Things that help your anxiety/depression

I was wondering, what makes your anxiety or depression easier to handle in addition to any medication? Anything that is different from before your were depressed?

I have become strangely fascinated with horror films. I used to hate them, they gave me nightmares but now they actually help. It is as if the anxiety has something concrete to latch on to and I am not jumpy just because and after watching one I actually feel less anxious.

Weird?

Not weird. We all change as we get older. My tastes have been all over. I grew up liking punk rock and heavy music plus I was real talkative and a people person. I transitioned to being a fan of classical, jazz and Lawrence Welk big band music. I also find comfort in being alone now days and watching documentaries and reading about science, religions, philosophy and magazines of the same.

Distraction is great. I think surviving the horror movie experience can be a bit empowering. I go through phases where I am very much into that type of experience. I sometime like to get the adrenaline flowing. Right now though I have taken up knitting, because it gives me something to focus on. Sometimes I listen to an audiobook while I am doing it. I think it is important to just get distracted though. I don't know about you but if I am not doing something I will get into a funk.

Not a damn thing has helped me.

Yep, distraction. Mindless solitaire games all day & night. Oh look it's tomorrow! 24 more hours of surviving!

I guess today it has been manically posting on these forums.

It helps me going for walks. Unfortunately, it's been storming and raining all day

Hey, that is exactly my distraction technique, knitting and radio plays or stories. I think it works because of using two different parts of the brain and two different skill sets, it just doesn't leave room for much else. However, the motivation needed to do either of those things can sometimes defeat me when I'm depressed.

My cats!

There is nothing that helps my depression. I pass my time by horsing around on the computer, watching t.v., doing basic chores around the house and occasionally an errand. But the deep depression persists. Medication isn't helping.

I think some of the biggest changes in depression were:

1) Improved diet and nutrition through bringing home less junk and pop-it-in-the-oven foods

2) More time up and away from the computer/bed due to increased need to cook and not let food spoil

3) Less time in toxic environments due to both leaving a retail environment where disabled customers were passed around until they landed with someone with low enough social standing to not be able to refuse them, and finally getting sick of the ridiculousness of needing to be fake nice and touchy-feely all the time to "win" friends

4) Increased social support from people I actually like through kicking the last habit

I distract myself with my art and poem writing. Right now I'm on a hulu kick tho..I watch mindless entertainment so I won't think

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Realizations. To be honest, I use this forum as a way to reflect the worst parts of myself. When I respond, usually a lot of it has to do where I have been or where I am now. But when I'm able to put it into the words of advice for other people, I can find special meaning in it for myself. Most of my comments actually have a stronger message for me than for the person they go out to. They make me remember the good, the bad, and the stagnancy that seems to pervade my life.

But other than that, just connecting to people and keeping moving is the best thing that I've found to help. Even if I'm doing terribly in most areas of my life, if I can find a way to do good in one, I'll feel a lot better.

A television show called Impractical Jokers. It makes me laugh, belly-laugh. It really makes me feel better to watch that show.