Please share your ways of beating reactive depression without ADs

[HelpPleaseNow]

Hi All,

Recently came off ADs (was on a very small dose for 6 months) about a month ago. No major issues, but after a bout of the flu and some very major life stressors, I feel a bit down again and worried, what if anxiety and depression come back.

For various reasons, I want to have a list of 'go-to' solutions that don't involve ADs. What do people do? What helps? What doesn't?

Only non-AD solutions, please. Thanks :)

Nope.

But if you're telling the truth about feeling 'a bit down' and 'worried', go for a bloody walk. Breathe cool air, look at the leaves turning, find some flowers, fuss somebody's dog, have a swanky coffee out.

Have a shower with special nice stuff. Give yourself a facial, paint your nails. Admire your prettiness. Call a friend to talk with your voices, maybe even in person. Watch a movie that always makes you laugh.

Good luck! 🌤 🌼

Oh, and go back to your gratitude journal. You did this before, right? Every evening, write down the lovely things from your day, no matter how small, and the things you did well 🏅

Thank you, yes, that stuff always works.

What works for me is exercise. I’m no athlete, but a vigorous class, a well , a run, lifting heavy weights all give me a buzz and lift my mood

Exercise. Its taken me a while to come around to this but honestly it’s been a complete game changer.

Regular exercise has kept me off ADs for the last 14 months.

Oh that's promising. I guess no one can take exercise away from us! I have it on my to-do list to set up a home gym and do 30min every morning before work. Also, I am going to count housework as exercise (my house needs a lot of work at the moment). I'm going to put a playlist on (as one would, if, say going running), set a timer, and then vigorously go and do one room at a time.

Therapy x

Walking has benefits that you won’t get from exercising indoors. Daylight and vitamin D. Fresh air and feeling in touch with the weather. That can feel quite affirming. Seeing nature change, even shop displays sort of takes you out of yourself.

I’m not suggesting walks instead of energetic exercise, but if you can include walking (even 10 minutes in your lunch break) you might feel better sooner.

Exercise. If you're run down and tired after flu then get vitamin tonic. They say they don't make a difference but they do to me even if it's all in the mind. And a treat like a new book or jigsaw once every couple of weeks or new makeup or whatever you fancy. Get a step counter and start with a low goal for the first couple of weeks then increase it.

Walking-especially early morning and even better when it’s cold and you need to wrap up-has always helped lift my mood.That and putting headphones on and upbeat music,

Swimming, preferably followed by a sauna. Just resets my nervous somehow.

I have a wonderful counsellor that I see every 2 weeks just to off-load to. Just being around her, in her lovely cam (and lovey scented) room makes me feel relaxed.

Talking to her and getting the little things off my chest instead of letting things ruminate and snowball keeps
my feelings of anxiety settled and at bay.

Kind of like this but I have found I need to add in occasional or even regular raves in the kitchen for 30 mins. Dance it off.

Once a week ideally

Exercise definitely helps but I find I have to make sure I’m eating well to counter the amount of output. I was neglecting carbs at one point and it definitely crashed mood. (I do loose my appetite when anxious though so this is a thing I have to focus on. Or go through periods where I just forget to eat.)

Self talk is also extremely helpful.

The book of positive thinking is based in rational cbt. That was good but I did it with a therapist.

Eat large breakfast, ideally 30-40g protein before 11 am

Healthy gut microbiome. Very easy to do with a mix of different veg, spices, nuts seeds etc plus fermented foods including dark chocolate, coffee, tea etc

Actually, properly dark chocolate is evidenced to help mood.

Breathwork. Very basic nose breathing as much as possible and then slow breathing where the out is longer than the in.

this is all getting me through post breast cancer tamoxifen life!

I’m listening to the Huberman Protocols on audible (a free credit!) which is mostly free ways to keep body and mind healthy

oh gosh same.

(Jesmond pool by any chance?!)

Splash face with cold water (vagal nerve things, which breathwork does.)

Other books I can recommend are Anxiety is your supper power (first step there is exercise) and Breathe.

All of the above but also don’t be downhearted if some days none of these work. My experience as a parent supporting someone coming off ADs (and who will never take them again) is that things will work brilliantly until suddenly they don’t, so you just need to find something new. Distract yourself with things that need your full attention, crosswords, crochet, fiddly crafts.

And have the Mindline phone number to hand, because they are absolutely amazing, caring and non-judgmental, there to listen to you weep, or vent, just a wonderful service.

Time in nature.

You could try reading something like "The Natural Health Service"

Like lots of the previous posters, I'd say exercise, including some outside, and some that REALLY gets you out of breath and exhausted for short periods. That is a chemical explosion!

But if you are jusr getting over the flu, I guess you need to take care with exercise: don't underestimate the extent to which post-viral fatigue etc can sap your body AND lower your mood.

I also find craft activities very very soothing. Especially if they are just challenging enough to absorb your mind without making any stressful technical demands. I find textile crafts lovely, partly because of the tactile and visual pleasures of handling gorgeous yarns and fabrics.

Rug hooking while listening to BBC Sounds is my bubble against the world.

Also, don’t make it a big thing about having to stay off them, and “what if it comes back?” Even if it does, you’ve coped before and felt better, and you will again, so take the pressure off yourself and relax

Regular exercise (the type that gets you sweaty and out of breath) is clinically proven to be an effective way to treat depression (+ more effective than ADs for mild depression)

https://reflect.ucl.ac.uk/pals-msci-placement-projects/2025/05/08/mind-the-implementation-gap-introducing-physical-activity-into-mental-health-treatment/

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/exercise-for-depression/

Good luck OP, and do share how you are getting on if useful