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Importance of focusing on Positive with Depression & Anxiety.
In my journey with the millions of humans who are brave enough to go down the path of recovery without alcohol, bad drug and more drugs, I have gradually more and more discovered how important it is to crawl out of my deep hole, bad attitude, self-importance, feeling sorry for myself, angry, sad, etc, etc, condition and more toward the LIGHT!!! That means changing and moving for me away from some friends that are very negative about everything. That means walking around the block when I get upset so I can calm down and see the light. That means taking care of myself, exercising, eating right and meeting new friends and keeping old friends that are well-balanced. Positivity in life is available to everyone and it's FREE. I have gone on a path throughout my early days of self-medicating with lots of alcohol, drug, etc. I cleaned myself up in 1996, OCT 13th but I still did not feel right until I could ask for help from a professional. Found out I was GAD (inherited from my MOM) and a few other close seconds. I went on medication for years on various meds until I found the chemical that keeps me pretty normal. BUT, BUT...something else was missing because I still suffered through the negativity of every situation that I could create in a moments time.
I love these groups because you are honest with yourself which is very important.
Finding good friends that understand you and the importance of staying positive with your journey through life.
Taking good care of yourself.
We all are unique so what works for me does not always work for you. I'm on 20mg of Lexipro.
What do other people do to stay positive?
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While we may say we understand your pain, or that we've been there, truly no one can understand your situation or have been exactly where you are. Jesus is the ONLY one who can meet you in your pain and has the Power to change AND heal you. We humans have the tendency to only look at our situation on our horizontal plain while God works from a vertical viewpoint, seeing everything, everywhere, every time! Just to encourage with how God as worked in my life: i was physically dead from smoke inhalation, the doctors tried every chemical known to man to bring me back and when I asked what happened, the doctor said "Basically you died". After severe depression, in a catatonic state, Doctors said they tried everything, nothing worked, and unless they tried shock treatments, I would be a vegetable in a mental institute for the rest of my life! God did not let that happen. Bottom lines: Don't give up--not ever! God loves you and HE works ALL things for good to those who love HIM. I will be praying for you.
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1 ReactionIt’s true that no one can understand what another person is fighting with and I would never judge any person with what they are fighting with. We have to be encouraged daily by ourselves and friends and family that today we can get through the day. My brother spend 3 years suffering through multiple cancer treatments and passed last September. I learned more about compassion through his journey then I had in my 72 years. I said “I love you Bob” everyday I saw him. I visited him 285 miles (Grand Marais) away because I wanted to be there for him. I visited him in Duluth(150 miles) with Covid going on during his last days because he needed me and his kids needed me to be there and I needed to be there. I miss him everyday but I’m full of his life and journey all of my days. The journey can be full of love.
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1 Reaction@dianrib You said you doubt you will be here after COVID-19. Do you feel that you can keep yourself safe right now?
It sounds like you have endured tremendous losses and your situation is currently most difficult regarding a recent surgery and financial losses.
You said that you lost your spouse. May I ask how long ago they passed and if you have any surviving family that support you?
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3 ReactionsHello
I am new to this group but can relate to so many things
I have depression ,have defibrilator fitted,but more recently this Anxiety is raising its head a lot.
Not nice at all.
Talking regular exercise ,doing crafts Eating well ,and for once ,just being good to myself is what I do.
My dear Dad died recently , well 2years this week..and missed so much 😢
.I find comfort in this forum thank you for that.
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2 Reactions@hearttoheart1. Hi and welcome to this group with the focus on being Positive with depression and anxiety. Staying positive isn’t always an easy thing to do especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Anxiety is a powerful enemy! I know from experience it can fill our heads with a great deal of negative talk! I found this Mayo link to be helpful! https://www.mayoclinic.org/to-manage-anxiety-start-with-the-way-you-think/art-20390069
I’m so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you were really close with your dad. Losing a parent is a huge impact in our lives. The little kid in us, even when we’re adults, always seeks to feel our parents strength and consoling words...the hugs. When they’re no longer with us, we can easily feel lost. Is your mom still with you and do you have siblings? Discussing and sharing your feelings with other family members or friends can often help ease the burden. When did your depression start? Was it with the passing of your father? My dad has been gone 37 years and I admit it was difficult the first few years and I experienced anxiety attacks. Mindfulness exercises (back then it was called bio-feedback) were integral in getting me past all of that. It is doable!!
You sound like you’re very proactive in trying manage your depression and the anxious feelings. It’s not easy but I’m really proud of you that you’re taking all the right steps! Is there anything in particular which triggers the anxiety? And I guess the big question is if you’ve spoken with your doctor about the depression and anxiety?
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5 ReactionsI agree with Lori that finding help to curve the anxiety is important. A visit to the doctor will help get you going in the right direction. I suffered for years trying to medicate my anxiety with alcohol and drugs. I finally gave up the alcohol and drugs 25 years ago and got help from a professional. I hope the best for you.
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4 ReactionsI've never suffered from anxiety, fortunately, so I can't speak about how having a positive impact might help with that. However, I have suffered through two bouts of major depression that were so awful I've blocked them out. This post hit a raw nerve for me, so I apologize in advance if I'm overreacting. As many have said, different things work for different people; but for me the key was trying different things until finally something did work to get me out of them. For the first, I joined a women's depression support group and read everything I could to understand the dark hole of depression. I learned that two main neurotransmitters were involved: serotonin and norepinephrine. The doctor was prescribing antidepressants addressing serotonin that were not working for me. I read about Effexor, which addresses both, and asked her to prescribe that. Literally an hour after I took it, I felt a fog lift from my brain. Nothing, i.e. Effexor, other antidepressants, or talk therapy, was working to get me out of the second bout; so in desperation I decided to switch gears totally and tried acupuncture and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Thankfully, with the help of a brilliant Chinese doctor, who also had a western MD, that depression lifted after four weeks of acupuncture and Chinese herbs. I'm glad being positive helped the author of this post; but I think depression is a medically based disease like cancer that we can't will our way out of by being positive. I was in such dark holes I couldn't be positive, although I'm generally a very positive person. I've become interested in functional medicine lately and have been reading that scientists are finding connections between gut health and brain disorders like depression and anxiety. You can find out more about this by doing a google search. I've dealt with a lot of medical issues over the years, such as two years of debilitating headaches after brain surgery, chronic fatigue, various accidents and operations, malaria, etc. but major depression has been the worst by far. The increase in cases of depression throughout various age groups from COVID related causes is genuinely alarming and something we all need to watchful for. I just hope you won't make the mistake of telling someone with major depression to snap out of it or take a walk or be more positive and it will go away. For me those things would not have been helpful. Nancy
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5 ReactionsEveryone is uniquely different in chemistry, DNA , experiences, etc and so we can’t judge or know what’s going to work for them. That’s why going to professional help comes in to play. I’ve been to many psychologists and many other medical places to finally pin point out what will work for me. Depression, anxiety, sickness of any type all need to be cared for and analyze by doctors who can help us.
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2 Reactions@nla4625 Each person hopefully finds what works for them. It can be a challenge to face down our issues, and commit to getting better. Sometimes the relief is in the challenge, and the drive to feel/be better. Personally, I am excited when a member recounts what worked for them. It may just be what someone else needs to hear that day. Thank you for sharing your story!
Ginger
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3 ReactionsHi, @nla4625. Good afternoon, from the snowy east coast. Like you, I have suffered a lot of depression and PTSD during my childhood and adulthood. I agree that giving someone advice vs. sharing is much different. Not only do those statements hurt people but they sure made me very angry, which of course made me feel worse and feel guilty that I couldn't just snap out of it by opening the door and stepping outside.
When I feel like this, yes there are times that I still do, I take my dose of CBD oil for my anxiety. And I do take an anti-depressant and sometimes it's just not enough. When this happens I just wait it out if I can't get rid of it.
I am not a positive person by nature but have learned to think positively sometimes. I might say to myself, "It's only a few more minutes" or "this won't last forever." These might not seem very positive to others but for me, it works."
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