Im depressed, what can I do to help myself feel happier?

Question

I've recently realized Im depressed.
Besides going to a therapist, what can a person do on their own to deal with depression? How can I keep myself busy and find ways to make myself happy?

Answer 1

Eating healthy along with exercise greatly help with depression if you are looking for a home-remedy sort of thing. As for medications, they can help alot. You don't have to see a mental health professional to get these medications. In most states you can go to a regular doctor and he/she can assess you and prescribe medication. Be sure that you communicate everything to them, because it is possible you could be bipolar. If you are bipolar, anti-depressants can trigger it and make it worse. Some antidepressants include lexapro, celexa, effexor, wellbutrin, and MANY others. For more info on depression try http://www.depression.com

I hope you find happiness and tranquility! God Bless!

Answer 2

There are a number of things that can cause depression.

If, when you get depressed, you start obsessing about something that happened to you as a child, that does not mean that those childhood incidents caused the depression. Sometimes, a medical problem, possibly even something as simple as low blood sugar, can predispose a person to focus on the negative incidents that we all have to deal with.

Depression can also be cause by self defeating thought patterns. For instance, let's say your father was an alcoholic, and you grew up feeling neglected, because he was always too drunk to pay any attention to you.

You might need to push that to the back of your mind, just so you can focus on other things. There's nothing wrong with that, if it's just a temporary coping mechanism, but if you always refuse to think about it, because it's too painful, that creates a problem.

Maybe you throw yourself into your work, and use that as a distraction. If you see some other people engaged in an activity that appeals to you, thinking about your desire to join them reminds you of what you didn't get from your father. So, you just throw yourself into your work again, ignoring your needs.

How do you overcome such a problem? Once you've identified what you're avoiding, you just go ahead and face it. If painful feelings come up, just let them come. In time, they will lose their hold on you.

How do you identify the problem in the first place? One method is to see a therapist. A therapist may be able to identify such a problem, not necessarily because the therapist is smarter than you are, but because it isn't the therapist's problem. Sometimes, even if you can eventually work it out on your own, seeing a therapist might simply save you some time.

There are some other things that can help, either by themselves, or in conjunction with seeing a therapist. You can read accounts of other people, who have struggled with similar problems. A sudden insight might also be sparked by watching a movie, or listening to some music. Zen style meditation can help, as one of it's goals is to increase the practisioner's level of self awareness. This can actually enhance the effectiveness of any of these other approaches.

Although I won't deny that some people have been helped by antidepressant medication, I do believe that stuff is over prescribed, and that most people who take it would be better off trying some of these other approaches instead.

Answer 3

You sound like me. That's EXACTLY how I've been for the past few months and I don't know why. Like...I read back on everything I wrote in a diary when I was 15 and 16 and cry because I know that's how I should still be. I have a good life, too. Great friends, good family. What you need to do is find what triggered these feelings. For me, it was when I was put in the hospital with immense abdominal pain. It started to make me paranoid. I'll recommend for you what I'm recommending for myself. See a therapist. Because they can help you get to the root of the problem and find out what's going on. ::EDIT:: I found what triggered my problems by thinking back to the last time I was just happy to be happy and then what happened after that. Your diet can contribute to it, but if you're going through the same thing I am, it's unlikely. I eat well (fruits, veggies, all that nonsense), but I still just feel blah all the time. Crying for no reason other than to cry. It sucks. Talk to your mum or dad about it and ask them if they can make you an appointment with a psychologist. Of course...my mum wouldn't believe me until I finally wrote in my jounal that I felt like I was going crazy because I couldn't control my own thoughts. Now she gets it and I have an appointment. :3

Answer 4

talk to ur therapist about antidepressents like prozac, but don't go buy over the counter without askin a therapist.
trying to keep in shape can help, so a little exercise and a few dietary changes might be worth a try. DO NOT try to starve urself and lose weight.
try doing something u like, even is its just watchin movies or reading books, anything u can do once in a while to calm down, but make sure its not something that puts pressure on you.
other than that, theres not much else u can do, but trust me a therapist and the counselling they can give you is the best option if its a more severe case of depression.

Answer 5

First you need to determine if the depression is caused by something specific, i.e., loss of family or friend, change in lifestyle, loss of job, etc. If it is caused by something you can work on identifying the thoughts you are having that are contributing to your depression. We all send ourselves negative messages that get reinforced through our mood and actions. Try catching your thoughts and turn them into something positive. Good nutrition, exercise, daily routine are all helpful. If you cannot find a source for the depression perhaps you need to see a psychiatrist. I wouldn't recommend seeing a general practitioner as they do not know mental illness as well as a psychiatrist does and that goes for meds as well. Be aware, bipolar disorder is over diagnosed. Keep track of your symptoms, mood, overall well being and document. Take this to a doctor for an accurate diagnosis, if need be.

Don't ever push an idea out of your mind, esp if it is a memory from your past. You need to deal with it. Not dealing with issues can cause depression!!

Also, rule out any medical cause.

Answer 6

I'm a naturally happy person but from time to time I get these sensations where I wanna just cry...then I know i'm going through depression. And it depresses me to know that I'm depressed (if u can imagine that) but none the less I do things that make me happy, crafts, reading a book, talking or playing with my husband going for walks etc..Depression does not always mean (suicidal or crazy) we have the right to get sad every know and then...

Answer 7

start an exercise routine. it honestly work. if you prefer calm then yoga or pilates and if you like something bit more go to gym or take part in a sports event. keeping busy is the best. also try get yourself to enjoy life, smile. dig deep - why are you depressed what is the root of the problem? start doing things you've always wanted but never get round to doing. hang out with friends and family people who love you...

Answer 8

try hanging out w/ your friends whenever you can. try doing stuff that doesnt involve any subject matter that might be the reason for you being depressed or something like that

i noticed you put this under marriage and divorce, if you are divorced, do what i said, try and hang out w/ friends as much as you want. try being with the friends that dont have girlfriends of wives if you can, if not, try hanging out w/ just them w/out their wives

but i wouldnt try going out to bars or stuff like that to have fun, cause all your going to do is see girls and feel even more depressed, try just hanging out at a house and watching tv or something or seeing a movie or whatever

if your married, try thinking of some activities for you and your wife to do like to camping, see a movie, go for a road trip or a long drive to get something that you can only get somewhere far away, its random but it always makes for an exciting and unpredictable day

Answer 9

im depressed too. i usually go to gym. it helps only during the time u re in gym, but anyway at least u will get good body after that , if u just stay in bed brooding about how unhappy ure u will not get anything out of it. also going for a walk helps, of course if the weather is good. travelling might help, but again, it will help only for the time u re travelling. when u get bak it will hit u twice as hard. im actually thinking now more about who will come to my funerals if i commit suicide, how arrange things for children in their future life and how many sleeping pills i need to put the end to my misery. but gym surelly helps during the time u re there

Answer 10

all you have to do is look at life as if it were a big joke. nothing matters. you are only here for a short blip of time when compared to the earths life. in other words, why not look at life as less than you think it is...example, babies cry because they have no bottle or they may be wet. but adults wouldnt cry over such things right? life is all about how we perceive it to be. problems are not problems they are mearly obstacles in our way in the game of life. we all die, no matter how happy or how sad we are. lifes a game, have fun with it!