Will it go away?

I posted my issues in the introduce yourself forum.

Hoping to cope / deal with depression by reading and participating on this site. They say talking with others helps. I hope.

I just want to be able to be happy and smile again. People tell me it is all in my head and I have control to not be sad and as they say "move on".

Have others truly been able to feel happy again?

hi im still trying im having a good day to day but the last week has been terrifing its alwfull iv felt so dead i think sometimes we just have to hope that we can cope with our selfs and learn how to deal with our selfs im trying its so hard

Welcomt to PC. Yes indeed talking does help. This forum has been a lifeline for me when people told me to "snap out of it". When a person says that I don't think they have a clue of what we depressed person is feeling. You are not alone, keep typing as this was therapy for me in a way. You will be happy and able to smile and be happy again. Best wishes to you.

The only thing you can control is how you respond to a stimulus whether it's a situation or a thought that comes to mind. You can decide how you want to respond. You can decide to go in an unhealthy direction or a healthy direction or somewhere in the middle. It's difficult to know what the healthy direction is sometimes! And you have to make that decision constantly to redirect your thoughts and emotions until it becomes a habit, which can take a long time.

I've been contented and even happy at times. Right now I'm having difficulty because school is starting tomorrow and I'm having anxiety about it. I have recurring nightmares about sleeping through classes and exams, forgetting to attend class, falling so far behind that I have to drop out. Granted, none of these things have ever happened, lol.

It's possible to feel better.

I feel worse during the day , sunlight then I do at night in my bed.

I wish I knew the knew the answer to that one. Personally, I am holding onto hope that it does, and doing everything that is recommended. I fight it a bit, but eventually agree. Good luck.

In a way, it is all in your head but not in the imaginary sense. I think a lot of depression has to do with how we perceive things and how we respond. There are things that happen beyond our control that are tough on anyone. The difference between those that cope well and those that struggle, I think in large part, is how they perceive and respond to the situation. (Though sometimes, physical things like surgery, illness, trauma like a car accident, can directly cause depression.) The good news is that we can change how we perceive and respond to things that bother us. The brain is amazingly adaptable and changeable. You can teach an old dog new tricks. It's not easy, and it can take a long time. But if you believe that you can get better, then you're allowing for the possibility that it will happen. The opposite is true also. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy.

That said, medication may be necessary in order to change your thought patterns and learn better coping strategies. That has been my personal experience. All the therapy in the world didn't help enough until I found the right combination of medication. I still deal with unwanted side effects but the meds I'm on now are the best I've ever had. Now that I'm not obsessing about suicide 24/7, I can use the stuff I learned in therapy to work and have some success. Finally after 30 years!

It can get better. Do what you can, even if it's such a small thing that you don't think it counts. Over time it does matter.

Now, to practice what I preach in regards to my anxiety...

I take it that you weren't always depressed. What set it off?

Yeah, it may go away. One day I realized that I woke up and forgot to be sad, Just forgot, a whole day went by, and I had forgotten to do it.