I'm an extroverted person during the work day and have fun, bubbly exterior but when I'm not in a social setting (which I try to avoid more nowadays), I'm totally depressed, lay in bed and stare at the TV for hours with nothing but worry and doubt on my mind.
People have a different opinion of me as being a helpful, funny, caring person but it doesn't match up with how I feel on the inside most of the time. What should I do? Remember to always be you. Sometimes it seems like our problems aren't fixable, but you need to know that most of them are. It might help you to go see someone, just to talk about your feelings. If you have a good friend or a partner, you might want to seek out them for support. Sometimes this can be rather difficult because it's hard to break through the depression you're suffering through and you often think you will be judged by those closest to you. I would ultimately recommend that you just talk to someone. Talk through your problems, something could physically be wrong with you and you might need medication to feel like yourself again. And, always remember that there are people out there who care for you, so do what you can to fix yourself, because you and those closest to you don't need to suffer. I am 44 years old and have suffered with this for over 20 years. A lot if this is genetic and it's a matter of finding the right medication. I'm still searching. I read an article a few years ago about prozac and how it paralizes you from moving or moving forward which can seem like you are lazy. I still don't know if that is true for me. I have been on prozac with other medications and nothing really changes. My doctors will not take me off it they just add other meds. I read alot of self help books and worked on personal goals and am very spirtual. I have accomplised alot in this life but still feel empty and not connected and don't experience that much mental joy. Keep searching for the right answers. I know exercise is a major help but you end up
being so unmotivated you just don't have the energy. Try not to share too much with others that don't understand and press forward to find out what will work for you. God Bless! I would say, google online for a depression screening test, it will just be a list of question so or symptoms. It sounds like you may very well be depressed though. You can be depressed and still function normally in public and around friends and stuff, I did it for years that way, but eventually it got worse and I couldn't.
I'd say take a screening test online, or see your general doctor for one, and if diagnosed, seek a psychiatrist to try to help you out. find a hobby that you enjoy doing in your spare time like scrapbooking, painting, or try to spend time in nature. That kind of stuff always cheers me up. you are also possibly suffering from exhaustion from work, so make sure you treat yourself sometimes to the spa or salon, etc.
also, you are an extrovert, so you are happiest when you are around people. so don't isolate yourself on the weekends. try to join a club or group of some sort. I used to have the same issue. Theres a bunch of things you can do to be honest. It can be many things. Chances are you have depression. Try to find a good friend that will get you out and around. Make sure you get a good nights sleep every day, and make sure your eating healthy. Don't sit around and eat potato chips all day. Or you can start a home excersize program. In either case you almost have to hit bottom and then you will be desperate enough to get up and do something about it. There is a lot of help available in many different forms, from psychology treatment to support groups. Some of the best are church groups. If the depression gets unbearable try anti depressants, and try to take up an activity that u can do freely, like working out, or something you enjoy like painting. (doesnt have to be painting or working out just examples) First of all, is to love yourself. Feel proud of the positive things you have done. Do not think about the negative experiences of the past. Try something new and healthy; perhaps you could read a good book and write about that book. I feel the same way. I don't know what to do. I'm somewhat the same way. You're not alone. There is a quiz about depression, through sections 1, and 2, at ezy build, below: print the result, and take along to your primary mental health care provider. With depression, there is a choice of possible treatment types which needs to be made, and you can decide to use either allopathy, (modern Western medicine) with its reliance on antidepressants and therapy, or alternative treatments, which I advise trying first. This is because antidepressants are known to increase the rates of suicide, homicide, and aberrent behavio(u)r, particularly with young people, and often have unwanted side effects, such as sexual dysfunction, and/or variations in weight.
Tests have shown that apart from clinical (major) depression, their results were not significantly superior to those taking a placebo (inert, or "sugar pill"). Antidepressants retain a degree of long term effectiveness for only around 30% of people. There is a saying in the mental health field: "If the only tool you have in your kit is a hammer, you tend to treat everything as a nail". So it goes with doctors, and their prescription pads: handy, quick, and convenient, when trying to manage their large list of patients, and often allocating only several minutes to each.
Most of them are only trained to provide antidepressants and referrals for therapy, with those whose depression is resistant to those treatments being advised to have ElectroConvulsive Therapy, (ECT) with its risk of permanent, partial memory loss, or even death. Therapy, while often effective at first, becomes "same old, same old" after a while, for many people. Others, though, find it helpful to continue talking with a qualified therapist, for the insight, and support they receive.
I suggest: (1.) Take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or grapefruit, or their FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it. (2.) Work up slowly to at least 20 minutes minutes of exercise, daily, or 30 - 60 mns, 5 times weekly. Too much exercise can cause stress, which isn't wanted when dealing with depression. (3.) Occupational therapy (keeping busy allows little time for unproductive introspection, and keeps mental activity out of less desirable areas of the brain). (4.) Use daily, one of the relaxation methods in sections 2, 2.c, 2.i, or 11, and/or yoga, Tai Chi, and/or the EFT, in sections 2.q, 2.o, and section 53, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris whichever works best for you (view page Z.12 first: it has the full version of this post). (5.) Initially, at least, some form of counselling, preferably either Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavio(u)ral Therapy. (6.) As options, if desired, either a known, effective herbal remedy, such as one dose of St. John's wort, 900 mg (standardised hypericin content) 3 times daily, or supplements, such as SAMe, taken with a vitamin B complex which is certified as being 100% of natural origin, or Inositol (from vitamin and health food stores, some supermarkets, or mail order: view section 55).
The following is a variant of EMDR therapy, which has been used successfully for those people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, insomnia, and anxiety: it is easily learned, quick to use, yet can be very effective. It is easy to be dismissive of such a seemingly unusual technique, but give it a good tryout, for at least a few weeks, to see if it is effective in your case.). Prior to using either of the methods in the above paragraph, first sit comfortably, and take a deep breath. Then, without moving your head, move your eyes from the left, to the right, and back again, taking around a second to do so (say: "a thousand and one": this takes approximately a second). Repeat this procedure (without the words, although you can count, subvocally, if you like) 20 times. Then close your eyes and relax. Become aware of any tension or discomfort you feel.
Then open your eyes, and take another deep breath, and repeat step one, closing your eyes, and relaxing afterwards, in the same manner. Then, repeat the procedure one last time. Some people may find that this is all they need do. With experience, you may find that you can practise this in public, with your eyes closed, which greatly widens the window of opportunity for its use, and avoids attracting unwanted attention. I have found that the 2 - 3 minutes spent using the EMDR markedly reduces distractions to the relaxation process, and is repaid many times over.
Start a mood chart/thought record, and record all negative thoughts. Whenever you notice a negative thought, record the mood (disappointment, sadness, frustration, hopelessness, anger, etc.) and rate it, from 1; the lowest, to 100; the strongest you have ever felt. Have 3 columns, and in one, write down the thought. For example: Mood: Lonely: 90/100. Thought: "I feel like I will be alone for the rest of my life". Then, although this can be painful, it is very important; record every piece of evidence in support of this: "I am alone right now. I have been for some time. There is nothing to prove this won't continue". In the last column, write down all the evidence refuting this: "I used to be fairly sociable, and enjoyed being with friends. Change is inevitable in life, and nobody can state the way things will be in the future, for sure". "Most people recover from depression, in time, and I rarely felt lonely, until becoming depressed". Then read again what you have written. Give it a moment, to let it sink in, and rate that mood again, possibly putting it in brackets, and/or in a different color, but try to stick to a standard practice, for greater ease of review, later. Example: Mood: Lonely: [70/100] Maintain, and review it regularly, as a record of progress and a means of encouragement, taking it when you see your primary mental health care provider. Replace "shoulds", and "ought to" statements with: "I feel ..." ones.
If the amount of daylight you have been exposed to recently has reduced, perhaps due to the change of seasons, see Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) in section 2, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and, instead of taking around 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily; replace 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements for the winter months only! (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure it is utilised; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste). Optimal levels are 50 - 55 ng/ml (115 - 125 nmol / L). It should be above 32 ng/ml.
Don't use medications and supplements together, without medical advice, except for Omega 3, which is safe, anytime. Take enough supplements to attain, or exceed the levels (no possibility of overdose) of those every day, with an orange, or the juice of a freshly squeezed orange, grapefruit, or other antioxidant.
(make sure the epa is higher then the dha) important for adults... kids need the opposite levels: more dha than epa, but all are beneficial, if you can't achieve the recommended proportions.
Consider having your doctor test your vitamin D levels, using the 25 Hydroxyvitamin D test. Those people who receive adequate exposure to sunlight, daily, won't need the vitamin D from cod liver oil, but many people, particularly those in latitudes far from the equator, find this difficult to achieve. 60% of depressed people have low vitamin D levels, Also, 80% of people in the Western world have low magnesium levels, and these are known to cause depression & anxiety. Try the magnesium supplement types shown in http://www.real-depression-help.com/ Some of these will be available in pharmacies, or supermarkets. An improvement can be noticed in as little as a week, if a deficiency is the cause. Also, use iodised salt, in preference to regular salt.
If the above is insufficient for you, after several months, (unlikely) try one of the alternatives, such as the neurofeedback, magnetic, or low current electrical stimulation, or EMDR therapy, (see section 33, at ezy build) keeping ECT back, as a last resort. Read: "Lift your mood now." by John D Preston, Psy.D. 2001, New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland. CA 94609 http://www.amazon.com/ may be worth trying for this. I have read many books on depression, but if there is a better, more easily read, and one which is easier to implement quickly, I haven't yet found it. ==================== ==================== ===================== ==================== If fairly suggestible (40% of people are) www.hypnosisdownloads.com LAZINESS Withdrawal from social activities is symptomatic of depression; worry is addressed in section 6, at ezy build; see page N first. Motivation: section 28. |
