Positive Thread To Support Ex-Cs With Depression Struggles At The Moment

[buffettphan]

Take good care of yourself Jeff....sleep tonight, then talk with us, your dad and your doctor. Please!

[bfuddled]

Jeff, I know things seem shitty right now. I know the aching frustration of having to struggle EVERY.SINGLE.DAY just to make it through the day. Sometimes it seems like a never ending cycle. But you do have a lot to live for. You need to get in contact with your doctor and/or the hospital asap. Please let us know that you're okay.

[Brother Jeff]

I'm emotionally exhausted and still having suicidal thoughts. I don't really want to die. I just want the pain to STOP!

[Orbit]

I'm emotionally exhausted and still having suicidal thoughts. I don't really want to die. I just want the pain to STOP!

Brother Jeff, go to the hospital and ask to be admitted. It's the only way to make this stop. We love you and we don't want to lose you.

[Overcame Faith]

I don't really want to die!

Focus on this, Jeff. You don't really want to die. We don't want you to, either. Call the suicide hotline or go check yourself into a hospital and tell them what you are going through. They can help you.

[BinkleyBoo]

I don't know what to say but I want you to know I'm thinking of you and hoping you'll get the help you need for the pain to stop 

[Sheild Maiden]

Thanks for making this post.

 

Eating healthy and getting enough sleep immediately made me feel better physically. Mentally, I felt the weight of the world lifted off of my shoulders when I went searching for answers and realized a few years ago that the Christian god was not real, nor was heaven/hell. I then had to work on my social skills because I was shy and didn't have many friends. I have improved greatly in the last four years because I went off to college and forced myself to join groups that I was interested in, and talk to as many people as possible. My family has noticed the improvement and is happy for me but they don't realize that it because I dropped Christianity, and I don't plan on upsetting them over this, for at least 10-20 years, not till I feel like I have the power and can explain it well. Maybe I'll never feel like telling them, its' pretty easy to fake it because I know more about Christian history and the sects than they do since I researched all of them after deconverting. For fun, I love researching and reading about other religions, such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and traditional pagan religions. That helps me remember how growing up like that was just a coincidence of birth, and many religions essentially want the same things and use the same type of control tactics to get it. I also just enjoy the imagery, buildings, watching the rituals, and reading the stories and myths are just fun.

 

I'm working part time now, but I still backslide when it comes to socialization sometimes, and talking to teachers/bosses, which gets me down a lot because I am a perfectionist and hate making mistakes.

 

When I am back home, I basically have to fake my way through talking about jesus/god/heaven and going to church every single sunday. That really annoys me rather than depresses me, and I tried talking to my family about my agnosticism/atheism, but they threw all of the christian apologetics stuff at me and I just play along now to not be asked about it again. It's much easier and I just hope that once I move out in a couple of years, they can stop bothering me about it just like they do with my older brother.

 

Since I grew up believing I should save myself for marriage and was very shy, I have never been in a relationship with a guy and I still struggle with this immensely. My greatest fear is to end up alone, never being married or having kids. I hate dating, I've only been on a few dates and I wasn't interested in them after those couple of dates and every guy I'm interested in doesn't like me back so it's almost impossible to even get anything close to a relationship for me. No problem with masturbation, but always having been alone just gets so crushingly lonely at times, I literally can't get out of bed on some weekends (if I don't have anything already planned) and sometimes it blows up and I cry to my parents. They are supportive but obviously can't do much for me.

 

The psychologist my parents use is a Christian, and I stopped going because I knew she would just say the same stuff as my parents if I told her about my feelings on religion. If I go to another one in a few years, I want to make sure it is a secular one, and I'll see if I even feel like telling them.

[mikey101]

 

The psychologist my parents use is a Christian, and I stopped going because I knew she would just say the same stuff as my parents if I told her about my feelings on religion. If I go to another one in a few years, I want to make sure it is a secular one, and I'll see if I even feel like telling them.

 

Enjoyed your post! Thanks for sharing.  Also, I agree a Christian psychologist wouldn't be very helpful, it's better to find a normal one that you feel comfortable with. Finding a good therapist is a treasure.

[Brother Jeff]

I am happy to report that the Spook of Kryasst who is also somehow magically Him magically brought me through another serious episode of bipolar depression. I am home from the hospital, and I am feeling okay now. Glory!

[FreeThinkerNZ]

I am happy to report that the Spook of Kryasst who is also somehow magically Him magically brought me through another serious episode of bipolar depression. I am home from the hospital, and I am feeling okay now. Glory!

Glory!  I think the wonders of medication might have had something to do with it too, lol.

 

Glad you're back, we all missed you.

[buffettphan]

Great news!  Glad you're back and feeling okay now! 

[BoldIrishLad]

I totally suffer depression. Lately writing has provided good doses of dopamine to counter it.

Yes writting is very important. Dont keep everything inside. Keep a log of the insights, the victories, and the experiences that make you grateful to be alive.

Excercise

Laughter

Vitamin b-12 b-6 and all B vitamins are helpful

Be careful with large amounts of suIgar or caffeine

Avoid alcohol or drugs that aren't prescribed

Go out to eat at times

Read or watch something interesting.

Focus on the beautiful things in the world. When we are depressed we tend to only see what is ugly

Im depressed now but I remember how yesterday I came out of my depression when I went out to eat with some friends and remind myself that I will be happy again.

Sometimes when you are depressed, sharing your feelings with somebody else who is depressed can be very helpful.

Get a pet

Try different hobbies

Find support groups with others who struggle and can relate to your inner battles. Maybe even get a sponsor.

 

Glad you are feeling better Jeff. More people than you know have to fight very hard daily to stay happy and sane. You can kick Bipolars arse!

[BoldIrishLad]

NZ or Jeff, have either of you tried EMDR? It is more helpful than other therapies imo.

It is worth a shot.

[directionless]

Maybe somebody already mentioned this, but it wouldn't hurt to drink a lot of water. Sometimes I've thought I was depressed but actually I was dehydrated.

[BoldIrishLad]

Maybe somebody already mentioned this, but it wouldn't hurt to drink a lot of water. Sometimes I've thought I was depressed but actually I was dehydrated.

Water is the battery of the mind and body.

 

65% of the body is water

[FreeThinkerNZ]

NZ or Jeff, have either of you tried EMDR? It is more helpful than other therapies imo.

It is worth a shot.

I haven't tried it.  I do CBT, cognitive behavioural therapy, which has a lot of good scientific evidence behind it.  I've also found it very helpful (I am lucky to have a great psychologist).

[FreeThinkerNZ]

[Brother Jeff]

Saw this posted to Facebook today. It does indeed take incredible strength to deal with mental illness, but it also requires incredible strength to deal with the mentally ill when they are ill and symptomatic. So, given my recent episode, thanks for hanging in there with me, everybody! Glory!

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chelsea-stephens/the-strength-behind-peopl_b_5974952.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

[directionless]

I have been drinking licorice root tea today. Supposedly licorice can help with depression, but there are also health risks if you consume too much.

[mikey101]

 

NZ or Jeff, have either of you tried EMDR? It is more helpful than other therapies imo.

It is worth a shot.

I haven't tried it.  I do CBT, cognitive behavioural therapy, which has a lot of good scientific evidence behind it.  I've also found it very helpful (I am lucky to have a great psychologist).

 

That's great that you're getting help.  For some reason I'm so self-sufficient and can't ask for help easily.  That's starting to change though since I hit an emotional bottom and got to where I was desperate.  Now I'm starting to learn about myself and getting support from others in a group, and the positive results in my life are more than I expected.

[Brother Jeff]

I posted this thread a few minutes ago. I have been feeling a lot of anxiety and fear and irritability that makes me want to just run away and hide:

 

http://www.ex-christian.net/topic/65469-bipolar-issues-raw-emotions-that-make-me-want-to-run-away/

[seven77]

I haven't been depressed lately. I wish that my medication situation would resolve itself. I think that I am going to have to switch to something else when this prescription runs out. My doctors are hopeful that I will adjust to this medication because there aren't many other drugs out there that will work for my condition.

 

However, now I am only having physical side effects (heart palpitations, night sweats, dizzy spells) and not the pysch effects that I was having on a higher dose when I first switched about a month ago. So yay? Perhaps, perhaps.

 

I find that heavy metal is a good if informal therapy for what ails me. Metal is relaxing to me, for whatever reason. Also, I have been focusing my energies on my writing as of late and that has really helped me as well.

[directionless]

I haven't been depressed lately. I wish that my medication situation would resolve itself. I think that I am going to have to switch to something else when this prescription runs out. My doctors are hopeful that I will adjust to this medication because there aren't many other drugs out there that will work for my condition.

 

However, now I am only having physical side effects (heart palpitations, night sweats, dizzy spells) and not the pysch effects that I was having on a higher dose when I first switched about a month ago. So yay? Perhaps, perhaps.

 

I find that heavy metal is a good if informal therapy for what ails me. Metal is relaxing to me, for whatever reason. Also, I have been focusing my energies on my writing as of late and that has really helped me as well.

I like heavy metal too, but I've noticed that I tend to listen to 70s pop music when I'm depressed (Simon and Garfunkle, ...). The problem with pop music is the ear worms.

 

I hope you get the issues with the medication worked-out, so you feel better.

 

I forgot to suggest that maybe sunshine will help you even if your energy is low.

[directionless]

Up until the last six months I have been able to manage depression by exercising. Usually my periods of depression would go away after a few weeks. The last six months I felt depressed even during and after exercising. The exercising makes me feel good, but underneath I feel tired of life.

[Margee]

I have watched a ton of history documents in the last month and all of them  have showed me that depression is not a new thing for humans. Many rich have suffered and many poor people were OK. Depression can hit any of the human race. No culture is immune. It can hit anyone. The struggles alone can feel so tiring. If we don't have a fighting attitude, we'll lose. This is a positive post for Ex-c...so I'm going to do the best I can to get out of bed, face life on life's terms, work hard to earn a living, have some fun close friends to hang out with, eat right for me, exercise, keep as good an attitude as possible and try to enjoy life everyday I can. I have to force myself on certain days to do all this because life does have it's 'trials and tribulations' and I personally must  keep the right attitude .... and when I do force myself....it pays off !

 

Hugs to all who are suffering. We are here for you!