My life is going round in circles ,I need help?!
Question: I spent all my time like a hamster on a wheel & get nowhere.I suffer with Depression & it is getting worse.I feel if I get that sorted the other problems would follow suit.I am over weight , smoke.I got a lapband fitted last year, great I started looseing weight, so I then tackled the smoking & took the new tab.champix, great it worked, But then I started putting on weight, then I had to stop champix as had a reaction, after not smoking for 2months I lit up at christmas, so now I'm back to square one. Some might say pull yourself together, but I can't I 've just sunk deeper into depression.I was off work last week with this flu bug & now I'm dreading monday as I have to go back and I feel so useless. To make matters worse I had my hair cut & it's awful I am nearly bald at back she said had to do it that short so it will grow in better for the style, so thats knocked my confidence. Please help
Answers: I spent all my time like a hamster on a wheel & get nowhere.I suffer with Depression & it is getting worse.I feel if I get that sorted the other problems would follow suit.I am over weight , smoke.I got a lapband fitted last year, great I started looseing weight, so I then tackled the smoking & took the new tab.champix, great it worked, But then I started putting on weight, then I had to stop champix as had a reaction, after not smoking for 2months I lit up at christmas, so now I'm back to square one. Some might say pull yourself together, but I can't I 've just sunk deeper into depression.I was off work last week with this flu bug & now I'm dreading monday as I have to go back and I feel so useless. To make matters worse I had my hair cut & it's awful I am nearly bald at back she said had to do it that short so it will grow in better for the style, so thats knocked my confidence. Please help
hi.. you answered my question so i decided to stop by and answer one of your's.. and luckily you asked about something i know a bit about lol..
i recommend seeing a psychiatrist and getting their opinion.. they may be able to suggest different medications if needed or alternatives to medications if you would like.. and talk therapy is very beneficial.. the best thing about a therapist is that they don't know you.. therefore they don't have any personal opinions towards you.. so you get honest, unbiased help.. however i know this can be expensive and you may not want to do it, so there are some alternatives..
one of the best depression/anxiety relievers i can recommend is exercise.. it takes your focus off what's bothering you and hey it's just good in general.. exercise also releases serotonin, dopamine and a few other nuerotransmitters in your brain.. serotonin deals with sleep and mood regulation and dopamine is related to pleasure and happiness.. those chemicals i just mentioned are the ones that your brain lacks when depressed.. exercise helps to balance them.. this has been clinically proven to work faster and longer than medication.. simply taking a twenty minute walk each day could really help..
exercise also releases endorphins.. the body's natural pain killers.. this is related to "runner's high"..
i understand you may not be motivated to do a lot.. so start off slow.. just walk for five minutes or so.. then add a minute or two each day and work your way up..
combining weight training and aerobics is one of the best ways to lose weight also..
other than exercise you could try deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, listening to music, writing in a journal, or talking to a friend about it.. i also drink ungodly amounts of tea.. haha..
get a good social support network.. talk to a friend or family member about how you feel..
take time out for yourself each day.. to just reflect, relax, and settle your thoughts.. do things that relax you and that you enjoy..
warm milk also helps to produce serotonin.. so maybe drinking a glass before you go to sleep may help.. this will help if you have trouble sleeping also..
try to get at least an hour of sunlight each day.. this also helps to balance your brain chemistry and produces serotonin..
when you lie down to sleep, concentrate on your breathing.. just keep a steady inhale and exhale.. in through your nose and out through your mouth.. this will help to calm your heart rate and hopefully help you sleep if you have trouble.. do this anytime you feel yourself getting anxious or upset also..
eat a healthy diet.. and drink lots of water..
if you tend to put yourself down, which it seems you do, don't be hard on yourself.. try to make a list of things you love about youself.. if you feel that you cannot make the list, then have a friend or family member make it for you.. when you start to put yourself down or feel bad, pull the list out and read it.. remind yourself that you're special and deserve to feel as such..
as for the smoking.. it's going to take a bit of will power but you can quit if you really want to and work hard.. just try to smoke one less each day, or even each week..
and everyone gets sick and gets a bad hair cut.. it'll be okay.. hair grows back and it probably isn't is bad as you think it is.. so just hold your head up high and continue on..
sorry this is so long..
i hope this helps.. and best of luck..
have you spoken to your doctor about this? i suffer with depression and it took me a long time before i went to the drs but im so glad i did she prescribed an antidepressant and i noticed the difference within a couple of days its hard to describe i really didnt think it would work and i was ashamed to be taking it but its helped me as a wife and as a mother and strangely enough everyone kept saying to me i looked really well which helped i mean no one needs to know your taking it the only people who know are my partner and dr. plus i used to binge eat alot when things were bothering me i dont do that any more so you may find it helps your weight and your smoking. hope this has helped take care
and dont worry about your hair it will soon grow back.
try to do something drastic if you can, i mean the haircut and being off work sounds good, that would have helped me alot since i feel like a zonbie going to work every day.
when I was first diagnosed with depression I was sad all the time, felt like i was just doing the same over and over again, so I did something that helped so much, it was part of other decisions too, not just depression, but I moved to california, was a big change and helped alot.
I know you cant just up and move, but maybe moving to a different part of town if possable or trading in you car for something else, maybe even redecorate your whole house, spend time shopping and thinking about that, just anything to change something you might never change.
Hope this helps and I wish the best for you.
Hon, I'm not sure if your depression is chronic ("clinical depresssion") or if it's situational. I highly recommend a psychologist or psychiatrist.
You may be depressed because you've begun smoking again; if so, please know that it often take many attempts to quit for good! (I'm still trying!)
Or because you're sick.
Or because you've gotten a haircut you don't like.
When you are over the flu...and when your hair grows back (which it will quickly) see how you are feeling. If you are still "blue", then I believe you may be suffering from clinical depression, as I did, before I got help. Luckily for us, there is help readily available.
Depression is nothing to be ashamed of, Hon. It's a glitch in our brain function with actual physical causes. A depressed person who takes medication for it is no different than a diabetic who takes insulin. There's a problem; you take meds to correct it.
Hope this helped....I've been a Paxil user for 15 years, and will be for life.