How did YOU fight depression?

[Pinkbutton85]

At a loss. Wondering how you personally fought it and if you have, or are coming out the other side, how did you do it?

Years if therapy looking at why, then CBT to lol at "how"
Then Mirtazapine
Then more CBT
Mindfulness
Vitamin D supplements in winter (had SAD every year before vitamin d!)

Firstly I found an effective drug. After suffering for 20 years this was the only thing that was effective. Venlafaxine

I also stop drinking alcohol.

Thirdly because these steps were effective it came to light that once a month for about three days I’d feel suidical. Anxious and physically awful. I was them diagnosed with PMDD which is now being treated with a zoladex implant.

Hopefully that’s the final piece of the puzzle.

Xxx

Keeping away from people as much as possible

I didn't fight it. I didn't confront it.it would have won if I did. If I saw it as a battle I'd have lost.
I didn't examine my dark thoughts and try to rationalise them. I didn't think about my sadness and try to prove to myself I could be happy.
I took meds and I tried to reduce stressful things. I didn't try to address factors in my life that I found difficult, I waited to be healthy first.
I made my life as stress free as possible, and I looked that distracted me.
Then, it took time.
That worked for me. It might not work for others. Depression is as individual as lives are.
I was lucky.

Sertraline
no caffeine
cbt
Not discussing it to death with friends and family
mindfulness
exercise
concentrating on getting through the next hour...then the next...then the next...
Carrying on with my days
Hugging my children and smelling them for a wee oxytocin boost.

Reading with interest as I suffer with PND and have done for five years (across two children). Meds not helping much. My love and sympathy to others everyone who have experienced depression.

Medication. Without that I couldn't have done anything else.
I had some counselling which helped deal with the immediate cause and also gave me better strategies for dealing with situations in the future.
Several years later, I was well enough to make significant changes to my diet and start doing regular exercise. This helped me sleep better and feel generally happier and healthier, and as a result I am no longer on medication.
I still do a daily mood tracker and if I notice things going downhill, make sure to review things like how much time I'm spending alone, how much time I'm spending outside, eating, sleeping, over work, and so on. Also periods. It's generally fairly stable over several months without pills so far, but I have come off them before and had to start again after a couple of years, and am expecting that to happen again at some point in the future, probably. It never really goes away entirely.

Exercise. Running / gym / martial arts / yoga. I figured that at my suicidal worst if my body hurt more than my head then maybe I'd forget how mentally ill I was and push through it.
Good food, very little alcohol.
Biscuits.

Can't do anti depressants as I'm a lightweight and always ended up with side effects.

Oh , and a proper long term counsellor too. 2 years worth. Back when the NHS did that sort of thing.

Good thread.

Previously:
Medication
Walking in nature
Being with friends
Painting
Excellent counsellor
Mumsnet mental health boards

But relentless life shit means I'm back in it, sadly this time without excellent counsellor, but good friends and much self awareness and mumsnetters ❤

Place marking

Sticking my head in the sand was not the way to do it.

Finally admitting I needed help, medication and getting my sleep pattern sorted.

2 years of meds and still counting. I have no time for people who declare that anti-d's are handed out like sweeties. (Not that anyone on this thread has)

Moving from a house I didn't like has helped a lot though. I love coming home now.

Removing the nasty people from my life literally felt like I was given a new life. Once you start there’s no going back it’s wonderful

Sertraline. Fought it for so so so long without medication, did counselling, exercise, eating right, meditation, travelling, career change etc etc etc. After two weeks on 50mg sertraline I felt like somebody had taken the bonkers layer away, leaving the real me. Wish I had just taken the bloody pills 15 years earlier.

I've never fought depression, just sort of come to terms with it and usually see the signs before it comes.
Sometimes, I don't manage it and have no idea where it came from.
I can usually stave it off by doing some exercise, even just a walk.
Looking after myself, eating and sleeping well. making an effort to go out a bit more.
If it doesn't shift I have medication, but try to keep off it.

I do it everyday....what helps me is adopting a very busy lifestyle. Fitness classes for myself, weekly activities with children. Every other day I feel like I cannot face the world, but still get out of bed. Keep having self harming thoughts but am confident that I would never do anything like that. Little things like indulging in a pricey takeaway coffee once in awhile and being savvy with money helps. Keeping my house in order helps. Being minimalist helps... I rarely clothes shop. Declutter life and just keep moving. I tell myself my purpose is to live my life for mine and sake of my children no matter how I feel.

I cut out as much toxicity from my life as possible, reduced my working hours which helped minimise the negative impact of a horrendous part of my job, came off Facebook, spent quality time outside with the kids, got more sleep and made more time for downtime. I have also leant on dh like I ve never leant on anyone before, without him I don't think I d have got through this year.

I too cut out toxic people
I do a lot of reading around dysfunctional childhoods and that has quieted the internal voice that tells me I am unworthy.
I spend time with lovely friends who drag me out even when I'm feeling low
I have a lovely DH who lets me go over the same things over and over again when I need to get it out
I go day by day
Nap if I need to
I got a cleaner so we are not overwhelmed with work, kids and housework

My husband was my saviour

Potent medication combo (Desvenlafaxine + Reboxetine + Lithium)
CBT and schema therapy
Cutting back work hours
Cutting back alcohol
My husband (I probably wouldn’t be alive without him)

That said I’m sliding towards relapse at the moment, desperately trying to stop it.

Great thread. I totally agree with not trying to control it, and taking day at a time. Things seem to click at times in our lives and we get sudden waves of inspiration and mental strength to do something different that slowly makes us feel better.

It's like feeling we are drowning in a mad sea and then there are unexpected moments of clam when we can swim a bit and slowly, we find ourselves stronger fighting against current until we make it back to the shore.

medication

@swingofthings that explanation is spot on

Little steps, I have been on prozac for a decade, Neatly 4 years ago I had DS I felt badly depressed until 6 months, suicidal thoughts, hardly grooming, wearing shit joggers everyday. Everyday I woke with a million thoughts on how shit life was, I started to exercise, forced myself to do personal grooming thing everyday. I started to take a 30 minute walk after the school round.
I woke one day about 6 months ago, I felt like a horse had been lifted from my back. I am very glad my mind came out of it. I am glad I made it, lots of women around here took their lifes lately I am glad I did not. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. My only advice is do everything you can to fight it and survive it.