To ask for your mild/moderate depression tips?

[AwkwardPaws27]

Hi,

I think I'm mildly/moderately depressed. I'm on 100mg Sertraline, having blood tests to check for anaemia. Had medical management of a missed miscarriage in July/August.

Everything is 5x harder than usual, my concentration is poor, I can force myself to focus on short-term tasks at work (ie setting up a meeting) but I'm struggling to, for example, write up minutes in an eloquent way.

I'm not suicidal. I have no motivation. I joined the gym at the start of January (persuaded by DH) but have only been a couple of times; I can't seem to find the energy. I seem to get every cold going (I commute to work on the train) and am ended up taking two days off earlier this month as the combination of fatigue and the cold was too much. My resilience is very low.

Any tips? I've bought a SAD light and I'm trying to have breakfast in front of it (not every day though as I'm finding it hard to get out of bed).

Oh bugger. I didn't mean to include voting.

What's your diet like, that makes a difference.

Do you take a multi vit/mineral?

My strategy is to just get out of the house as much as possible.

You need to achieve goals. One of mine has been to get my cuticles in better condition and other self care goals.

This may not be relevant to you as depression affects everyone differently but I’ll say what works for me and you can pick and choose whatever is relevant if you like.

I’ve worked out that a shower is my mental reset button. When I’m low and tired I can go days without showering and it takes my brain a while to remember that a shower will set me straight again. Sounds ridiculous but it always works for me. I’m still exhausted after it but my thoughts and feelings and outlook are always so much better.

Stopping what I’m trying to do (work/checking homework/schoolbags/making dinner/chasing my tail) and just going off to talk to someone about something completely unrelated. If no-one is there to talk to I will call someone or text and just spend 5-10 minutes not thinking about whatever was making my mind race at 90mph. Chatting to someone Always makes me feel like I’ve had a break from everything.

I can’t get to the gym at the minute but Im forcing myself out with the dog in the evenings. It’s freezing and I’m exhausted but it does help. It’s like a tick on my mental to do list- 30 mins brisk walk- good for my weight, good for my heart, good for my dog, good for my brain. At least if I achieve nothing else that day, I know I did that one positive thing.

Sorry if none of this is useful to you. I hope you’re coming out of it soon x

Having a routine can really help.

Eg, every day, out of bed by 7.30am, shower, breakfast, get dressed for the day.

Having a routine for exercise helps take the excuses/over-thinking yourself out of it! Gym three times a week, for example.

Self care is vital, as is self compassion. Forgive the bad days and make the most out of the good days.

It's so frustrating that depression often talks out of doing exactly what it is we need to do.

Sounds like you're working hard to feel better, feel proud of that, and don't put too much pressure on yourself

Yy to a multivit. High strength vit D (4000) for definite, zinc and magnesium for the immune system. You'll need those seperate as most general multi vits have them in small quantities.

It's so frustrating that depression often talks out of doing exactly what it is we need to do.

This^

It took me far too long to work this out and still when I’m in the depths of a low and then I suddenly remember “this is depression talking”. And it’s like a switch being flipped, I then know what I need to do and can crack on. I don’t know why I can’t know it straight away every time. Maybe I should write a note for myself somewhere.

Be kind to yourself. It might be too much to get to the gym regularly at the moment but do try to go when you're feeling up to it. Don't feel bad about not going if you really can't face it though.

Don't have unhealthy stuff in the house but stock up on healthy snacks.

Prioritise getting plenty of rest.

Take it one day at a time, or one hour, even one minute if necessary.

Know that it won't last & at some point you will feel a bit stronger & more able to do the things that are going to help.

I'm mostly reminding myself - I have a houseful of junk food because making anything is too much effort & I just won't eat, I haven't been to the gym since Christmas & spend every evening procrastinating instead of getting to bed on time... But one day I'll feel up for going to the gym or getting myself a proper lunch & that'll be the first step to improving things. I'm just not there yet & that's ok for now.

How long has it been since you started the Sertraline?

My biggest depression tip: it’s better to do something half assed than not do it at all. If you can’t deal with having a shower, wipe yourself down with some baby wipes and clean your teeth. If you can’t do all the dishes, put the worst ones in some hot soapy water to soak. If you can’t do a proper tidy, go round with a carrier bag and gather up the rubbish. Half the time once you’ve done a little bit you’ll find you’re able to keep going and do a bit more, the other half at least you’ve done something rather than nothing.

Watching with interest as I'm mildly depressed right now and so so tired. I've got ear problems which cause them to ringi in a high pitched squealy way which gets me down. And I've just suffered a close family bereavement. Struggling to concentrate on work and don't really find pleasure in the things I always used to. 😞

I have worse than moderate depression but recently started taking Zinc and it has helped.

Don’t wait until you have “the energy” to do something - the energy and motivation to do things comes by forcing yourself to do something even when you don’t feel like it. You do it, feel good for doing it and then feel motivated for next time. Action first -> motivation comes second.

You could wake up and get dressed in your gym clothes immediately, and just get out the door. Tell yourself you only need to stay for a short treadmill walk if you want, but by the time you’re there and have done a small amount of exercise you’ll feel like you may as well carry on, then by the time you’re home you’ll feel great for having gone and next time perhaps it will seem easier. I used to walk, crying, to the gym. Jump on a spin class and by the time it was over I felt amazing. I’d buy something healthy to eat on the walk home, have a bath when I got in, eat my nice tea and then relax. I never regretted a gym session and used to remind myself of that. I have dug myself out of some dark times with exercise over the years - for me it is always the answer to fix my mood.

Do please take plenty of vitamin D. Research it online.

CBT. Helped me with my motivation and anger.

Make sure you’re drinking enough water, eating little and often and getting enough rest. When my blood sugar is stable, I feel better. Try and get some fresh air every day, even if it’s just a walk to the local shop to get some milk. Play music loudly in the car, the cheesier then better. The little things all add up to helping xx

Also if I’m really tired and need to do some jobs round the house, a game of advert Olympics can be really motivating. Every time the adverts come on, quickly get up and do something ( and no watching the BBC! 😄) It can be surprisingly effective.

NLP therapy really helped me, genuinely made the sky blue again when my depression was bad. And exercise, although the initial motivation is hard. Can you find a gym buddy? I am on citalopram and just accept that I need to take them, but going to the gym makes a huge difference to my everyday life.

Exercise, I know everyone says it, but it really can work. The trouble is that when you're depressed it's probably the last thing you want to do.

Getting enough sleep.

Drinking enough fluids.

Having a shower and getting dressed every day.

Vitamin D

I haven't got much else to say because I'm in the depression at the moment and it's horrible. Unfortunately when we are depressed we can't always do the things we need to do to get better

My 'list' when feeling low is:

• Small nice things once a day, e.g a bath, a new book
• Walk or exercise whether I feel like it or not
• Being kind to myself, resting
• Small acts of getting stuff done, posting that letter, paying a bill
• Making future plans e.g dinner with friends
• Looking at articles on The Mighty - a MH website
• Repeating 'this too will pass'

Hope you feel brighter soon OP

My diet is usually quite good (pescatarian, due to DHs food intolerances, so fish 3-4 times a week, lots of mushrooms, courgette, spinach, sweet potato, probably too much cheese...) but I've been reaching for unhealthy, carby stuff recently. And too much of it, I've gained about 6lb.

Exercise is the best mood lifter in the world. It can definitely feel harder to push yourself to the gym if you’re already feeling depressed, but it’s absolutely the best thing you can do. If you’re struggling with it, try going to an organised class near to home or work, which takes some of the effort out of it. It’s been shown to be more effective than medication.

Getting out in nature and getting some fresh air.

Walking the dog.

Writing down how you feel.

Doing something nice for yourself - cooking something wholesome, having a bath, making a fancy hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows, reading a book.

Tidying, cleaning and organising your space. Always feel better when everything is fresh and in order.

Really though, nothing beats exercise. I personally feel immediately better able to tackle things after a run, things feel instantly more manageable and clearer. As someone else said above - don’t wait to feel motivated, just accept you don’t feel like it and go anyway.

I want to go to the gym but it is honestly a struggle to have a shower at the moment. I enjoy baths so I'm going to have one tonight.

Everything I have is going into getting myself into work; my commute is about 1hr15m each way, including 15 min walk to the station and then 15min walk the other end to work.

I don't feel like I have anything left to give; however I hear you on the exercise and I have booked a yoga class and a Pilates class next week to make myself go after work.

I'm trying to get out for a walk for at least 1.5hrs at the weekend.

I'm the same op, I was exercising last year, but right now it's taking everything just to get up, get to work, shower, make myself something to eat, keep the house in a reasonable state.

As a PP said,
Getting out in nature and getting some fresh air.

Being in nature can really lift my mood in a way that not much else can.

Also, if you can, force yourself to keep going. I find stopping my routine or taking time off work just ends up making me feel worse.

I was going to suggest a yoga class at the gym.

And forgive me if this is ridiculous and unhelpful but listening to my dad wrote a porno stopped my depression getting worse because it made me howl with laughter.