Question:
I am curious as to what everyone here does to deal with their
depression? I do not see a psychiatrist or take drugs as my insurance
is very ineffective and I will not be able to afford such things on my
own for quite some time. As such, I cope in the ways I think will
address my problem: I am depressed because I am lonely (because I am
negative?) and so I try to make friends and do things wth them. This
seems the most sensible way to deal with my problem. Even if it has not been the most successful campaign in the world. The
best case scenario is that I do end up with good friends and my
loneliness (and thus my depression) goes away. The worst case scenario
is that I become convinced that my problem lies elsewhere, and so I
approach a solution from a different angle.
Answer:
why the hard time that loneliness causes depression? - surely it
depends on individual reactions as to whether one factor does or does not
act as a trigger...? If loneliness means some form of actual or perceived
loss of social interaction I could very well see that as being a cuase of
depression....no ? Just an opinion - I'm not trying to say you are wrong or I am right just a
friendly debate :o)
Personally, I feel loneliness even when I am surrounded by people but my
case loneliness is a symptom rather than the root cause. I feel that its
important for strong, good friendships but I struggle to make/keep these. I
agree with Alistaire doing what he does as it is positive - its difficult
and not easy when you give your all and perhaps don;t get so much in return
but its still good I think..
That approach has helped me a lot.
At the beginning, it took a huge amount of effort to break out of the cycle
and start making friends. That was some 12 or 15 years ago if I remember
right. I still have periods when I get complaicant about it, and it doesn't take me
very long to get in bad moods when I cut myself off from my friends and
socialization. (well, to clarify, we're talking weeks, not minutes)
Having friends and positive people around you helps in many cases. ( don't
know if it works for all.) Getting out of negative thinking also takes a lot of practice. I have to
force myself to look for something good in everything. After a few years, it
starts sinking in, and becoming a habit, to think positive. It most likely
won't cure the depression, but (in my experience) helps manage it and make
it not so bad. There's probably a number of reasons that cause depression, and I know from
experience, being lonely could be one of them.
Even for one particular person, a cause of depression may not be just one.
It is more likely it's a combination of several reasons.
Some external and social, others may be internal, medical and chemical. I use psychotherapy, group therapy and CBT, I try to learn everything
possible about my particular affliction, I exercise a few times a week, I
meditate, I maintain good contacts with my friends and I like to cycle
out of town to enjoy a bit of nature (for me nature puts things very much
in perspective). Oh, and I just started music therapy. I also try to maintain a regular sleep schedule, this is quite important
for me. When I was at my all time low I could sleep for fifteen or twenty
hours and still be exhausted, now that I'm doing a bit better I find that
structure and order in my daily life are very good for me (though that
might just be for my ADD).
I think all of the above help me, in concerto. If I were you I'd try some
exercise and getting some CBT books from the library. And definitely
continue with the socializing bit, that is quit important, IMO.
