What principle helps you deal with stress and/or depression?

Question

By principle I mean something along the lines of "gratitude" or "helping others"....but feel free to include stuff like "getting my mind off things by listening to music", "walking in the park to feel connected to my spiritual side"
etc.
I'm trying to help some folks and have hit the point of "writers block"
Thanks for any inspiration
Be well

definition of depression: anhedonia, algesia, in- or hypersomnia, hypervigilience, hyperarousal of the HPA axis, etc, etc....y'know, the blues, the blahs, the psychodynamic and physiological state most mortals understand with that single word "depression"

Answer 1

Keeping a journal and writing 10 things that went right in the day before I go to sleep.

Removing the stressor or thing that is depressing me from my life altogether... I used to go to church and was really unhappy... then made a conscious decision to stop attending church... and stopped both believing in god and having a component of god in my life for three years now, and have never been so happy and content and peaceful in my life. Remove the stressor or depressor from your life, if it is possible.

Listening to my inner child, and stop heeding the advice to not see a doc and go on meds. Following through with staying true to myself and going with my gut feeling is a principle that helped me. Yes, I'm on meds for depression, but no, I'm not dope up like people warned me I would be, and yes I do see a therapist, and talking about my problems with stress and depression, finding solutions and ways to cope has really helped me and is worth the money not worth saving...

Courage to cope

Sleep late on a Sunday morning (instead of going to church)... and then in the afternoon, making a special purposeful trip to the library to listen to a concert/recital planned at the library that afternoon. Music and community uplift me. It's good to get out and listen to music and be with people. Even if just for an hour at the library. The main thing is to get enough sleep and get out.

Eating balanced meals at regular/the same hours everyday and going to sleep and waking up at the same times. Boy do these two things make a difference in how you perceive things and life... as well as influence your attitude to more of a positive outlook. (I slip every no and then upsetting the cycle, and that does a major whammy on me...and I should know, because I've skipped meal and gone to bed at different hours)

And these words of wisdom which I wrote for someone else on YahooAnswers! who was really bummed out.

I wrote them out myself... things that I thought of... and also a few that my mom is always telling me...

The person chose mine as Best Answer and told me that I really made their day... and it helped! So here goes:

It's all about attitude...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqlKP.kBDZENA1hcxlIsyacjzKIX?qid=20070306112328AAihF70

Answer 2

Like everyone else I have dealt with lots of both in my life and I have developed a few healing mechanisms.

Sometimes just holding a puppy is all I need to heal depression or elevate a mood. There is something about a new puppy that never fails. I just well up with tears of happiness.

Communing with nature. A walk on the beach is great. If the waves and wind are high I will sing or scream or bellow at the top of my voice knowing they universe only hears me. Nature is truly the most healing thing for me. The full moon over the water never fails. I walk and mutter and talk as i walk. I take in everything around me. I cry, smile. Whatever. I sit and look at tiny wonders of nature, listen to birdsong and am in awe of it all. Somehow this all heals me.

For the longest time I used the old, there is always someone worse off than I am. But I don't any more. That is a cop out. It is such a truth it needs not be stated. My strategy has changed.

Now I think, getting all stressed out is not going to do anything positive. It is best to stay calm and be thorough. Fretting is very counter productive. I think, "What is the worst case scenario of this situation?" and I go to town on that. I get silly or I get very honest and think about how that it is silly to get all stressed out about it.

Often when I lose something I find it faster if I do not stress.

Some of my frequently lost things I figure have a sense of humour. They find me when they are ready. My crystals and rocks are prone to that.

Yoga is always wonderful. The emphasis on deep breath and focus on the body is wonderful for stress reduction. I cannot recommend yoga enough. It helps with the breathing and that helps with stress reduction.

A night of comedy.

Answer 3

Best is the self reviving. I sit lonely or if not possible back in my chair and try to reach my inner entity for consultation to find the reason of stress and/or depression. Let me tell you I mostly succeed and once I find the reason try to resolve the problem in which also I gain success most of the time but at time I have to keep patience when it takes more time yo achieve success. Also, when I am unable to find reason, I contact the individual who I think can help me in such situation, and if even this also is not possible finlay I leave it to THE ALMIGHTY accepting whatever has happened . Further let me tell you I never sit back with distress and/or depression forgoing my present and future.
Keeping all un resolved stresses and depressions with my inner entity (every one has two entity 'i'exposed one & 'ii' un-exposed,"this unexposed intity is never exposed, even to self, unless truly tried by oneself") and sharing my all good achievings with others, with the gress of Almighty I am an perfect young old man at just my 60 yrs. in this month. How ever some time I face difficulty when who lives with me, within my most inner circle beyond family members, tryes to extort the stresses kept with my inner intity, how ever I deal that situation also on my own.

Answer 4

Please define what you mean by "depression."

Edit: I initially asked you to define your terms in the same way that people in R&S are often asked just what they mean when using the word "God". I am sorry if you took it in any other way.

"Depression" is an illness, but unfortunately the word is also used often as a hyperbolic descriptor for feeling a bit "blue" or "blah". As in people say "I'm starving" when in fact they are just "hungry," are "exhausted" when they are merely "tired." Your use of the phrase "stress and/or depression" led me to suspect you might be using in it this manner, and your reply including "...most mortals understand with that single word "depression"" confirmed my suspicion.

In my small way I am trying to point out to people that it might be useful to think a little more about the words they use. Also, in this particular instance, it should very much alter the answers you received. If someone is temporarily "blue" then a walk in the park might be very therapeutic, as might prayer/meditation or some reading. These things might also be of some value if someone is depressed. However, in most instances, people who suffer from depression need professional intervention of some kind.

I've known too many people genuinely unwell people who have been made so much worse by being "advised" that all they needed to do to get better was "trust in God." As if their illness was somehow their fault because their faith wasn't strong enough. I am not suggesting that you personally hold this belief - and I guess I am making an assumption from your words that you are a Christian of some variety, please forgive me if I am incorrect. This is just the one area where I can't sit back and say "each to his own," in the same way as I suspect many people of all faiths would have a problem with medical help of any other kind being withheld in the name of "belief."

By the way, thanks for the email, I am sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. My husband is currently in one of the depressive phases of his illness and I needed to be with him. Fortunately I myself am currently "in remission."

Answer 5

Exercising your mind, body and spirit. Walking, studying the Word, especially Philippians 4:8 because it is up-lifting, singing to the Lord and talking with Him, doing good things for others to get the mind off of "Self" and eating a healthier diet and maintaining a daily schedule.

Answer 6

I was in a mess of my own crap when a couple of beers, and following your questions made me realize some things about myself... In this case, helping others seems to be working. At the same time, stuff is coming out of me, and I can apply my own advise to myself! Generally, I have no set ways of dealing with my depression. It gets to a boil, and I get really crazy in my own thoughts. I wish I did have a systematic way of dealing with my depression. Pills are not the answer for me, based on my experience with them.

Answer 7

Helping others, thinking about what good things I have in my life and trying to focus on those, trying to do things that normally make me happy, like playing music, even though when I'm depressed it doesn't appeal to me. Sometimes it still helps me snap out of it. Sitting on the beach for a couple hours, smoking the ganj, listening to music that reminds me of happier times.

Answer 8

I think "gratitude" and "helping others" are great principles to use.

Another one that helps me can be found in Mathew, chapter 11, verses 28-30:

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Some others are:
- praying
- walking
- writing in a journal
- singing
- listening to good music

Answer 9

short answer is confident, you're already depressed and this would have long term consequences. you need to: (a) detect a transformation of ecosystem (im no longer too clean approximately what your objectives are so i cant suggestion you greater advantageous than that)... discover yet another chum/family contributors member which provides help to (b) give up the alcohol abuse... dont improve dependence to it. it is going to wreck your destiny worse than cigarettes, the two mentally (bypass wiki Korsakoff's syndrome, alcohol dependence), bodily (pancreatitis, pancreatic failure is extremely painful, liver failure, all varieties of maximum cancers risk worst being laryngeal maximum cancers) and your existence (you will no longer get a first rate job or charm to first rate employer by utilising being a boozer). Alcohol is in simple terms an exceptionally temporary answer on your temper swings. (c) its sturdy which you nonetheless attempt to locate something sturdy in existence. fact is: existence is perceived as in general damaging studies by way of way we are programmed. We have been made to benefit from our errors this is top to our survival. for this reason the physique will prioritize damaging studies mutually as make you crave for greater beneficial studies which will look sparse. sturdy component is that some people can retrain themselves and 'trick' their innovations; turning a damaging adventure right into a miles less damaging one or a favorable one even. as an occasion, over the years you will quickly comprehend that mutually as the girl who refused you became heartbreaking on the time and a actual knock on your self assurance, it became large to have properly-known her contained in the 1st place, to have expressed your desires than to no longer attempt in any respect and to take it as education for many greater different females to return. (d) no longer be fixated on one component at a time. ie. that's extremely basic to fall right into a seize of fantasizing of a manner out by utilising putting all your bets on a single component or blaming each thing onto a single adventure. The repercussions of this would be poor and longlasting. do no longer try this. Be arranged constantly. actuality is anybody is truly on my own in this international, that is in ordinary terms made greater relaxing contained in the employer of others. (e) you may attempt a faith. If there's no longer something to thank for, a minimum of there's a aim to blame.

Answer 10

Sometimes I get stressed out in my job or the "rat race" in a big city. So I try to commune with God by just sitting still and read the Bible. After that, I spend time in my garden- where communing with nature strengthens God's advice not to worry. He knows our problems and predicaments, so we let Him carry our burdens or problems by telling Him.

Taking care of my dogs help. And talking with your best friend or close friends. Sometimes talking with and helping my neighbor's kids, who are always happy despite their being less privileged and who have become my friends, really helps.