+- kanji koohii FORUM (http://forum.koohii.com)
+-- Forum: Learning Japanese (http://forum.koohii.com/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: Off topic (http://forum.koohii.com/forum-13.html)
+--- Thread: Depression (/thread-11046.html)
Depression - HonyakuJoshua - 2013-08-06
I have depression and it effects my language work and study and other work to a ridiculous extent. I have to spend hours doing what should take an hour. I have read that others on here suffer with depression and would like to know their strategies for dealing with it.
Depression - Zgarbas - 2013-08-06
Therapy. It's seriously underrated.
Depression - SomeCallMeChris - 2013-08-06
1. Don't be afraid to take anti-depressant drugs. Don't be afraid to change them either if they aren't working or have side effects. (I myself don't have health insurance at the moment, but IIRC you're in Britain so should be on national health anyway...)
2. Take walks, outdoors, whenever weather permits. This gives you a) exercise (although you personally probably aren't short on that judging by past posts, but maybe you tend more to muscle-building and less to aerobic.), b) exposure to sunlight, and c) a chance to clear your mind.
3. Alcohol avoidance. Which I've been bad at ever since I quit smoking, but the effects are obvious. A few drinks once in awhile is fine, but daily drinking or heavy drinking are only going to compound the effects.
4. Meditation ; this was very helpful when I did it, although I've neglected the practice for some years now.
Talk therapy.... I've been there. It's okay. But the core of chronic depression is fundamentally a chemical imbalance in the brain. And talk therapy is -very- expensive and generally not covered by insurance.
It doesn't help that alcohol is both a depressant and essentially the only legally and socially acceptable mind-altering chemical. (Well, caffeine as well, and nicotine is still -legal- if fatal and increasingly socially outcast.) The social pressure to ingest a depressant is pretty powerful, and I'm certainly not immune. Resisting alcohol is probably the best thing a chronically depressed person can do for themselves though.
If you can't get regular sunlight, there are lights sold that are supposed to help with simulating or supplementing the anti-depressant effects of sunlight.
Intestinal bacteria also apparently have a powerful affect on our moods, there's some weird direct line from our large intestine to the mood centers of the brain. The upshot of that is there are peer-reviewed studies that suggest that probiotics (esp. acidopholus) are mood-elevating, which isn't -quite- the same thing as anti-depressant but is worth a shot.
Depression - HonyakuJoshua - 2013-08-06
thanks for the replies, but I was thinking more short term strategies for combating sudden bouts of depression. For example I listen to classical music, take an ice bath or lightly punch walls before I study in order to calm myself down.
Depression - Zgarbas - 2013-08-06
^ While I agree that textbook depression is only a chemical imbalance, it's a bit difficult to figure out whether you're suffering from actual depression or various other complications since most people aren't that well acquainted with their DSMs (so they misdiagnose what they have as depression). You can't treat yourself if you don't know what you're up against.
Therapy and getting diagnosed by someone who knows what they're doing is the preferable way to go, imho, and you can work out what to do from there. Continuing with talk therapy (or not) is a matter of preference, but getting properly diagnosed is essential.
Edit: There really should be a term for depression which is not the condition, but the sudden bouts. So confusing.
Just get more sunlight and exercise.
Depression - s0apgun - 2013-08-06
The three obvious issues that come to mind that cause depression is lack of exercise, poor diet, and low testosterone. Get those in check by seeing a doctor to have some blood work and tests done.
I highly recommend... meditation and incorporating mindfulness into your day!
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html
There are numerous health and mental benefits with scientific backing to the practice which you can find out more about through googling. Its helped me tackle a few issues I was dealing with.
Depression - Gaijinme - 2013-08-06
http://www.girlschase.com/content/how-overcome-depression
http://www.girlschase.com/content/anxiety-men-where-it-comes-and-how-stop-it
Depression - Aspiring - 2013-08-06
There are a lot of options out there, but for me the solutions were all related to the body (food, stress levels, immune system, sleep etc). The area in which I live in is a bit musty, so I've been trying to bike/drive a couple miles to the beach or to a local lake every week or two, just to get fresh air.
One short-term strategy is the "scientific 7-minute workout" at 7-min.com
+Any video games involving team-play
Tolstoy Wrote:Look for the causes of the evil from which you suffer in yourself. Sometimes it happens after a lengthy period of transformation of an evil which you committed long ago. But the source is always in you, and salvation from it lies in changes in your actions, your way of life*a calender of wisdom July 25th
Depression - dtcamero - 2013-08-06
regular sex has a positive influence on just about every aspect of one's life...
Depression - Animosophy - 2013-08-06
Never had depression so much as I've had anxiety and sleep deprivation. Most of my advice is probably regurgitated but what I've found useful in receding these issues involves...
Self-awareness. Be smart about your depression.
Intense exercise 3x/week or more. "Exercise is not a thing we do to fix a problem - it is a thing we must do anyway, a thing without which there will always be problems."
Hang out with your friends a lot this month. There's so much value in doing nothing (i.e. leaving your Japanese studies aside) with people you care about. Chances are it will never manage to escape your mind entirely, but that's the point; it keeps your intentions strong to work hard in the immediate future, and it always works for me
Also, when my anxiety interfered with my Japanese, it was extremely helpful to realise what others have mentioned already, namely that chemical imbalances in the brain are the root cause of anxiety/depression, and that negative/depressing thought patterns are manifested and influenced by this imbalance. Having said that, it can start to feel like you're just waiting for your brain chemistry to improve while still feeling depressed. It's a step up, but action still needs to be taken (exercise, be social IRL, etc.). I think these strategies will help you become a much more productive person.
Depression - uisukii - 2013-08-06
HonyakuJoshua Wrote:I have depression and it effects my language work and study and other work to a ridiculous extent. I have to spend hours doing what should take an hour. I have read that others on here suffer with depression and would like to know their strategies for dealing with it.Hmm... it is probably as different for each person as root causes are. I can echo you what other people have told me to do in order to "fix myself": exercise, routine, reachable small goals, medication, avoiding behaviour which brings about negative self-referential thoughts, etc. ... but while those things will generally work for everyone, it doesn't really change how you feel.
I also have depression, and a few other er, 'disorders'. The only thing- the only thing- which has helped wrought any of the few "reckless acts of personal harm", has been being very honest with what exactly I want in my life, what of it is realistically obtainable and what are some basic steps to move towards being apart of said lifestyle.
Though that has been working for me. Medication, therapy, etc. have been a ways to stop things from getting too much worse; safeguards, if you will- not a means to "cure" these illnesses. But everyone differs in how they view their personal involvement with these things.
I'm going to sound a little obnoxious, but I think that mindfulness is, if anything, the only vital aspect which needs to be present in your daily attitude towards your place in your existence. Regardless of whatever else you do to change your mood everyday, without a sense of mindfulness they will ultimately give way to that crippling sense of detachment in regard to your own existence. How you go about finding your place in the long term is probably an existential issue. Some find resolve in philosophy, others philanthropy, some poetry; the sciences, an enriching social life, etc. It isn't really any one thing someone else can pinpoint on a road map and give the command to follow.
A good therapist may be a good active listener who will be able to find focal points in how you go about talking to them. If anything, speaking with a professional about your issues can be worth the time just to have someone you can talk to who is able to pick up on what it is you don't say: something friends and family for the most part will not be able to do.
Depression - HonyakuJoshua - 2013-08-06
thanks for the replies everyone. I will take more exercise. With regards to therapy from a personal point of view this is very difficult. A therapist I went to see at uni shared information I divulged with other students and this has put me off seeing them, even though I sued this therapist and gained a fair bit of compensation money this experience shocked me. (No matter how much of a danger to society I was at the time her behavior was appalling) I think there are lot of incompetent therapists out there and I am personally extremely scared of seeing one because of the horrific trauma she caused me.
I do hang out with friends and am trying to do this more.
With regards to sex I have never enjoyed the casual sex and prostitutes that many of my peers claim to love...
Depression - undead_saif - 2013-08-07
I think everybody did a good job replying to dealing with depression on long term. Here's my suggestions: exercise, meditation, connecting with people, and doing something meaningful or having meaningful goals.
Regarding changing the mood in the hour, I suggest listening to music that can captivate your mind for sometime and result in a strong effect on you, the kind that sucks you in even if for a short while, because it will make you leave that state of mind and give you enjoyment, I think it's some sort of meditation.
Another thing is to watch or read something really motivating, the kind that changes your mood. Keeping a record of such material is a good idea. (I really need to do this myself
)EDIT: BTW, don't forget to have fun and enjoy yourself, and have a good laugh everyday.
Depression - Bokusenou - 2013-08-09
If you want something short term & Japanese related, reading AJATT always boosts my mood.
Depression - dtcamero - 2013-08-09
Thread Closed ;D
Depression - uisukii - 2013-08-10
。。。？