Wow. All these comments were encouraging, and calming. Like most of you, I tried many antidepressants; total waste of time and money....and worry. I am blessed to realize that my depression is usually caused by my physical and skeletal issues. Extreme weakness and fatigue eventually wears me down to the point of tears. Worries about grown children and their problems...on and on. I'm sure most of you get that.
What I have learned [no preaching intended] is that the more I turn to Heavenly Father, and the scriptures, the more I realize I don't need those "other" things, like medications, which don't help anyway. What I do need is more of our Savior, and His example and teachings. He can offer peace that no mortal can. This is my choice. I cannot tell anyone else what to do; just offering my thoughts/feelings.
i think my depression is just normal. my MS depresses me, and can also cause depression. my early binge/purge dysmorphic attitude towards my life, cutting, like that, were all mixed together. thank goodness i got older & stopped doing things like that. no more illegal drugs, coming down was extremely depressing.
any antidepressants i was ever given all made my MS symptoms worse, so stopped them all, slowly weaned myself off.
best cure for depression? coffee, walking or scooting (as i can't really walk safely outside anymore) in fresh air, reading or rereading a book you love, watching a movie or tv show you love, dancing if you can, get your blood going... just moving around might help. don't forget the coffee. a legal drug. with milk, you can taste the coffee better with some milk. best of luck & a happy, healthy new year, oh, ice cream. eat some ice cream, your favorite flavor.
i think my depression is just normal. my MS depresses me, and can also cause depression. my early binge/purge dysmorphic attitude towards my life, cutting, like that, were all mixed together. thank goodness i got older & stopped doing things like that. no more illegal drugs, coming down was extremely depressing.
any antidepressants i was ever given all made my MS symptoms worse, so stopped them all, slowly weaned myself off.
best cure for depression? coffee, walking or scooting (as i can't really walk safely outside anymore) in fresh air, reading or rereading a book you love, watching a movie or tv show you love, dancing if you can, get your blood going... just moving around might help. don't forget the coffee. a legal drug. with milk, you can taste the coffee better with some milk. best of luck & a happy, healthy new year, oh, ice cream. eat some ice cream, your favorite flavor.
How your lifestyle interventions such as those on Mayo's website recommended are doing?:
Lifestyle and home remedies
To help relieve the signs and symptoms of MS, try to:
Get plenty of rest. Look at your sleep habits to make sure you're getting the best possible sleep. To make sure you're getting enough sleep, you may need to be evaluated — and possibly treated — for sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea.
Exercise. If you have mild to moderate MS, regular exercise can help improve your strength, muscle tone, balance and coordination. Swimming or other water exercises are good options if you have intolerance to heat. Other types of mild to moderate exercise recommended for people with MS include walking, stretching, low-impact aerobics, stationary bicycling, yoga and tai chi.
Cool down. MS symptoms may worsen when the body temperature rises in some people with MS. Avoiding exposure to heat and using devices such as cooling scarves or vests can be helpful.
Eat a balanced diet. Since there is little evidence to support a particular diet, experts recommend a generally healthy diet. Some research suggests that vitamin D may have potential benefit for people with MS.
Relieve stress. Stress may trigger or worsen your signs and symptoms. Yoga, tai chi, massage, meditation or deep breathing may help.
How your lifestyle interventions such as those on Mayo's website recommended are doing?:
Lifestyle and home remedies
To help relieve the signs and symptoms of MS, try to:
Get plenty of rest. Look at your sleep habits to make sure you're getting the best possible sleep. To make sure you're getting enough sleep, you may need to be evaluated — and possibly treated — for sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea.
Exercise. If you have mild to moderate MS, regular exercise can help improve your strength, muscle tone, balance and coordination. Swimming or other water exercises are good options if you have intolerance to heat. Other types of mild to moderate exercise recommended for people with MS include walking, stretching, low-impact aerobics, stationary bicycling, yoga and tai chi.
Cool down. MS symptoms may worsen when the body temperature rises in some people with MS. Avoiding exposure to heat and using devices such as cooling scarves or vests can be helpful.
Eat a balanced diet. Since there is little evidence to support a particular diet, experts recommend a generally healthy diet. Some research suggests that vitamin D may have potential benefit for people with MS.
Relieve stress. Stress may trigger or worsen your signs and symptoms. Yoga, tai chi, massage, meditation or deep breathing may help.
thank you, yes. i try to do those things, not verŷ good at sleeping, really bad at diet control, but i weigh @80 lbs, and none of my blood tests haven shown a dangerous increase in sugar.
Getting overheated is my biggest problem. Where I live the heat in every room but my own is super hot and outside is very cold. If I shake too much with cold I overheat. It's a very tricky balance. Thanks for your concern.
Also I have been thinking about what i wrote and worryI may have been too blythe. People with serious clinical depression need to see their doctors and try to get help. I have lost too many friends over the years to suicide. You may get so depressed you stop caring about the people you leave behind.
If that's what you're feeling and don't trust anyone & feel like you have no one to talk to, call a hot line. In America call 988. In the UK call +44-08006890880
Hi Shelia, it's an interesting question. My form of depression is supposedly temporary in nature. However, no one has ever used the word "cure" in relation to my treatment. At worst, my PHQ-9 was in the twenties and now down under 5. I am monitored by a social worker with monthly check-ins.
I would have to disagree with those who say medications are not helpful. They are, but reactions vary. I had some bad experiences when I was on two anti-depressants at the same...overmedicated.
For me, talking to a therapist has been so helpful. She is phenomenal.
Also, journaling helps. I started to do that before I just broke down in July, 2022. I look back on those notes and have been amazed where my mind was and how I felt.
I exercise a lot. I do go to a lot of social activities. There are group hikes in my area, top-rope climbing, book clubs, volleyball. Next for me is tai chi. What I don't do is sit still.
Are there moments where I am depressed? Yes, I get very sad at times. Usually a triggering event. The last time was Christmas morning at 2:00 a.m. I went downstairs and wrote about it. The theme was love. I missed love in my life. I realized I did not love myself. I realized I will never truly come out of my depression until I address this. All along I have let others own my feelings (how I should feel about others and myself), but this was not good for me.
I would say it was a breakthrough because I finally expressed it. My next venture is to find love for myself and a love that will sustain my purpose in life. I am not necessarily talking romance as much as just finding a passion to embrace. A tall order but I think I am up for it.
I am concerned by the comments that downplay the value of medication in treating depression. Medication may not be appropriate for everyone but some of us could not mange without. I exercise regularly and try to eat reasonably healthy. I have no external reason for depression, but it is something i live with. If someone was suffering from a physical illness you wouldn’t tell them to get over it.
The comment “ to just get over it “ was what my Ex-wife said to me ! We had separated and I was trying to get things in a better place, but I was suffering from deep anxiety and depression, not an easy thing to do, and she said that…. It was just so cruel and shocking that I was not able to say anything! It wasn’t just that, but it made me eventually realize that it was more about her and not about how I felt about anything. Sometimes you just have to accept that some people are too toxic to be around any more. The mind can change slowly but you have to be willing to change the environment that makes you sick too.
Hi Shelia, it's an interesting question. My form of depression is supposedly temporary in nature. However, no one has ever used the word "cure" in relation to my treatment. At worst, my PHQ-9 was in the twenties and now down under 5. I am monitored by a social worker with monthly check-ins.
I would have to disagree with those who say medications are not helpful. They are, but reactions vary. I had some bad experiences when I was on two anti-depressants at the same...overmedicated.
For me, talking to a therapist has been so helpful. She is phenomenal.
Also, journaling helps. I started to do that before I just broke down in July, 2022. I look back on those notes and have been amazed where my mind was and how I felt.
I exercise a lot. I do go to a lot of social activities. There are group hikes in my area, top-rope climbing, book clubs, volleyball. Next for me is tai chi. What I don't do is sit still.
Are there moments where I am depressed? Yes, I get very sad at times. Usually a triggering event. The last time was Christmas morning at 2:00 a.m. I went downstairs and wrote about it. The theme was love. I missed love in my life. I realized I did not love myself. I realized I will never truly come out of my depression until I address this. All along I have let others own my feelings (how I should feel about others and myself), but this was not good for me.
I would say it was a breakthrough because I finally expressed it. My next venture is to find love for myself and a love that will sustain my purpose in life. I am not necessarily talking romance as much as just finding a passion to embrace. A tall order but I think I am up for it.
@mikekennedy759 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I am glad to read your story, and see how you have utilized different methods to work through your depression and come out the other side successfully. We all have to experiment a bit to find what works best for us. Thank you for giving us all some great examples!
Ginger
Thank you Ginger. I am new here and always welcome any feedback about my comments. We all come from different paths and have pearls of wisdom to share.
Hi Shelia, it's an interesting question. My form of depression is supposedly temporary in nature. However, no one has ever used the word "cure" in relation to my treatment. At worst, my PHQ-9 was in the twenties and now down under 5. I am monitored by a social worker with monthly check-ins.
I would have to disagree with those who say medications are not helpful. They are, but reactions vary. I had some bad experiences when I was on two anti-depressants at the same...overmedicated.
For me, talking to a therapist has been so helpful. She is phenomenal.
Also, journaling helps. I started to do that before I just broke down in July, 2022. I look back on those notes and have been amazed where my mind was and how I felt.
I exercise a lot. I do go to a lot of social activities. There are group hikes in my area, top-rope climbing, book clubs, volleyball. Next for me is tai chi. What I don't do is sit still.
Are there moments where I am depressed? Yes, I get very sad at times. Usually a triggering event. The last time was Christmas morning at 2:00 a.m. I went downstairs and wrote about it. The theme was love. I missed love in my life. I realized I did not love myself. I realized I will never truly come out of my depression until I address this. All along I have let others own my feelings (how I should feel about others and myself), but this was not good for me.
I would say it was a breakthrough because I finally expressed it. My next venture is to find love for myself and a love that will sustain my purpose in life. I am not necessarily talking romance as much as just finding a passion to embrace. A tall order but I think I am up for it.
What a beautiful post@mikekennedy759! I know all the strategies you mentioned are excellent for keeping depression at bay, if not conquering it! The only thing in my case is that I have trouble keeping up with them. Even when I know they are good for me to do. That is the nature of depression. It has a way of smothering you that keeps you from doing much of anything. But I will keep trying even if I don’t keep up with socializing, journaling and exercise. Even doing one of these things is a measure of success in my book!
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Wow. All these comments were encouraging, and calming. Like most of you, I tried many antidepressants; total waste of time and money....and worry. I am blessed to realize that my depression is usually caused by my physical and skeletal issues. Extreme weakness and fatigue eventually wears me down to the point of tears. Worries about grown children and their problems...on and on. I'm sure most of you get that.
What I have learned [no preaching intended] is that the more I turn to Heavenly Father, and the scriptures, the more I realize I don't need those "other" things, like medications, which don't help anyway. What I do need is more of our Savior, and His example and teachings. He can offer peace that no mortal can. This is my choice. I cannot tell anyone else what to do; just offering my thoughts/feelings.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
7 Reactionsi think my depression is just normal. my MS depresses me, and can also cause depression. my early binge/purge dysmorphic attitude towards my life, cutting, like that, were all mixed together. thank goodness i got older & stopped doing things like that. no more illegal drugs, coming down was extremely depressing.
any antidepressants i was ever given all made my MS symptoms worse, so stopped them all, slowly weaned myself off.
best cure for depression? coffee, walking or scooting (as i can't really walk safely outside anymore) in fresh air, reading or rereading a book you love, watching a movie or tv show you love, dancing if you can, get your blood going... just moving around might help. don't forget the coffee. a legal drug. with milk, you can taste the coffee better with some milk. best of luck & a happy, healthy new year, oh, ice cream. eat some ice cream, your favorite flavor.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsHow your lifestyle interventions such as those on Mayo's website recommended are doing?:
Lifestyle and home remedies
To help relieve the signs and symptoms of MS, try to:
Get plenty of rest. Look at your sleep habits to make sure you're getting the best possible sleep. To make sure you're getting enough sleep, you may need to be evaluated — and possibly treated — for sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea.
Exercise. If you have mild to moderate MS, regular exercise can help improve your strength, muscle tone, balance and coordination. Swimming or other water exercises are good options if you have intolerance to heat. Other types of mild to moderate exercise recommended for people with MS include walking, stretching, low-impact aerobics, stationary bicycling, yoga and tai chi.
Cool down. MS symptoms may worsen when the body temperature rises in some people with MS. Avoiding exposure to heat and using devices such as cooling scarves or vests can be helpful.
Eat a balanced diet. Since there is little evidence to support a particular diet, experts recommend a generally healthy diet. Some research suggests that vitamin D may have potential benefit for people with MS.
Relieve stress. Stress may trigger or worsen your signs and symptoms. Yoga, tai chi, massage, meditation or deep breathing may help.
I say this cuz I am a firm believer and 'practicer' as I do all what I still can to my Optimal benefit. It's one thing that have essentially No Side Effects. Good luck!
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-to-cure-depression/?pg=2&signin=true#ch-login-form
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4 Reactionsthank you, yes. i try to do those things, not verŷ good at sleeping, really bad at diet control, but i weigh @80 lbs, and none of my blood tests haven shown a dangerous increase in sugar.
Getting overheated is my biggest problem. Where I live the heat in every room but my own is super hot and outside is very cold. If I shake too much with cold I overheat. It's a very tricky balance. Thanks for your concern.
Also I have been thinking about what i wrote and worryI may have been too blythe. People with serious clinical depression need to see their doctors and try to get help. I have lost too many friends over the years to suicide. You may get so depressed you stop caring about the people you leave behind.
If that's what you're feeling and don't trust anyone & feel like you have no one to talk to, call a hot line. In America call 988. In the UK call +44-08006890880
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHi Shelia, it's an interesting question. My form of depression is supposedly temporary in nature. However, no one has ever used the word "cure" in relation to my treatment. At worst, my PHQ-9 was in the twenties and now down under 5. I am monitored by a social worker with monthly check-ins.
I would have to disagree with those who say medications are not helpful. They are, but reactions vary. I had some bad experiences when I was on two anti-depressants at the same...overmedicated.
For me, talking to a therapist has been so helpful. She is phenomenal.
Also, journaling helps. I started to do that before I just broke down in July, 2022. I look back on those notes and have been amazed where my mind was and how I felt.
I exercise a lot. I do go to a lot of social activities. There are group hikes in my area, top-rope climbing, book clubs, volleyball. Next for me is tai chi. What I don't do is sit still.
Are there moments where I am depressed? Yes, I get very sad at times. Usually a triggering event. The last time was Christmas morning at 2:00 a.m. I went downstairs and wrote about it. The theme was love. I missed love in my life. I realized I did not love myself. I realized I will never truly come out of my depression until I address this. All along I have let others own my feelings (how I should feel about others and myself), but this was not good for me.
I would say it was a breakthrough because I finally expressed it. My next venture is to find love for myself and a love that will sustain my purpose in life. I am not necessarily talking romance as much as just finding a passion to embrace. A tall order but I think I am up for it.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
6 ReactionsI am concerned by the comments that downplay the value of medication in treating depression. Medication may not be appropriate for everyone but some of us could not mange without. I exercise regularly and try to eat reasonably healthy. I have no external reason for depression, but it is something i live with. If someone was suffering from a physical illness you wouldn’t tell them to get over it.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionThe comment “ to just get over it “ was what my Ex-wife said to me ! We had separated and I was trying to get things in a better place, but I was suffering from deep anxiety and depression, not an easy thing to do, and she said that…. It was just so cruel and shocking that I was not able to say anything! It wasn’t just that, but it made me eventually realize that it was more about her and not about how I felt about anything. Sometimes you just have to accept that some people are too toxic to be around any more. The mind can change slowly but you have to be willing to change the environment that makes you sick too.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@mikekennedy759 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I am glad to read your story, and see how you have utilized different methods to work through your depression and come out the other side successfully. We all have to experiment a bit to find what works best for us. Thank you for giving us all some great examples!
Ginger
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Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionThank you Ginger. I am new here and always welcome any feedback about my comments. We all come from different paths and have pearls of wisdom to share.
Yours truly, Mike
What a beautiful post@mikekennedy759! I know all the strategies you mentioned are excellent for keeping depression at bay, if not conquering it! The only thing in my case is that I have trouble keeping up with them. Even when I know they are good for me to do. That is the nature of depression. It has a way of smothering you that keeps you from doing much of anything. But I will keep trying even if I don’t keep up with socializing, journaling and exercise. Even doing one of these things is a measure of success in my book!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions