To ask what actually helped you recover from depression?

[ThisDenimCat]

I’ve struggled with clinical depression on and off since my teens, but for the past few years I’ve been doing really well - enjoying life, working towards my goals, and feeling free of depression.

But since around December 2024, I’ve been experiencing a significant depressive episode that I just can’t seem to shake. I’ve tried all the usual things - eating well, getting enough sleep, taking supplements like omega-3 and Vitamin D - but every day still feels like a battle. I have no motivation, and I’m not finding any joy in the things that used to make me happy. The frustrating part is that, on paper, my life is actually pretty good.

So AIBU to ask: if you’ve struggled with depression and managed to get it under control, what helped you? How did you do it?

I read the title of the thread and came to say exactly this but worried it would be seen as flippant. I had a terrible year of losing a grandparent and then a parent through terminal illness (anticipatory grief is very real) and ended up off work for a couple of months. In the midst of that year I had finally got a rescue dog. She became my reason to get up and leave the house. I walked miles listening to audiobooks and podcasts, and people talk to you when you have a dog!

I didn’t have clinical, shattering depression in the way that others have; I appreciate that, but my old pup saved me more than I saved her.

So sorry you're not in a great place, OP. Like others, I found antidepressants helped a lot, plus meditating. Honestly, I can't tell you how much the meditating helped. You can just start meditating inside your head immediately you feel stress. I still use meditating as a relaxant, for example at the dentist and it never fails to calm me down. I can access it whenever I like and it is such a plus to my life. x

@CandidExpert Really interested in how you are using ChatGTP. I use it loads for work and research but hadn’t considered this. Do you just talk to it like a journal and see what it says?

Antidepressants for me too. I've also suffered mild depression since my teens and awful anxiety. Tried a couple of ADs in my 20s that didn't suit me but in my 30s due to a very stressful period it got much worse and I had to persevere with fluoxetine. I also wanted to avoid getting into a state thar low again so I also worked on 'being kind to myself' so not beating myself up for a bad day, making a note of good things, talking when I was struggling rather than hiding everything.

But ADs have been life changing. I don't take them anymore but the depression has not returned and the anxiety is no where near where it was.

Did something change in your life around Dec 2024? Or anniversary of something? Or your kids same age as when something happened to you? I find there is usually a trigger, depression doesn’t come out of nowhere.

Antidepressants. Nothing else will touch depression. Without ADs I can't do any of the things that are supposed to help (exercise, eating healthy, nature etc)

You didn’t mention exercise in the above, do you get daily exercise, go for long walks

Yes - mine was triggered by my crap relationship & once the ADs & therapy helped me to get out of that, things improved a lot.

The side effects typically only last weeks. I think for me it was about 5 weeks that I had unpleasant side effects. But antidepressants truly saved me. I don’t think you should try to ride it out any longer. Go to the GP and try antidepressants again - they are worth it.

The Thrive Course. Genuinely life changing.

Running. Time and time again it’s pulled me out of my worst episodes.

Also - before you take antidepressants it’s worth doing some research about how effective they actually are.

For moderate to severe depression they can improve symptoms in around 20% of people compared to a placebo.

They’ve been found to have little effect on mild depression.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK361016/

This isn’t true and a really misleading post! Look at all the other responses here and the scientific evidence.

Outside (green space and nature). Family. Reducing screens. Reminding myself of all the positive things a lot.

I struggled in my teens and on and off when I was a young adult. Evened out a bit then we had the worst time the last quarter of 2024 (I've never before said I was glad to see the back of a year). It's taken me three months to get myself back on an even keel and it's only happened by forcing myself outside again (we lost the dog in that terrible time which didn't help), leaning on my family who also helped me remember the positives and stepping away from my phone a bit.

On that last one, I've come back to it more than I should and I feel the stress rising again so it may be time to digital detox again.

Not for everyone. They alter me too much and make me miserable in a different way.

Trying to find the root cause of why I was so unhappy. Willing myself to try to leave the house everyday. A little exercise. Being kind to myself and mainly just time. I hope things get better for you, sending best wishes.

Medication, and then reduced fast release carbs for slower release carbs, get outside more, no drinking

At my very, very lowest the thought of more therapy felt like too much.
I saw an ad in a local college for an introduction to counselling course. Just 12 weeks long. It was the beginning of real change for me.
The teacher was amazing and it was a small class. After starting with some basics we then worked in pairs on so much stuff. Obviously, it was just talking to a fellow student, not a therapist, but as well as being really honest about ourselves, we also had some laughs.
We signed up to do the next course along and I got to learn so much more about how the mind works. And I learned to trust my fellow classmates after thinking I’d never trust anyone again. A few went on to train to be counsellors. I didn’t, but by being part of a group I learned to be around people again.
At the end of every lesson we would have to have one positive thing planned for the week ahead, and would report back the following session.
It was 17 years ago, I still have a good friend I met there.
Also made me understand I wasn’t alone. Everyone else had their own issues and that really helped.

This is my experience. My depression gets so bad I can barely get out of bed. If anyone told me to go for a walk, I would cry! When I take ADs I can exercise, hold down a stressful job, be a good Mum. There are varying degrees of depression. It's so upsetting and disheartening when people are saying "just get some exercise! "Why don't you go for a walk" "pull yourself together!" I just can't do it and I feel like a failure!

I never really got anywhere with medication, or with CBT type support. Private counselling, a dog, and changing jobs has helped.

Long distance running and cats, cats make everything better

Medication
Getting outside and exercising even if I didn’t feel like it
Therapy

Then say that nothing else helped your depression rather than nothing else touches depression. For me, it's a totally different story. ADs alter me so much I'm miserable in a completely different way, so they have never helped me. It's very dangerous to tell someone that nothing else could help them

Moving to the countryside, taking up running, eating a better diet and going no contact with crap people.

Turned my life around completely.

Antidepressants never helped me (but are lifesavers for others).

It sounds like it worked for you - but worth saying that some people get blood sugar crashes from fasting, and one of the key characteristics of a blood sugar crash is a low mood and anxiety. So for some people eating more (and more often) will help stabilise your mood.