Best advice given about anxiety or depression?

[Kazza78]

Based on everyones different experiences, what is the best advice you have been in regards to anxiety or depression? Thanks in advance 🙂

[smallwolf]

There are really so many for myself to name one would be hard. But if I had to pick, it would my psych telling me in the first session to get virtual hope box. It has been my one companion since this journey started.

Tim

[Kazza78]

What is the virtual hope box? I am willing to try anything atm....thanks for sharing

[Ggrand]

Hello Kazza,

Welcome to the forums..

Different things work for different people, When my anxiety is high and heading towards a panic attack I try to distract myself with doing things I like..internet games, puzzles, music, reading some watch to, but I don't really like it, my favourite for me..is to play an instrumental reasonably loud through my earphones.then select an instrument, and follow it right through the music, that way my concentration is on only that instrument usually by the wand of the song my anxiety has settled down enough for me to function better...also I have several grounding boxes prepared in case I need grounding when out...

We have a thread called.." grounding what is it and how do you". That will explain about grounding yourself while around your home, in the car or if your out and about the shops etc....

I also have the virtual hope box, thanks to Tim's mentioning it before, it's a phone app...

I hope you have a good day today, better then yesterday..

Kind and caring thoughts.

Grandy......

[smallwolf]

(Not to go off on a tangent given the thread title, it is an app from google play store to run on your phone. Also note this is not a sales pitch. But I have the app very helpful for myself.

A hope box or self soothing kit is a tool used by clinicians with patients expressing suicidal ideation, significant distress, or otherwise at risk of suicidal or non-suicidal self harm. A "Virtual Hope Box" takes the common hope box practices and puts these onto a phone. The app (of the same name) contains...

• remind me (photos),
• distraction games,
• quotes,
• guided meditations (only 4 minutes long each),
• access to support numbers (added from your contacts list)

The purpose of the app is to remind users of positive experiences, reasons for living, people who care about them, or coping resources. Despite my skepticism, the word search game, which contains only positive words can turn my around my negative and hateful thought around. I have to play it 3-5 times in a row, but it really does help (me).)

As a PS to the above... are you getting any help for you anxiety and depression? Or are you trying to go it alone? Does anyone (family or friends) know what you are going through?

Tim

[Kazza78]

Have an amazing support network and seen drs etc. Was going ok for 2 months and boom...it hit again. Struggling to get through the days and have nothing to be sad or anxious about. I have the dream life but just find it hard to be happy. It sucks!! Thanks for asking

[Ggrand]

Hello Kazza,

It doesn't matter who we are, what we have, were we live, depression just decides okay, your mine and it takes hold of us then all we can do is try our best to get past it the best way we can.

We have to try to keep our minds busy, we have to distract our minds from our unhealthy thoughts, I think the best way to do this by picking something that you like doing and putting all your concentration into doing it because your brain can only think of one thought at a time, which means if you're thinking about what you doing, you can't think of negative thoughts at the same time, so distraction is the best way that I find to help me....maybe it can work for you as well...

This is your thread now to talk as little or as much as you want to...

kind and caring thoughts..

Grandy....

[blondguy]

Hi Kazza78

Thankyou for the great thread topic and welcome!

Im not sure if you have diagnosed anxiety/depression yet I will answer your question from someone that used to have chronic anxiety followed by depression

• The earlier anxiety is treated the better our recovery will be
• The later our anxiety is treated, our symptoms may exacerbate (unfortunately)
• In some cases untreated anxiety symptoms can result in depression
• A GP can be a godsend.....I still see mine every 4 weeks for a fine tune
• Depending on the severity of the symptoms, meds can provide us with a solid platform on which we can recover more effectively using frequent counseling

The forums are a safe and non judgemental place where you can post Kazza.

May I ask if your anxiety/depression has an effect on your day to day quality of life?

my kind thoughts for you

Paul