Hi,

I stumbled upon your blog last month - i’ve been following it since then, and its a very helpful blog. The spacing of the posts is correct, the content is excellent - I’ve made this my homepage Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

–N

Really a good one.
One more thing which i would like to add is, Dont be alone at all. Try to have people around or music or books. Dont keep yourself idle, if you are idle, your mind will definitely keep thinking about the cause. Get involved in some activity or the other.
Try something new, something totally new and adventurous or do something which you procastinated all this while, i bet you will succeed in that and that will serve as a great source of fuel for you, it is a good medicine to.
Be nice with people when you are depressed, i know it is difficult, but give a shot, you will know the difference.
And remember one thing, EVERYTHING CHANGES

Again I agree with all the above because I have been there myself too. In fact my case was worse i.e. wanted to comitt suicide in effect. But you are right all of us one way or another in this life we have to face this transitional phase.

I know this sounds old-fashioned but I was in constant prayers and everyday meditating. This way both acts gave me a positive outlook in life feeling that there are things beyond my control and things in my control. Also, the family is quite important in all of this. My family knew I was troubled in my room and would check on me by providing me food, talking to me (even if banging outside the door) and constant support

In a few words– being patient with ourselves and knowing we can control our thoughts and deeds and leave the ones beyond our control to unknown forces or a supreme being.

N - thank you so much for your compliments. TDM as your homepage!! That is awesome!

Bala - you are right about being alone. Sometimes at night when you are alone it is the worst. I often wonder, though, do we become attached to having someone around us and therefore never deal with being alone?

SA - as always thank you for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to reading them whenever I write a post. Your comment reminded me of one of the things I wanted to say but forgot - it is okay to be depressed. It is part of life. Don’t always try to fight it.

Thanks guys!

TDM

Good points TDM. Speaking for myself in response to the comments, I can’t stand being around people when I’m feeling down. It’s just a distraction and distractions only keep my attention off the problem (and solution), dragging it on longer.

Out of your list, exercise is by far the greatest cure for all my emotional challenges. It can be hard to stay motivated sometimes, but it’s also hard to hate myself while running.

Brice - nothing like a good bit of exercise to beat the blues! Do you run or have something else you like to do?

TDM

…Be careful with the label “I have depression”…

I would clarify this one thusly. Recognizing that your depression is a disease is important because when you’re dealing with a disease, it is no longer about you. You don’t have to judge yourself for having some character flaw that makes you depressive — it’s not weakness or self-indulgence, it’s just a disease — like many people have, and learn to treat and overcome. And if you fear that it’s going to shorten your life, when you recognize that it’s a disease and not your own inclination, it’s easier to fight for your own life and health.

So I would say, labeling it as a disease is very important. Just make sure that you’re labeling the disease instead of yourself.

This comes back to seeing the depression as transient. As a disease, it’s passing, treatable and an external part of you. Don’t let yourself see it as a permanent self-label, character flaw or integral part of who you are. A crucial part of optimism is seeing positive things as permanent and owing to your own efforts and negative things as transient, flukes or just dumb luck.

Really well said Malika. You should do the posts for me!

Thanks!

TDM

Just leaving kudos for a great post! Found you via Leo’s blog. You succinctly and clearly state much of my own experience.

Thanks,
Jean

Well said. Depression is transient… I have started to visualize it as a cloud, in full knowledge that the sun will appear again.

I also agree that you have watch out for the label. I think sometimes I have allowed myself to really stay depressed because I thought it was natural because of the illness. But as soon as I stopped considering myself a depressed person, I stopped having the prolonged episodes. I now recognize it, acknowledge that it is there, and then do my best to find my way out of it, whether by expressing it creatively or analyzing it to see if it is something in my environment that needs to be changed.

Great post!

Great post, and it reminded me of a statement Eckhart Tolle makes in “A New Earth, Awakening Your Life’s Purpose.” He suggests that rather than saying, “I am unhappy,” one should instead say, “There is unhappiness in me.” This way, you are not saying that unhappy (or depressed) is who or what you are. It recognizes that the unhappiness or depression is merely a temporary condition that you need to address.

In some cases, a true chemical imbalance may require medication to help a person through their depression, but in so many cases, we have the power within us to overcome it without pills. Exercise, yoga, meditation, good diet, and supportive friends and family can all provide relief.

Jean - Thank you for stopping by from Leo’s blog and leaving a comment. Really appreciate it.

Kristi - I really like that visualization! Thank you!

BJ - As usual I love your comments… The temporary nature of depression is so important to recognize. Is that book worth reading?

TDM

A wonderful post that I am definitely going to take to heart. I do have problems with depression and by far my favorite thing is to go outside and walk in the sun. any problem seems better out there!

the point about negative reinforcement is an excellent one, I am going to take that into account with my phases of depression and anxiety. it’s easy to get into a negative cycle, and then to stop taking control, letting it get the better of you.

I’m currently giving up caffeine to help with my stress and anxiety, I didn’t realize it could help with depression as well - but personally I’ve found that coming down off it has made me a little more depressed, for obvious reasons! it’s best to take it slow…

Jennie - I am glad you are taking active steps to help your own situation. Good move giving up the caffeine. Check out our post on TEA HEALTH - you might want to replace the coffee with Green Tea. Even though green tea has caffeine it is shown to benefit people with depression.

Good luck! The Daily Mind will always be here for support and encouragement!

TDM

In answer to your question about the Tolle book - yes, I think it’s very worthwhile reading. Even if you don’t buy into the entire philosophy, I can almost guarantee that something in there will serve as a key to unlock a thought process that you might otherwise miss. It really provided me with new insights into how we think, feel, and act, as well as how we can positively influence those things.

Jennie - Replacing the coffee with green tea is very good advice; you might also consider white tea, or Rooibos, which has very high antioxidant levels and pretty much no caffeine.

BJ - I will check it out this week. Thanks. And thanks for all your great comments.

TDM

Very helpful post. Thank you. Something that has always helped me when I’m feeling blue is writing random lists of things I’m good at doing. The act of putting them to paper will often cheer me up, even if it’s just a little.

Karen - thanks for the comment and the list idea. I like it!

tDM

I appreciate many of your points here and agree with them. One challenge for me is I find walking or biking alone creates greater aloneness or loneliness as it gives me more time with my frustration and thoughts.

Previously, I was very much into working out at the gym, but as I had more time of depression, I had a greater reluctance to work out. I intuitively got your ’stale air / plastic’ gym concept in my recent reluctance to go back to the gym - it only seems good for healthy people. So of course a challenge is where to find some socializing outside - a little more challenging in the suburbs up North. But, understanding helps and I look forward to seeing other suggestions from you or other posters here.