Comment by Bart on October 30, 2012 at 7:14am

Dark chocolate, eat a little bite of it every day. This is sort of my solution to everything, but chocolate makes everything a bit more livable:)

Regular physical exercise seems to help on the mood also, doesn`t have to be much, just a fifteen minute walk a day can do wonders.

This probably won`t make you a shining example of harmony and happiness, but perhaps you`ll feel a bit better

Comment by Kokomo on October 30, 2012 at 6:50pm

The secret is in the chocolate! I agree eat dark chocolate. Here is my advice. Keep yourself busy. Watch movies, read books, listen to music, avoid depressing stuff.

Comment by Jonathan Mckiddy on November 2, 2012 at 11:15am

The key to breaking out of a depression is changing the way your mind thinks. It's purely out of habit and irrationality that your brain has thrown you into this loop of depression.

Write down some of your negative thoughts next time you're in a bad mood, then look back over it when you're feeling good about yourself.  It will help you rationally process what goes through your mind when you're in an irrational state.

Exercise and a good diet help ((Not necessarily health nut food, not necessarily junk food)) both are good ways to release dopamine, which is your brain's own natural happy fun time drug. 

But if you're too lazy for that, ((I know I am)) Keeping your mind preoccupied with things you enjoy is going to naturally force your brain into adapting to feeling content instead of bummed out. 

Comment by The Shiznit on November 2, 2012 at 2:06pm

"The key to breaking out of a depression is changing the way your mind thinks."

+1

I was just telling a few people recently that it's almost always our expectations & perspectives that get us into trouble and make us feel unhappy. The brain is not just the center of logic and reasoning; it is also the organ that causes the creation & release of our mood chemicals.  :-) 

Comment by Nathaniel Mortazavi on November 4, 2012 at 8:46pm

Depression is a hard topic because there is always the argument as to whether the cause is psychological (experience, way of thinking, self image, etc) or biological (chemical imbalance in the brain). Judging by your comment about the effectiveness of anti-depressants, it sounds like the cause may be psychological as oppose to biological. I'd say that the best thing would be to change your way of thinking. Change how you interpret things. How you see things. If you're a negative person, try to actively manage your thoughts. If you're feeling negative about something, ask yourself why. Attempt to change your view into a more positive one. Write down all the things in life you appreciate. Anything from your bed and the clothes you wear to the people you speak to. Things like that can help. Just a few quick ideas.
I've been suffering from depression for a while now as well, so I'm interested to see where this discussion goes. Therapy isn't working, I feel I know my own mind, so I'm hoping to start anti-depressants soon.

Comment by Lore on November 5, 2012 at 2:11am

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I'll see about getting some dark chocolate. I do have a very negative outlook and I have been trying to change that with a little improvement.

Comment by Rob Lohand on November 8, 2012 at 3:53pm

I've been depressive myself for about 2 years. A few months ago, I fell in love (has been a long time since it happened to me the last time). Because of that I started working out, losing about 15kg of weight, build up some muscle. That made me feel more comfortable about me and my body, leading to more self confidence. Also I started to go out with friends, to all sorts of parties in different cities, meeting new people, getting out of the comfort zone. I kinda changed from a sociapath to a kinda confident guy. A huge change in my behaviour I ovserved is, that I can look in peoples eyes when I talk to them. A few months ago this wasn't possible at all, i immedeately felt uncomfortable with the situation.

In June I got kicked from school, so I was unemployed. That didn't support my psyche at all. But since I feel better about me and my life (even though the depression isn't gone) I felt that I was able to change that - I'm on my way to being a chemist now and the odds are really, really good :). This gave me the feeling of reaching something in life, which means a lot to me and changed my mindset.

But I think you don't need to necessarily change something about you. They key was that I set myself goals and managed to reach them. You say you are insecure - I was too, but by doing something social, you would never think about doing, you'll start to feel more confident in many situations. At least this worked for me.

I hope you get my point, my english is a bit rusty since I don't visit school anymore ;/p>

Edit: What I always did, when i felt like shit:

- Listen to inspiring or mood lifting music, not some depressive lovesongs or something like that.

- Don't get caught in a viscous cycle of self-pity. Try to ignore these thoughts and get some activity (Sports, making or listening to music, meet someone (don't talk about how shitty your life is, at least not too much), watch a movie, go out for a walk. Just don't isolate yourself in your room / house.

- Eat/Cook some delicous foodz.

- Call someone you like, if you really don't feel like going outside the house, ask how their day was. I have the feeling that a real conversation is much more worth socially than a chat through facebook

- And what gives me a really nice feeling, that absolutely kills depressive state-of-minds: If you have the possibility: Comfort somebody, or give somebody affection, if they need it. Feels good bro.

Comment by Nathaniel Mortazavi on November 8, 2012 at 5:15pm

Great post Rob, lots of genuinely useful information and good positive activities people can easily do. Your English is flawless, didn't know that it isn't your first language until you mentioned it. Setting achievable goals helps immensely; not only does it provide something to work towards, it give a sense of achievement when the goals are completed. The key is making those goals achievable and realistic.

Comment by Rob Lohand on November 8, 2012 at 5:46pm

The key is making those goals achievable and realistic.

Exactly.. Forgot that point ;)

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