Depression

[Yogo_6701]

How do people deal with depression in their everyday life?

[Croix]

Dear Yogo_6701~

Welcome here to the Forum, there are many here who live with depression, and many who have gone on to lead a happy and productive life. So coming here to read other's stories is a pretty good idea. I'm assuming you are the person involved, though if you are caring for someone with this condition my answer still pretty much applies.

I guess the first and most important thing is recognizing there there is in fact an illness, it is not just some sort of personal failing. This took me a fair while.

I, and many others, have found the only thing that is really effective is medical support. I never improved until I had that help. May I ask if you are under treatment? Beyond Blue has a fact sheet on what can work here:

http://resources.beyondblue.org.au/prism/file?token=BL/0556

Apart from the medical side personal support is most important too. Although one can feel very much like keeping everything to oneself and withdrawing, even from loved ones, being able to make others understand and giving them the opportunity to care and help really is necessary. My partner's care made a huge difference.

There is a huge trap, which is when ill to judge oneself by the same standards one uses when well. In everyday life getting up, having a shower, breakfast and going to work, or the normal daily routine would seem pretty much unremarkable. When ill doing any of those things can be terribly hard, and if accomplished is a major victory - and should be seen that way.

Simply expecting to be able to perform as normal is setting oneself up for failure, and that can be pretty corrosive over time.

Trying to do what one can to lead a healthy lifestyle is good. Proper nutrition, exercise and if possible restful sleep, things that admittedly may be difficult. Also doing things each day to enjoy, anything from a book or TV show to a walk. A change of pace.

Recover is not something one should attempt in isolation if at all possible. Others, both medical and those close, all play their part.

Would you like to come back and say more?

Croix

[baet123]

Hi Yogo,

Thank you for posting and welcome to the forums. You will find these forums as a loving, caring and non-judgemental space where your concerns will be heard and taken seriously.

Croix mentioned so many wonderful points and there isn't much more to say so I will keep it short.

There are many different levels (severity) of depression and that is the same with many other mental health conditions and this obviously makes the way each person deals with their struggles. A few tried and tested methods of tackling depression includes:

• Practising a balanced lifestyle which includes getting enough sleep, eating well, going outdoors, socialising as much as possible (can be quite hard at times) and enjoying the weather, receiving a sufficient amount of vitamin D and exercising. There are all extremely cliche but they do work.
• Medication - Please see your GP and discuss the possibility of medication and whether medication is applicable to your situation.
• Therapy - Therapy is a great way to express your thoughts, emotions and feelings. A psychologist or a therapist will work with you and will assist you using therapy techniques (CBT and DBT just to name a few). Therapy in combination with medication generally works best.
• Talking and expressing your feelings and thoughts to your support network. Having a STRONG and SUPPORTIVE network around you is super important. May I ask whether you have a support network in place?

I hope this helps and if you would like to tell us a bit more about yourself and your situation so we can provide more specific information relevant to you that would be great.

Look forward to hearing from you again.

All the best,

Nick.

[Sophie_M]

Hi Yogo_6701, welcome to the forums.  If you're after some general tips, we have a thread on this topic already: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/depression/self-help-tips-for-managing-depre...

There are also a range of discussions in the Staying Well section: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well

You're welcome to start a new thread seeking support from the community on your specific situation, but as this thread is covering ground already covered in other threads we're going to close this one off.