Managing depression/anxiety without meds - what helped you?

[Anonymous]

Exercise. Has been shown in research to be as effective as meds, without the side effects and with many health and mental health benefits.

Light box. It's not just for SAD. Research have found it good for depression in general. Just read up on how to use it since time with a light box is effectively a serotonin generating drug. It can really clear the fog quickly. Also building in time outside in the sun gives a boost.

Consider (excessive) caffeine and alcohol as culprits.

Getting enough sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also had some very difficult experiences with side affects and just never found a medication combination that successfully addressed my depression/anxiety without seriously impacting my personality or ability to work and maintain relationships. Also had to taper off meds before trying to get pregnant and have never gone back on.

None of this is a perfect solution, and I do sometimes contemplating going back on medication. But I would say this manages my mental health about 85-90% of the time:

- Routines (making my bed everyday, meal planning, having a planner and sticking to it)
- Therapy and journaling. I don't go to therapy all the time, but will do a 12-week stint with my therapist when I feel a depressive episode coming on. I also journal a lot to practice what I work on in therapy, and find the practice of observing my depression and anxiety and recording it helps to mitigate it's effects. This is probably the single biggest "breakthrough" I've had in treatment -- that it is possible to detach from my depressive and anxious thought patterns by simply observing them.
- Caffeine, but controlled intake. I don't do highly caffeinated sources, but one caffeinated tea in the morning and a Coke in the afternoon, pretty much every day, helps modulate my moods which makes it much easier for me to tell the difference between my depression/anxiety symptoms and ordinary mood fluctuation.
- Online message boards like this one. You have to find the right ones and be careful about how you use them, but I have found them particularly helpful for talking through CBT or DBT methods that can help, or just talking through a particularly intense anxiety attack or depressive episode (i.e. if I wake up at 2am with intense anxiety, it can help to put a post on a message board for people who struggle with anxiety, just describing what's happening and asking for support). It genuinely helps me to feel less alone and has also helped me identify therapeutic methods that have helped me.

I do still have that 10-15% of the time where it does not feel well controlled. My therapist and I have been talking recently about how to create a kind of "emergency kit" for those times so that I know what to do. The good news is that it's mostly just anxiety, because they generally don't last long enough to qualify for a true depression event. I find anxiety more frightening but also more responsive to stuff like mindfulness training and meditation. And if I can control and mitigate the anxiety, the depression is less likely to set in.

I hope this is helpful.

This is really interesting to me, van you expand on what you mean by “it is possible to detach ... by observing them”. I’ve been really trying to be mindful of my typical anxious thinking and I think what you describe could be helpful to me. Thank you so much for sharing

[Anonymous]

If you listen to the Life Coach School podcast, her method is rooted in CBT. So, circumstances > thoughts > feelings > actions > results. Circumstances are always neutral. She has a way of looking at relationships that was completely life changing (for me). It gives you your power back. She also teaches you to be in control of your mind, which helps you feel less out of control and therefore less anxious. She has anxiety too, and talks about it.

Lots of free workbooks online for CBT too.

[Anonymous]

All the things PPs have said... except I was too depressed and low energy to do any of them without meds. Good luck. Hope you feel better.

[Anonymous]

Walking outside in the daylight. Keeping an eating and sleeping routine as much as possible. Being busy as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

Initially transition to part time to a less stressful job finally quitting. Not running after that next million. DH also went for a less stressful job. We are at $3M at 52. We will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also had some very difficult experiences with side affects and just never found a medication combination that successfully addressed my depression/anxiety without seriously impacting my personality or ability to work and maintain relationships. Also had to taper off meds before trying to get pregnant and have never gone back on.

None of this is a perfect solution, and I do sometimes contemplating going back on medication. But I would say this manages my mental health about 85-90% of the time:

- Routines (making my bed everyday, meal planning, having a planner and sticking to it)
- Therapy and journaling. I don't go to therapy all the time, but will do a 12-week stint with my therapist when I feel a depressive episode coming on. I also journal a lot to practice what I work on in therapy, and find the practice of observing my depression and anxiety and recording it helps to mitigate it's effects. This is probably the single biggest "breakthrough" I've had in treatment -- that it is possible to detach from my depressive and anxious thought patterns by simply observing them.
- Caffeine, but controlled intake. I don't do highly caffeinated sources, but one caffeinated tea in the morning and a Coke in the afternoon, pretty much every day, helps modulate my moods which makes it much easier for me to tell the difference between my depression/anxiety symptoms and ordinary mood fluctuation.
- Online message boards like this one. You have to find the right ones and be careful about how you use them, but I have found them particularly helpful for talking through CBT or DBT methods that can help, or just talking through a particularly intense anxiety attack or depressive episode (i.e. if I wake up at 2am with intense anxiety, it can help to put a post on a message board for people who struggle with anxiety, just describing what's happening and asking for support). It genuinely helps me to feel less alone and has also helped me identify therapeutic methods that have helped me.

I do still have that 10-15% of the time where it does not feel well controlled. My therapist and I have been talking recently about how to create a kind of "emergency kit" for those times so that I know what to do. The good news is that it's mostly just anxiety, because they generally don't last long enough to qualify for a true depression event. I find anxiety more frightening but also more responsive to stuff like mindfulness training and meditation. And if I can control and mitigate the anxiety, the depression is less likely to set in.

I hope this is helpful.

This is really interesting to me, van you expand on what you mean by “it is possible to detach ... by observing them”. I’ve been really trying to be mindful of my typical anxious thinking and I think what you describe could be helpful to me. Thank you so much for sharing

Not PP, but Brene brown touches on this in her book “daring greatly.” Here she is summarizing somebody else:

“ Mindfulness: Taking a balanced approach to negative emotions so that feelings are neither suppressed nor exaggerated. We cannot ignore our pain and feel compassion for it at the same time. Mindfulness requires that we not “over-identify” with thoughts and feelings, so that we are caught up and swept away by negativity.”

[Anonymous]

A 12 step program, meditation, exercise and getting outside are my must. One of the best parts of the 12 step program is passing along what you’ve been given which means you are constantly working to connect with people, either to hear what’s going on in their life or to tell them what’s going on with yours. Hearing others problems or worries reminds you that you aren’t alone and sharing your own takes the weight off of your shoulders.

[Anonymous]

Just because it hasn't been mentioned: I self medicate by taking hot baths. Somehow that really helps me. Plus a lot of what has been mentioned above. I focus on: eating healthily, getting enough sleep, exercising, meditating, listening to music, connecting with supportive friends, limiting sugar/alcohol/caffeine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also had some very difficult experiences with side affects and just never found a medication combination that successfully addressed my depression/anxiety without seriously impacting my personality or ability to work and maintain relationships. Also had to taper off meds before trying to get pregnant and have never gone back on.

None of this is a perfect solution, and I do sometimes contemplating going back on medication. But I would say this manages my mental health about 85-90% of the time:

- Routines (making my bed everyday, meal planning, having a planner and sticking to it)
- Therapy and journaling. I don't go to therapy all the time, but will do a 12-week stint with my therapist when I feel a depressive episode coming on. I also journal a lot to practice what I work on in therapy, and find the practice of observing my depression and anxiety and recording it helps to mitigate it's effects. This is probably the single biggest "breakthrough" I've had in treatment -- that it is possible to detach from my depressive and anxious thought patterns by simply observing them.
- Caffeine, but controlled intake. I don't do highly caffeinated sources, but one caffeinated tea in the morning and a Coke in the afternoon, pretty much every day, helps modulate my moods which makes it much easier for me to tell the difference between my depression/anxiety symptoms and ordinary mood fluctuation.
- Online message boards like this one. You have to find the right ones and be careful about how you use them, but I have found them particularly helpful for talking through CBT or DBT methods that can help, or just talking through a particularly intense anxiety attack or depressive episode (i.e. if I wake up at 2am with intense anxiety, it can help to put a post on a message board for people who struggle with anxiety, just describing what's happening and asking for support). It genuinely helps me to feel less alone and has also helped me identify therapeutic methods that have helped me.

I do still have that 10-15% of the time where it does not feel well controlled. My therapist and I have been talking recently about how to create a kind of "emergency kit" for those times so that I know what to do. The good news is that it's mostly just anxiety, because they generally don't last long enough to qualify for a true depression event. I find anxiety more frightening but also more responsive to stuff like mindfulness training and meditation. And if I can control and mitigate the anxiety, the depression is less likely to set in.

I hope this is helpful.

This is really interesting to me, van you expand on what you mean by “it is possible to detach ... by observing them”. I’ve been really trying to be mindful of my typical anxious thinking and I think what you describe could be helpful to me. Thank you so much for sharing

PP here. It means getting to the point where, when I fall into a depressive or anxious though pattern, I have this other, concurrent though process that goes, “Oh, I see here that I am catastrophizing this situation with my family. It’s not surprising because my mom’s judgment is always pretty triggering of anxiety for me. It’s understandable that I’m upset, but I know from experience that blowing this into a big conflict in my mind will only make this worse. I think I’ll go write in my journal for 10 minutes to explain this to myself, and then go for a run to shake it off.”

It took a lot of time to get to that point (like years of both therapy and doing a lot of reading on my own about depressive and anxious though patterns, doing CBT on my own, learning meditation, etc.), but I basically built a little friend who lives in my head and has the distance to view the situation in a level headed way but also with the compassion and understanding you don’t always get from a friend/therapist/family member.

This voice in my head is how I assume non-depressed, non-anxious people think all the time. I’m not one of those people, so I jerry-rigged an imaginary one to my brain.

[Anonymous]

I got a divorce and moved to a new city. My stress levels have been around zero for the past six months.

[Anonymous]

Vigorous exercise, and frequent orgasms. Lots of time with friends, socially distanced and on Zoom. Prayer and meditation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also had some very difficult experiences with side affects and just never found a medication combination that successfully addressed my depression/anxiety without seriously impacting my personality or ability to work and maintain relationships. Also had to taper off meds before trying to get pregnant and have never gone back on.

None of this is a perfect solution, and I do sometimes contemplating going back on medication. But I would say this manages my mental health about 85-90% of the time:

- Routines (making my bed everyday, meal planning, having a planner and sticking to it)
- Therapy and journaling. I don't go to therapy all the time, but will do a 12-week stint with my therapist when I feel a depressive episode coming on. I also journal a lot to practice what I work on in therapy, and find the practice of observing my depression and anxiety and recording it helps to mitigate it's effects. This is probably the single biggest "breakthrough" I've had in treatment -- that it is possible to detach from my depressive and anxious thought patterns by simply observing them.
- Caffeine, but controlled intake. I don't do highly caffeinated sources, but one caffeinated tea in the morning and a Coke in the afternoon, pretty much every day, helps modulate my moods which makes it much easier for me to tell the difference between my depression/anxiety symptoms and ordinary mood fluctuation.
- Online message boards like this one. You have to find the right ones and be careful about how you use them, but I have found them particularly helpful for talking through CBT or DBT methods that can help, or just talking through a particularly intense anxiety attack or depressive episode (i.e. if I wake up at 2am with intense anxiety, it can help to put a post on a message board for people who struggle with anxiety, just describing what's happening and asking for support). It genuinely helps me to feel less alone and has also helped me identify therapeutic methods that have helped me.

I do still have that 10-15% of the time where it does not feel well controlled. My therapist and I have been talking recently about how to create a kind of "emergency kit" for those times so that I know what to do. The good news is that it's mostly just anxiety, because they generally don't last long enough to qualify for a true depression event. I find anxiety more frightening but also more responsive to stuff like mindfulness training and meditation. And if I can control and mitigate the anxiety, the depression is less likely to set in.

I hope this is helpful.

This is really interesting to me, van you expand on what you mean by “it is possible to detach ... by observing them”. I’ve been really trying to be mindful of my typical anxious thinking and I think what you describe could be helpful to me. Thank you so much for sharing

PP here. It means getting to the point where, when I fall into a depressive or anxious though pattern, I have this other, concurrent though process that goes, “Oh, I see here that I am catastrophizing this situation with my family. It’s not surprising because my mom’s judgment is always pretty triggering of anxiety for me. It’s understandable that I’m upset, but I know from experience that blowing this into a big conflict in my mind will only make this worse. I think I’ll go write in my journal for 10 minutes to explain this to myself, and then go for a run to shake it off.”

It took a lot of time to get to that point (like years of both therapy and doing a lot of reading on my own about depressive and anxious though patterns, doing CBT on my own, learning meditation, etc.), but I basically built a little friend who lives in my head and has the distance to view the situation in a level headed way but also with the compassion and understanding you don’t always get from a friend/therapist/family member.

This voice in my head is how I assume non-depressed, non-anxious people think all the time. I’m not one of those people, so I jerry-rigged an imaginary one to my brain.

This is awesome, and so, so helpful. You helped me today with this information, and I really appreciate that.

[Anonymous]

So much great advice here and I use a lot of these methods myself. I have also found hypnosis helpful for specific issues triggered by my anxiety, like insomnia and IBS. I have recurring bouts of all kinds of health issues but have learned that they are basically all stress related. Hypnosis helps me so much for those specific issues.

Also find the following indispensable: light therapy, exercise, routines/sleep, and avoiding alcohol if I start feeling depressed. If I drink for more than two nights in a row, I will get depressed (I am talking 1-2 glasses of wine).

[Anonymous]

Oh! and tracking my cycle, because I have very specific mood swings related to PMS, and just knowing that will help me feel better and not get sucked into the mood. That’s also why writing or journaling helps me, similar to a PP.