on my cruddy year.

I also watch live streams on the Explore.org site. They are a nonprofit that has 93 live streams around the world. The sun goes down over Africa about noon EST and they have a live cam in the wild. The polar bear camera in Manitoba shows the northern lights at night. And brown bears are fishing for salmon this time of year in Alaska. There’s even a kitten rescue cam. They’re all great for clearing my mind and slowing it down.

Well... right now nothing... (just cause for me it’s hard to deal with because my past gave me depression witch I still have) but when I was younger, I looked in the mirror and named out three things that I liked about myself.