If you had anxiety/depression and you don’t anymore what happened ? What changed ?

[Amiterrible]

What worked for you ?

Divorce

I thought someone would say that

I took Fluoxetine for 8 months, I lost weight which was giving me social anxiety and I changed my job that had been causing alot of anxiety, insomnia and depression. Hope you feel better soon.

Antidepressants for about a year, 6 weeks counselling on the NHS and a few private ones paid for by self, wanting to get better, dipping into about 3 books about depression and taking bits of info from them.

Medication

Also divorce

I was diagnosed with chronic illnesses and magically once the medical gaslighting stopped then my depression lifted. Being told the pain and sickness is all in your head for years is very tough on your mental health

HRT

I had CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) it totally changed my outlook on life.

i was negative, dwelling and over thinking the past, feeling anger towards people who had hurt me. I couldn't get past it and it was making me miserable.

i was worrying about my dh being in an accident everytime he went to work.

I’d planned my childrens funerals in my head incase they died.

Shit tonnes of therapy over about 4 years, dh not actively dying (just on pause for now) and a lump sum sat in the bank covering a year's outgoings.

Mine was with CBT and exposure therapy for a fear or germs/sickness/dying. And then finally the breakdown of my relationship and finally moving on.

It’s much better than it was. A realisation that all we can do is our best in the here and now, our lives are very short then gone forever. And that worrying is a huge waste of that time.

Wondering the same, I ‘just’ have anxiety but think a lot of it is caused by my job (teaching) so I’m going to change that and maybe go on medication

Exercise four times a week and daily walks.

I do still have anxiety some days. My depression has gone. I hope it doesn't come back. I stopped taking antidepressants because they made me feel really sick and lazy (with my gps help)

I think for me it was acceptance. Acceptance that mental health is just the same as a broken leg. I needed to put myself first and work through it. I started journaling to write my thoughts down and work through stuff. I got back into self care and exercise. I started eating better and cut down on alcohol. It wasn't easy and it's been a long road but I've got better over time. I still have weeks/days where I am overwhelmed and things are a struggle. I just priorities what needs done that day and leave the other stuff. My insomnia is still bad so try and work round that. Oh and I got into yoga and meditation on YouTube. I have cut down my hours at work to get a better life/work balance.

I also uncluttered the house and decorated every room.

Hope that helps you op 💐

And please don't think that I am a transformed yoga goddess now. I don't do all the above daily, I just try and go with the flow now and do them when I can. I am Petrified of going back to how bad my depression was and try to take one day at a time (not easy to do)

Oh and joining mumsnet definitely helped. Reading other people's experiences and joining the self care/exercise threads etc. Made me feel like I wasn't alone.

Wishing you all the best op 💐

It hasn't really gone; I've just got much more effective tools to deal with it and keep its impact minimal.

Exercise. Weird but true! Also the situations causing the anxiety gradually ended or improved - that took some time.

Anxiety - Propranolol was an absolute, complete game changer. I'd been anxious since my teens, the worry of having a panic attack was so debilitating.
The Propranolol broke the cycle, I learned how it felt to not feel anxious all the time. I also felt secure in knowing if I had a setback there was a solution. I took it for sixth months and then occasionally for a couple of years. I've been free of anything but normal nervousness for the last 8yrs.
I also took citalopram for PND and had some CBT, both if which helped. But the Propranolol changed my life. Wish it had been prescribed when I was a teen, I missed out on so much.

Stopping alcohol.

Honestly - game changer.

Time. lots of time to understand what was triggering episodes and develop healthy emotional coping mechanisms. Also my DH has really helped me to spot when I am on a downward spiral and take swift, intervention action. Getting in early is half the battle with depression in my experience. In most cases, I can pull myself back from the worst of it without medication if I spot the signs early...

Also exercise. It's a cliche but true....

Sorry, my post was maybe a bit glib.

Initially, a fairly high dose of sertraline, for a couple of years. I then made the decision to stop drinking as it definitely wasn't helping matters. Once I'd been dry a couple of months I started very slowly tapering the ADs, to the point I was microdosing it.

3 years on, haven't looked back.

But I would know where to turn if I needed help.

And would recommend seeking advice from a doc before trying to come off any medication.

New job. (Well, sick leave for stress, anxiet and depression for 5 months - all caused by the job - then redundancy, followed by a new job).

I took antidepressants for a month but then decided I could cope without them as not being at work made me feel like a weight had been lifted.

I know this all too well. I was fobbed off as being depressed for years until I was finally believed and it was found my thyroid function was virtually non existent.

More recently though, Citalopram has been amazing. I have always been against ADs because most often there is a real physical cause for depression, not “just a chemical imbalance” so I’d rather address the cause than the symptom - like others have said, divorce!

Plus I’ve reacted badly when trying ADs in the past, but I started on a super low dose of Citalopram after a horrendous break up and felt better within a week.

After 6 months I thought I was ok so I stopped - no side effects as such, just the odd headache, but I found that I was getting snappy and tearful again, so have started them again. Happy to stay on them for life tbh as I can feel properly happy, euphoric occasionally, but very rarely cry anymore. It’s magic. Absolutely recommend giving them a go if you haven’t already.