A question about how I should manage my anxiety/depression...?!

Question: A question about how I should manage my anxiety/depression...?

I've been on anti-depression meds since I was about six or seven (ha, probably seems young). I've had my ups and downs and I definitely have seen major improvement over the course of my childhood and adolescence. I've been through being suicidal and being a cutter/etc. I've had a short stint with drugs and alcohol, all that jazz. Then, two years ago, our house was foreclosed on and we had to move eight hours away to live with family members, and this was all directly after my brother suffered Sudden Onset Childhood Diabetes and I completed my out-patient therapy at a mental health institute (which I personally chose to go to because I knew I needed to get myself straight). Since we moved, I've dealt with family drug problems, my parents almost getting divorced, and I've had some issues with PTSD. I haven't been on meds since we moved and I've done fairly well without them, all things considered. However, now that we've moved from the tsunami, into the calmer eye of the storm, I admit that I should get back into regular therapy and continue to responsibly manage my depression and anxiety so I can have a healthy lifestyle. The thing is, my family doesn't seem as supportive as they once were. We're still in a pretty rough spot, about to move again and I'm being told that it'd be better to wait until after we move to start getting involved with a serious re-vamp of my life. While I understand the logic behind this, I'm not sure what to do for the next four months until we move. I'm a level-headed person and very laid back, but I do have bouts of anxiety that really put me out of commision for a couple days. I have a lot of coping skills after all these years of dealing with my mental health, so I can generally stay calm in the face of an attack and work myself through it. It's just very tiring. So, I guess my main question is this: What advice can anyone offer me about coping and getting myself through all of this until circumstance allows me the opportunity to see a professional?

Answers:

Congrats for getting off the meds and developing positive coping skills instead. Starting from 6/7, that must have been tough.

The rest is up to you. Ideally, you would rely on and develop your coping skills, rather than expecting others to get you through things, but if you're really not ready, then yes, seeing someone is a wiser course of action. The problem is, you might see the WRONG person, and have a setback, and it might be hard to find someone good quickly, for a short-term thing, especially if your parents aren't so well off and are moving for financial reasons.

Perhaps you could see a school counsellor or something like that in the mean time?

If not, sit down with your parents, or write them a letter, and make it clear that you need more help.

Update: I agree 100% with the first part of RedAngel's answer. But then she links to a site encouraging drugs as a solution, rather than the coping skills and working through things that you mentioned yourself. Stick with coping skills if at all possible. BUT, add philosophy and poetry (perhaps meditation and buddhism) if you want to build those coping skills and develop a stronger appreciation of the good things in life.

Of course you did fine without the drugs. Studies show antidepressants are no better than taking a tic tac. Of course tic tacs taste better :)

Anti-depressants don't work - In The Papers - France24 >>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF0YIyhqb…

How to treat depression and anxiety naturally>>>
https://www.integrativepsychiatry.net/se…

RedAngel

My friends keep telling me that exercise will help manage anxiety. Get a good 30 minute minimum workout a day, that it really helped them. I haven't done it for myself yet. One friend of mine started running, and I have seen his spirits lift quite a bit.

I'm not sure I can follow that advice myself (but it would probably help me). I'll just throw this out there in case it helps you.

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A question about how I should manage my anxiety/depression...?!

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