Will i ever feel happy again? or is this forever? can you help?

Question

i have had depression for 4 years now...i don't sleep well, can't concentrate, isolated, you know all the symptoms. i have tried many anti-depressants (zoloft, prozac, effexor, xanax, remeron)
but they didn't make me feel better at all.... i dont really know what is exactly wrong with me...i just dont feel as good as a use to....i feel like i a person without a soul....

serious answers please........

can you help?

Answer 1

Ok, I think I can help you, but it will require effort on your part. The truth of the matter is whats wrong is you are not happy. I know that statement sounds like restating the problem, but it's not.

To be happy you can't just pop a pill...well you can, but it's not a permanent solution, it's like using gasoline when you could go find a perpetual motion device. You have to decide to enjoy your existance, what ever that may entail at any given time. Ultimately it is YOU who decides how to react to a situation.

Lets pretend you don't like carrots in fact you hate carrots. Now lets pretend you are stranded somewhere and all you have just found a wild garden of carrots. Now you haven't eaten in days and you are starving. Obviously you will eat the carrots, but the question is HOW? Will you eat the carrots and hate it and decide that life must want you to suffer because all it has given you is carrots, or will you be ecstatic and revitalized just to have any food at all? It's all a matter of perspective and all you have to do is find a way to change your perspective so that you find the best parts of the crappy situation and you go from there. You are what you eat (think) ;)

On top of the right perspective, excersice helps IMMENSLY. in a recent study (all references linked below) scientists found that depressed mice have much lower rates of neurogenisis (new brain cell formation), which is intrinsic in learning. Mice that exercised have much higher rates of neurogenisis and did not show signs of depression.

For concentration, there is good ol' meditation. It takes a little time and effort to get down, but it is very worthwhile. It promotes glial neurogenisis in the frontal cortex (Einstien had an abnormally high glial count; glials are a parallel chemical computational network) and improves concentration abilities, spacial reasoning abilities, and learning functions (not to mention its a big time stress reducer) More an more doctors are recommending it for the elderly as it keeps you sharp in old age. Start meditating by sitting comfortably, eyes closed, and breathe in and out through your nose. Concentrate only on the feeling of your breath entering and exiting through your nose. Think of nothing but this. If you notice yourself starting to follow a thought, change your focus back to your breathing. Do this for 5-10 minutes a day for a week or two, and then tag on an extra 5 minutes. Do this each week until you are up to 45 minutes (not need to go further then this really). There are other forms of meditation, but you will have to look into that yourself. I honestly hope this helps. Good luck brother!

Answer 2

I know where you are coming from for I suffer the same problems. Basically I have come to terms with it and I have just tried to accept it and make the best out of it. Contray to popular belief medicine only helps a little bit. It is truly you who can help yourself. Believing in yourself is so important especially when you have depression. I suffer from depression, bipolar and PTSD so I encounter may problems also. Just learn to believe in yourself and it will help tremendously. Most people will think this is foolish but when you wake up every morning face the mirror and tell yourself you can get through the day and compliment yourself. Never use "if" statements you need to use "I will" trust me this helps. I hope this helps. (Everyone has a soul no matter who they are you just can't always feel it)

Answer 3

I'm curious and I want to ask you to consider an experiment.
I'm thinking about How I sometimes get locked into an idea of myself as - let's say selfish or lazy. And how I sometimes play a kind of acting game with myself whereby I become the person I would rather be. I actually begin to act out my life differently. Do you know that it often produces subtle changes in my behavior and in how I view myself. What if you were to select an alternate for 'no remorse". You would not have to give 'no remorse' up. You could just set it aside and assign yourself an identity closer to how you would like to function. Think of it as play - but, serious play. You might have fun with it and discover some interesting things about yourself. I wish you well.

Answer 4

I wish i really knew what to tell you but unfortunately i don't.I have suffered from dpression all my life and currently am again and now i have a daughter so it's worse because i don't want to affect her and i know that i am cause all i wanna do is sleep and i don't want to go to school or do anything right now just sleep my life away if that's possible.I was on an anti-depressant but it didn't work that well and so i got off of it and now i'm just getting all sad again and it sucks i don't know what to do either.Hope you find some good answers that can help me to,wish you lots of luck.

Answer 5

You are just feeling empty and alone inside. You want more out of life than just the material satisfaction. Your soul is craving for a meaningful life. Just like the physical body that needs food to sustain the body. The soul also needs spiritual food to feel whole and alive. I don't know if you believe in spirituality, but please give yourself the chance and go on the internet to search for chakras. Balancing your chakras and meditating (any meditations) 2 hours every day can really help you be able to deal with your feelings of separation and loneliness. Please help yourself and give yourself 2 hours every day to go within, you will feel SO SO SO much better.
May you be able to find inner peace.

Answer 6

I have tried all those anti depressants myself. What I have found that works, and I found it from alot of research I did on the net. Cut out caffeine, alcohol and refined sugar from my diet totally and foods that are pre packaged. Drink tons of water, eat plenty of fruit and grains and exercise every day. It really works, it made a huge difference with me.

Answer 7

Talk to a shrink. If the meds don't help, you've got nothing to lose talking to somebody.