What has helped your depression and anxiety the most???

[Dana1964]

I thought I would start this thread and maybe we could add things that we have found that have helped with depression and anxiety. I have Major Recurrent Depression coupled with anxiety. I think that either my Zoloft pooped out or it wasn't really working anyway and I slipped back into another bout. What I have been doing is...

1) Exercise...at least 30 minutes every day (1 month)
2) Vitamins...Omega 3, Vitamin D, B-complex, Vitamin C, Multivitamin, and Magnesium
3) Reading my Bible and praying
4) Getting out around people
5) Talking to a counselor

I take 150mg or Zoloft, 50mg Amitriptyline, and .05 Klonopin 3x's a day as needed--and they have been needed every day for a month and a half.

Any advice on what you guys found helpful. I am still feeling pretty crappy but not giving up. Thanks for any answers. ~~Dana

[Lin]

My list would be:

1 Meditation - buddhist and christian, on own and in groups - both teachings and different forms of meditation help me.
2 NHS courses - learned techniques and talked to people
3. Peer support groups - opportunity to talk to people with similar problems and who understand.
4. Reflexology - if find right person can be brilliant
5. Carer support - when my husband accepts this he is much kinder and less fed up with my depression and not wanting to go out
6 Essential oils - mix up my own and put them on a tissue I carry with me to sniff when need some comfort
7. Water - keep bottle of water in bag to wet lips when panic starts
8. Offloading - to mental health nurse who knows me, or to Crisis phone line who knows me, or Samaritans out of hours for other two and either can get help from someone who does not know me or just desperate out of hours to get help
9. Husband hides my tablets except for a week's worth - helps when feeling suicidal when not know where many tablets are.
10. Hearing how devestated my husband and son would be if I did something silly, and accepting this when desperate for peace.
11. Believing people that family never get over it if you do go.
12. Believe that you are not useless or a nuisance to your family and friends.
13. Having a doctor who has known me for a long time and understands how important my work is to me and that my depression is only ever because of hormone imbalance.
14. Keep trying advice even if not work at first give it a chance to work, the same for medication.
15. Ignore people who are ignorant about the illness and say stupid things, we know what it is like and they are lucky not to.

Long list but hope some of it will help others.

[Dana1964]

Thanks Lin...seems like you do a lot to help yourself.

[alankay]

All the above.
Seriously......
1. Getting truly educated on anxiety, how it effects folks, common "normal" scenarios, understanding anticipatory anxiety, learning self talk, knowing ones self, etc.
2. Ye' Olde Trusty benzo here and there.
3. A daily ssri.
4. A good aerobic exercise regime and a balanced diet.
5. Normal breathing and progressive relaxation.
6. Distracting myself.
7. A beta blocker.
8. Working with a counselor/therapist.
9. Proper sleep and sleep hygiene.
10. Sexual relations(lots) with my gal.;).
11. Dogs.
12. Minimizing caffeine and alcohol when more anxious.
13. Not reading the news so much when more anxious.

Alankay .....................:)

[Lin]

After reading Alankay list thought I would add to mine!!

I forgot to put in my list:

my two daily anti depressants and 8 daily diazepam, and my hormone coil and patches, and at the moment my two different painkillers (max 8 of one and 2 of other) and tablet to stop them hurting my stomach, for my knees.
I also do exercise - exercise bike and loose weights at home- until fit enough to go back to the gym and start swimming again (my knees can't do breaststroke and I can't do crawl arms!)
Sleep - also should have added it, but out of sync at moment, and although gone back up to two sleeping tablets this week, worked for two nights and then only 1.5 hours sleep last night.
Sexual relations - you have got to be joking - not only am I too huge at the moment, but my knees hurt too much, and hormones or whatever completely off it, but psych said normal.
No caffeine - drink green tea with little caffeine, and fruit teas.
Obsessed with getting apps, books and any info on menopause and buddhist meditation or anything suggested might help and also finding inspiring quotations to put in my recovery wellbeing tool kit (but don't read any of it sadly to get benefit from it just obsessed with downloading and buying it!!!)

Can't nick anything else from Alankay's list so think I must be there now.