Medication or not

[Laynelove]

Hi guys,

 i know this problem is a major one for a lot of people so I wanted to get some insight on what works for you.

 i know I need to do something desperately about my mental state but I'm not all that keen on going on meds again. Even though I wasn't depressed once I went on meds I was sleeping constantly and gained about 20kg. They wore off after about a year or so and I honestly can't beat the thought of a lifetime chopping and changing medication. They also made my short term memory so bad and my vagueness was getting me in trouble a lot at work.

 I know that most people say that 'there's no amount of excersise that can cure your depression blah blah blah' but are there any natural remedies that people have actually tried and would recommend.

 when I used to go to the gym I felt really good but the second I stopped the depression came straight back. But then again the second I stopped meds I sank into a really hopeless state so I guess it's the same thing.

thoughts??

[PatT]

Hi Laynelove,

your issue sounds pretty familiar, definitely something I've struggled with. I've been on a plethora of different medications throughout my life - some have (like you've experienced) made me gain weight, made me lethargic and want to sleep all day, make my head feel full of cotton wool - all kinds of frustrating stuff. It can be an annoying process but from my experience there's almost certainly a medication that will work for you - it can just often be a painful process of finding out what it is. At the moment I'm in the best place I've been in about 6 years even though I'm on three different medications.

As for the natural remedies part - exercise, meditation and socialisation. I need to keep physically active or I can literally watch my mental health decline in front of my eyes. I've created such a forced routine of it that it's just second nature now - I plan my day with an hour or so for the gym or a run, no excuses.

Meditation helps heaps in setting me up to be in a good head space. I usually do it in the morning a little while after breakfast. I sit in a room (ideally as quiet as possible), cross my legs, eyes closed and try to literally think about nothing. It requires a bit of practice and there are heaps of guided meditations on youtube so give one of them a try. Meditation kind of allows me to feel grounded and present throughout the rest of the day and decreases my anxiety massively.

Finally - keeping in contact with people is completely necessary and if I isolate (which is sometimes the easiest thing to do) then everything quickly becomes so much worse. Speaking with people about even trivial things is the best way to get myself out of my own head. 

Hope this is some help,

Pat.

[Vegetarian Marshmallow]

Having time for relaxation; fostering a healthy level of pipe dreams; doing meaningful work; somehow working on yourself as a person (e.g. learn a language, audit how you affect the environment or other kinds of habits); thinking about your relation to the world/community, developing a strong *sense* of it; socialising; exercise; reading/learning about cognition, mental illness, what makes people happy, etc. to gain insight about yourself; taking notice of your thought patterns; taking notice of how other people work, relating it to yourself; getting the right amount of sleep (not too much); eating well and other general health.

Some of those are synonyms and may be vaguely descriptive rather than prescriptive (though it is hard to know if anything "merely symptomatic" is not rather synergistic and manipulable by degrees), but more possibilities for particular phrases to click/relate is probably better than less 😄

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Laynelove,

Thanks for reaching out to BB.

I agree with the other posts in that a lot of helping to manage depression can come naturally; things like seeing a counsellor, relaxation, mindfulness and yes, even exercise - not just because of what happens in the brain when you exercise but also because it just helps boost your confidence which in turn makes you happier about yourself.

There other natural remedies out there available for Depression including Vitamins (like for Mood) and St. Johns Wort.  These are much less likely to cause side-effects but at the same time they can be expensive and a bit of trial and error in what helps and what doesn't.  These are available through chemists and naturopaths.  I've also heard about Chinese Medicine and other therapies (like reflexology and naturopathy) in helping to manage depression.

I personally have only tried Mood vitamins which did help me but I would encourage you to do your research and chat to someone who knows a little more - like a pharmacist or health practitioner to get some helpful advice.

Good luck and I hope you can find something that helps you 🙂