advice

ok i am starting to feel better from being depressed but i am still somewhat upset....... not sure at this point whether i am going to fall back into a depression thoughanyone have any ideas on how to not become depressed at least for awhile its to close to the last time

When I start to feel depressed, I call my meds provider immediately. I go into suicide mode quickly when I start going down. She either ups my current dosage or adds another drug like an ad. Recently went through a bad spot & she increased my Lamictal & added Trazadone for sleep. I'm not crying as much so, hopefully, I will continue to feel better & get back to my former level of stability.

Hope you can talk to your doc or therapist, if you have one. Watching for signs of depression is good. It helps you get a handle on it before you go too low or it gets dangerous so I congratulate you on being so aware of your symptoms. Take care.--Suzy

I think of a couple easy, "fun" projects and distract myself with them as well as I can, try to gain friends/skills. Being around people at least once a day (just going to the store or library and having an interaction with a clerk helps) keeps me more centered and less in my head where things tend to trod the same paths. I try to think of easy things to want that I can "get." One "game" I like to play is when I grocery shop, I tell myself I can have anything I want in the store and then, as I'm shopping I look for what special thing I want -- could be in the gourmet shelves with the chutney :-) or Chinese mustard or something simple like cones for ice cream cones or maybe popcorn or a comfort food of some sort.

But I always have a journal or two going and a project or three on a back burner (I've just learned how to make "postcards" on my printer from pictures I take in my digital camera and so I'm making some for special family members who need cheering up and so they can see what I'm up to, get pictures of other family members they haven't seen for awhile, etc.) and I dabble with them. The last time I went to the library I only got one book and I've been reading it at night, in bed, before I got to sleep (hard to read after I go to sleep :-) and I finished it last night so now I'm going to go back today and turn it in and get another by that author. Little rituals/tasks/"projects" like that help me when I'm feeling down.

thanks guys for your suggestions!
and no im not in therapy right now can't afford one so just tryin to watch myself!