When you feel like you've hit rock bottom....?!

When you feel like you've hit rock bottom....?

How do you pick yourself back up? I've been going through a lot of crap lately and I'm severly depressed. I can't shake the things that have been happening. I can't sleep and I cry constantly. Sometimes I feel like I can't go on.

If you're at rock bottom because you did something awful or were betrayed that is one thing.

If you have serious depression, then nothing you do will make you feel better except medication or natural remission of the illness (but you will get it again, someday, most likely).

Here are my depression tips I give everyone (I have bipolar disorder, and the meds don't work too well for me a lot of the time)

Get extra sunlight.

Try meditation tapes like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. They may seem silly at first, but they work!! They help reduce stress, which makes depression worse.

***** #1 MOST HELPFUL TIP Go out with friends, and if you don't have any, find a club to join and MAKE yourself go until you actually look forward to it. Isolation makes depression worse. I'm an introvert, extremely so, and I still need to get out with others. Dont' talk about your problems so much, just have a good time. Talking about problems that can't be fixed just seems to make things worse.

Exercise at least 1/2 hour a day, and anytime you feel really hyper or depressed. Exercise is a great antidepressant.

If your depression makes it hard for you to sleep, here are some good "sleep hygeine" tips so you can sleep better. Like go to bed and get up about the same time each day, even weekends. Don't use your bedroom to watch TV and read and use the computer and all that-just use the room as a bedroom normally would be used. Don't do stuff that pumps you up right before bed, like exercising and using the computer. You want to use that last hour to wind down-Take a bath? Make the bedroom really dark, cover up the clock radio, even so the light doesn't shine at you. If you live in the rackety city, use a noise generator (makes wave sounds and the like) to cover up the city sounds. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.

Put a lot of colorful things around the house, happy type things, and keep the blinds open and let the sun in. Get yourself some flowers. Put on some nice clothes. Make a list of things that make you happy. Here's some things on my list: A basket full of fluffy kittens, bread fresh from the oven, Fireworks popping on a warm summer evening, The first fireflies of the season, the scent of Jergen's cherry almond lotion, The crisp sound of a saltine cracker breaking, fresh sheets on the bed, standing in the boat flicking topwater lures out onto the water, etc. Use all your senses and read that list when you are breaking down

Work on time management if being overwhelmed and late for things and too much to do is getting to you. Cut back on other responsibilities temporarily so you can spend more restorative time with friends and family.

You got a significant other? Extra physical touch is very helpful. Most people in the US or UK are touch deprived, so hold hands more, hug more, give shoulder rubs, etc. (If you are an adult, sex is one of the best things, if that's not a bad issue for you). A pet is good to cuddle with, too, if your home situation allows you to get one. (I'm an animal lover, don't get one if you can't commit to it for 15 years).

Distract yourself - read novels, do sudokus, sew, paint (art is great therapy, really!) whatever keeps your brain busy. Video games are good if you aren't isolating yourself from others (you know, keep it to an hour or two a day).

I give these suggestions to lots of folks, and hardly anyone ever tries them.. I have really really severe psychiatric symptoms from bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. And I am able to control my behavior almost 100% even when I am suffering, and able to feel quite a bit better using some of these tricks, because the meds have only been partly effective for me. If I didn't do stuff like the above, I would be in an institution for sure. so please try some of these things, there is no harm in them, and they may provide some real relief for you. Pills alone or counseling alone are not as effective as pills plus counseling, and you have to follow some of those suggestions the counselors give you (which is where I got a lot of these tips).

All the best to you! I hope one or two of these will help you.