Fighting Depression: Tips and Tricks

[BluesBoy]

Hi girls and guys,

I noticed that a lot of people ask help or advice to deal with depression and anxiety so I decided to make a “my take” to provide some tips and tricks that help me getting out of my problems (basically, unipolar depression and severe anorexia, that’s why I included eating disorder in the title).

Disclaimer: I do not pretend to provide you with medical advice or scientific approved protocol, I just give you what worked for me and some things that I still used when I have bad moments.

Therefore, you should seek medical help if you face severe depression or eating disorder or other kind of mental illness. I personally think that medical staff won’t cure you from medical illness, they can only help you and the solution is in you but that is only a personal opinion based (i) on my experience, (ii) the fact that I never witness someone who was cure within a psychiatric hospital/clinic. (I do not pretend to say the “truth”, again that is just personal belief).

So let’s start :)

1. Don’t self-pity : Acknowledge that life is tough not always fair and that you are luckier than you think you are

The first downfall of people who suffer depression is that they self-pity a lot, I am no exception, and are often negative people that will always look the glass half empty.

So, they will always tend to complain how the world is unfair and that they don’t deserve what happen to them. They are likely to be a bit “whinning bitch” like “why is that happening to me” “why can’t I be happy like other people” “why all this happen to me”. I was trapped in that mentality “why my mother die” “why can’t I have happiness while I did work hard” and so on and so on.

Well, the world is tough and fairness does not exist in the world, everything is not given to you, you have to earn it. And guess what, you are luckier than you think. Just the fact that you are able to read this sentence, it means that you have internet so a food, a shelter and you are not blind.

You were born with a psychiatric fragility and your mind plays tricks on you but remember all you have and be grateful for what you have.

I know that is fucking difficult to do but I believe that is the first step to break with depression: acknowledge that the world is tough that you certainly do not deserve that shit but that you gonna be tougher.

Also, don’t expect the other to be the solution because at the end of the day, your depression is your fucking problem so (i) don’t look for other to help you solve your depression (ii) don’t replace self-pity by looking at other to pity you because no one gives a shit of your life and how bad it is and how tough is it. You have a problem, it is on you to solve it.

So to sum it up :

- The world is tough and not fair, and you will have to deal with it

- Yet you are luckier than you think cause a lot of people had it worst

- So let’s stop the self-pity and complain to other people

- Let’s start to focus on what we have and how can we deal with our shit

Anyway, what you gonna do otherwise? You can either keep going with self-pity or try to get out of it.

Well, now that you have put yourself in the right mindset what are you going to do: be goal driven of course.

2. Set some goals

The second downfall of depression is lack of perspective, ambition and future. Well, life is shit and we already have an hard time to go through the day without swallowing a shit ton of pills and for those who suffers of eating disorder without the binging/puking shit that make you ashamed and like shit.

Hard to project yourself when you just pick days after days.

Try to break this bad circle and put some little goals to achieve and an activity you are gonna to stick with.

I don’t know, it can be study a new language, taking art classes, learning a musical instrument, doing a sport, etc.

For those who suffers eating disorder I recommend taking 2 goals: the one above and one related to your special disease so reduce the binging, gain weight (0.5kilos each month) or reduce weight.

Put some goddamn stikers on your bedroom, rest room, fridge, but each days or EOD dedicate at least one hour to this activity. You have the time to do it, believe me you have.

Slowly build yourself through this activity and when you start feeling like shit, think about how you can improve in this activity.

In other word, become a bit obsess with the activity you pick cause it will allow to have goal, to regain a bit of confidence as you will become more and more skill in it and you will become so obsessed about it that when the world collapses, you will think about this activity and stop focus on negativity.

Well, we do know the mentality we must have and we have set some little goals that we must achieve but that is not easy to do, so how can we maintain discipline and keep moving forward cause last time I check I did fail countless time to get out of that nightmare (after all I swallow pill for ten years lol).

Here are some basic things that might help you keep going even when you feel desesperate.

3. Everything must be clean and in order

Everything must be clean and in order and it starts with yourself.

I never had trouble with the clean part of myself or my room but I know that for some people it is a major problem to keep a good hygiene.

You can’t be in your right mind if you live in shit and if you are shity yourself so shower every day and clean your house/room/flat, EOD (every day is a bit too much and not really necessary in my opinion, I mean if you are not a pig no need to vacuum everyday but that’s up to you).

I did struggle with order however. For instance, I did not do my bed every day, I clean my clothes and dry them but did not tidy them and let them in a bag and pick from their and so on. Little by little you live in a mess, a clean mess but still a mess.

You cannot have a clean mind, if you suffer from depression, anxiety, if you live in a fucking mess, so everything must be clean and in order. Clean your room like you are about to receive the president of the USA or your parents or your date or whatever is important to you.

Seriously, how can you be in your right mind if you live here :

Clean the fuc... room

4. Cold shower

Yeah, in the morning you start your day with a cold shower and then an hot then a cold shower again.

It helps a lot to awake your mind and to feel alive in a sense.

This is pure bro science bullshit but I believe it works for me

5. Music

I believe that music has a major impact on your emotions and it can turn you in a juggernaut ready to conquer the world or it can end up with you crying in a fetal position.

Listen to song that either have a good rhythm or makes you happy or that will hype you up and make you want destroy the entire world.

Listen some AC/DC dude, no one feel like shit while listenning AC/DC

or listen some Michael Jackson :

Or listen whatever can make you feel smile or has a good rythm ;)

For hyped you up I recommend Hatebreed man, shit is good especially to the threshold as the lyrics are very relevant if you suffer deep sh... mental illness:

You don’t want to listen some emo shits or songs that you used to listen with your parents when you were a little child cause that will end up bad and we go back with the self-pity part where you are here wishing to be a child with your mother taking care of you or your father taking you to hike while you are now on your own. Don’t worry, you will be able to listen some when you get better but in moderation (yes I believe that you never totally cure yourself from depression but don’t tempt the devil and go for sadness when you finally get out of that shit).

6. Sports

You must do a sport, I don’t give a damn if it is running or cycling or even some curling or whatever sports you feel to do.

I strongly believe that the sports have a positive impact and it will help you produce some dopamine which will give you a bit of happiness that is fucking good news isn’t it?

It is also a good way to meet some new people and make some new friends which is probably something you don’t have a lot if you move to a new city while you were depressed (basically you know no one and you are not going to make new friends while being depressed).

When rugby ain't enough and you need to dunk your try

7. Walk outside and take some fresh air

Don’t stay inside all the time, I believe this is very bad for you and that you should get some fresh air each day.

But how is that possible? Simple, go back from work with a walk or get your dog outside or if you go back in a car, have a walk around the corner of your house.

During the week-end, get 1 hour of your time and go for a walk.

8. Get rid of your fuc… TV

Well, that’s it folks.

Ideally, you also want to build as much self-confidence as you can but I’m not gonna lie, that’s a fucking hard part if you are born with a negative mind and are prone to depression ^^’ I have no recipe for that and if you got want feel free to write a my take on it and I will gladly read it lol.

As a final disclaimer, I reiterate the fact that it is only based on my personal experience, seek for medical attention if you suffer this shit.

Finally, concerning medication, I’m not a good example since I stopped everything from one day to another. My treatment was light when I did it in comparison to what I took when I was a teen the first year I become ill. This is up to you and I think that medication makes you rely on it and less prone to really fight with all your heart and soul. Nevertheless, I do not advice to stop them, especially if you are on a ton of shit and swallow more pill than your grandparents.

Hope it helps some people out there to fight their depression, anxiety or whatever mental illness they have to deal with.

Good luck and god bless you.

PS : Sorry for all the grammar/vocabulary mistakes, English is not my mother tongue and I pretty su.. at it so forgive me for the mistakes.

[Dim1213]

Good my take. Depression is hard to deal with and no one but you will know if you have it. For me I have been depressed off and on for 3 months. Because of things happening and cause it flippen won't stop raining.