What do you do when you're depressed? What helps?

Answer 1

Get out and talk to friends. leave the house for sure. Staying at home in a rut only makes the situation worst.

Answer 2

It's important to recognize and treat depression as early as possible, which decreases your risk of becoming depressed again. If you pretend the problem isn't there, it's probably going to get worse. You need to watch for the types of events that contributed to depression in the past, and be alert for early symptoms.
Set realistic goals. You may feel overwhelmed by everything you "should" be doing at home or at work. Try not to be hard on yourself. Remember that depression is an illness and that you can't force yourself out of it. Focus on small, realistic goals to ease yourself back into your work and family routine.
Do what you enjoy. Even if you don't really feel like it, set aside time to do things that you like. Get together with friends. Take a walk. Go to the movies. Take up a hobby that you set aside years ago.
Hold off on big decisions. Since depression can color your outlook on everything, it's best to avoid making any big decisions—quitting a job or moving, for instance—until you feel better.
Avoid alcohol. Although you might think it will help you feel better, alcohol can make your depression worse. Depressed people are at special risk of developing substance abuse problems, and alcohol interacts with many antidepressants.
Exercise. There's more and more evidence that exercise helps with mild to moderate depression. When you're considering an exercise plan, don't be too ambitious. Find an activity that you like, start slowly, and work up to exercising three times a week or more for 20 to 30 minutes.

Answer 3

I prefer not taking antidepressants unkless it is a sever depression, but not for mild depression. Here is what usually works for me, I hope it will also work for you: Excercise (force yourself to excercise even if you are depressed and if you miss one day, walk for at least 40 minutes on that day you missed excercise). Also, if you have sleeping difficulty try Valerian - natural herb very popular and works in 95% of the cases. Again I prefer that on prescribed sleeping pills. I'm saying that because sleeping is important. some people do not sleep well when depressed and this makes the situation even worse, others sleep too much when depressed so take valerian only if you belong to the first category. Both excercising and sleeping well should help you tremendously. The key is - FORCE yourself to excercise even if you "don't understand" why you do it when in a bad mood. Excercising releases chemical that makes you happier and you should feel better as a resault. Good luck! please do keep in touch and let me know how you feel..

Answer 4

Lots of answers here by now, and I think they all help, depending on the level of depression you suffer from. If it's the occassional bout that is triggered by a certain concern, then do what you normally do to shake it off. If it's a chronic form I would suggest meditation, regular exercise, and a low-carb/low-sugar diet. These help me less extreme in reacting to whatever "depressing" situation that arises, and the depressed reaction, which is normal for any human being by the way, does not last as long and has less chances of spiraling further down while you sulk. Whatever is causing your depression, I agree, get your mind off it for a while, then when you have elevated yourself to a more stable level you will be better equipped to address the issue. If you have any artistic talent, (or maybe even if you dont!) you should explore them: sing, write, paint, sculpt, try your hand at any of these without setting any standards of genius on yourself, of course (because that might make you frustrated!). But please, I know the craving gets worse, when your depressed keep yourself from eating sweets or binging on carbs.

Answer 5

i used to cut but i totally dont recommend it.
I've learned from my experiences and its made me a better person. I get sad sometimes still but I avoid the habit.
Do something consructive. Something creative and something that will get your mind off of the world.
Draw a picture
scream into your pillow
CRY
let it out
just get all those bad emotions out
tell a friend
go onto message boards and tell ppl how you feel
if their decent they wont flame you
and if you do it right they'll give you great help
join afterschool clubs to stay busy and help you focus then you wont be sad
bake a cake
ride a bike
go for reaaaally long walks
long drives
talk with friends online or on the phone
theres so much you can do
email me if you need help
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

Answer 6

I usually eat...esp chocolate. (this probably only helps women)lol
I hear a lot about anti depressants...what happened to "mood elevators"?...like elavil...wonder if they still prescribe it. Think I'll put it on a question. ..OK...get in the light and out of the dark.look up at the sun or the moon. Get somebody to hold you and let you cry. Good Luck...you've tuned into the right station. Stay with us !!! P.S....You've got a newborn !!!NO WONDER YOU'RE DEPRESSED !!!! You've probably got "Post Partum Depression"...get something for it so you can take care of your baby. You're probably not getting enough sleep. Hope you're baby gets the hernia fixed. God Bless both of you !!!

Answer 7

I take medication but when the depression show I get kind of lazy and quit wanting to exercise and not watch my diet close enough. I went out walking today and maybe I can encourage to mood to go away.

Answer 8

I still don't know after loosing my mom ,dad, grandmother, and job within 3 months. I think it's something everyone has to deal with separately. I turned to drinking and that has become a bigger problem than the depression. Can't win for losing!

Answer 9

one thing that i do when i am depressed is i try and call some friends that i know are going to cheer me up and i also let my husband know what is going on. sometimes i write and that helps me from self harm. or i will try to find a funny movie on tv that will make me laugh and cheer up. but i always try to communicate what is going on with my family so that they are aware. now i do take anti depressants (effexor) and seems to be helping me so far. i also have severe anxiety. talk therapy has been helping alot too. hope that this helps

Answer 10

I find one thing to focus on that makes no demands on me at all and takes little effort. A simple hobby is one thing or maybe watching movies or going for a walk in nature. Dont answer the phone or let people make demands of you at the time unless its an emergency or you have kids to take care of.
If you take time for yourself every day even just a short time it can make you feel replenished.

Answer 11

I eat a lot of chocolate and watch George of the jungle with Brandon Fraser.
You can't be depressed while watching this movie! Chocolate is a natural mood enhancer.