Overcoming Depression

Do you have to change your lifestyle and routines to help to beat depression?

I would not say that I don't know if it's possible to "beat" depression. Some people I believe have depressive episodes that they work through and then it goes away, I have not been one of those people. Where I have found some success is through therapy and, for me, medication. I think changing lifestyles and routines can be important, and of course I don't know what your lifestyle is. For me what has also worked is working on changing my thoughts, which takes a lot of work and effort through therapy. I could say so much more as you have brought up a subject I could ramble on quite a bit about, but I will stop for now. Thanks for posting, and I hope to hear more from you!

I think that could really help, but its the way your brain processes chemicals that makes depression. I think. I think if you can find good coping skills that helps too.

Like DailyHealing said, it's not really possible to "beat" depression totally, i don't think. But I've never changed my lifestyle or routine, and I've been depressed all my life. Changing my lifestyle would probably depress me even more UNLESS I'd won a million bucks, and I moved into a mansion! LOL

Like DailyHealing, the most help I got was therapy and medication. I've been in therapy on and off most of my adult life, and I've also been on medication for probably 30 years. There's NO way I can function without meds as I've tried and I end up falling into the pits. i try to stay as positive as I can, but in this world and in daily life, it's pretty hard! So sometimes I have to retreat to a dark, quiet room to re-group and gather my thoughts!

I wish you the very best -- sorry I went on so long. I tend to be long-winded too!! Maybe there should be a forum for terminal talkers! lol Hugs, Lee

You can control your symptoms IMO but it is hard to lick depression for good. Most people have more than one episode of it in their lives and some of us unfortunate ones deal with it on an almost constant basis.

Like Leed said, meds and therapy do help. Therapy will give you tools to deal with the depressive mindset and hopefully give you ideas to keep stress at bay. Meds help a bit but are not a cure all. Eating a healthy diet is important as is finding healthy ways to deal with stress. Sometimes even with all of these other things in place, depression can still be an issue.

For me I have known depression to really be evident in my life when I don't have the positive lifestyle behaviors that I did when I am not depressed. For me, the positives are like that which misscath007 wrote...healthy eating. I'd add to that exercise. I know that I'm getting in the depressed mindset when I start thinking of reasons to not go to the gym in the morning, or skipping breakfast...that is the beginning of the slippery slope...unfortunately, once you step on the slope, the slipping happens so subtly that you don't even realize that your heading down it...

I think lifestyle changes can help, and when we apply the tools in therapy, the depression becomes a bit more tolerable, and even remits to the point of being nearly non-existent...

Now if was only able to take my own advice, I'd be posting in the success stories part of this forum...but depression has a funny way of making you go one step forward, two steps back...

Best of luck to all of us that are here, struggling and searching and healing...