Is there any decent way of dealing with depression that doesn't

>>17633647
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaNO09cPS6c&spfreload=1
meditate

>Keep it bottled up as long as possible
>think about suicide on a daily basis
>have random burst of anger/emotion
>try not to piss off everyone around you

that's what I do and I've survived this long

>>17633647
Is your life shitty? How wide is the gap between your goals and your reality?

>>17634643
My life's not exactly shitty, but I'm not happy. I don't really have any goals right now. I've just been flailing about hoping to find something that makes me realize what I want. No luck so far.

>>17634631
Keeping it bottled up and hidden from everyone hasn't exactly solved the problem. I'm pretty sure nobody knows, but I'd hesitate to say I'm "surviving" when I'm dying inside.

just quit being a little bitch about it. seriously.
maybe 1 day out of a month its fine to sulk on shit but other than that focus on reality, and if reality is depressing you, you need to change your mindset/environment

>>17633647
Going to the doctor to get drugged up is for fags. The exercise thing does help, but what do you have to be depressed about. When my best friend died in an accident a few years ago I was sad. I cried. But I realized this shit happens every day. That I'm actually a really luck bastard. That maybe if I wasnt, id be in another country still, probably uneducated and poor. I wouldn't have ever had my friend in the first place.


Basically, always remember how lucky you are for what you have. Even if it seems shitty.

https://youtu.be/zEN4hcZutO0

Yes OP, small steps at a time in the right direction.

For starters be cognizant of emotional patterns that sound like this post
>>17635163
Not that they are negative and need to be eradicated, but they are harshly one sided and full of judgement and blame. Recognize that acceptance and forgiveness is what will help you overall.

Sadly posts like these tend to be in majority on a website like this, read with caution.

How much effort do you want to put into it? Things like meditation provide great relief - granted you can fall into routines of ~20 minutes (I can provide further advice on meditation if needed). Writing in a journal can help too, granted you focus on your emotional reality (as opposed to simply listing objective events that happen to you) and moving inward. Things like "X happened today and I felt Y", you can focus more and more on your emotions asking yourself essential questions like why you think it affected you in a certain way and the like. Its really great like having someone to talk to, instead of bottling up emotions.

Which brings me to my last point, therapy/support groups. Therapy is so much healthier than seeking support on 4chan for instance, and there are tons of free Depression support groups that based online and mediated by a professional and tend to be constructive.

I think my first point is by far the most essential to dealing with depression. I know you are strong and will thrive, just taking the time to look online shows you have the desire to change.

Best of luck.

>>17635186
Thanks for correcting the record. Why are you even here

>>17633647

The only statistically sound way to help yourself, given that your problem is solvable without medicine (i.e., most cases) is to go through cognitive therapy.

The good news is you can perform cognitive therapy on your own. The most researched book is "Feel Good" by Dr. Burns. Use the techniques in the book, they will work for 100% of non-schizophrenic/beyond redemption people (you aren't one of these in all likelihood).

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Philosophy!
After learning about existentialism, focus on remembering it whenever you are feeling hopelessness.
That is, do not stop at the answer, but commit it to heart.
Become wise. "Feel with your heart the knowledge in your brain".

>>17633647
Not everyone needs a doctor to get over depression, but it can help for a lot of people. A doctor also can't automatically cure you (unless drugs are miraculously effective for you,) without you also putting in earnest effort.

>>17635177
Ignore this.

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>>17633647

>Is there any decent way of dealing with depression that doesn't involve going to the doctor?

>I'm guessing the answer's going to be no.

You guessed correctly. Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain for which there is no home remedy.

When you hurt your body, you go to a doctor. When you hurt your mind, you go to a psychiatrist.

No way around it.

I can tell you from personal experience that it cannot be solved without a doctor, but you can make it liveable.
>make friends
>spend every spare moment with them
>don't dwell on the past
>fake it until you make it

The last one is so cringe and cheesy but it is probably the most important. If you pretend to be happy you can actually be happy in social situations.

>>17635177
Ah yes. "Just don't be depressed". Solid advice. You know, amputees would have far fewer problems if they would just grow their limbs back. You and I should start a practice, we'd cure the world.

>>17633647
Really it depends just how bad your depression is. Ask yourself, have you had serious suicidal thoughts? Have you engaged in or seriously considered self harm? The moment either of those questions is a yes you need to see a doctor who understands mental illness and can recommend you psychiatric help.

If you're really adamant about not seeking professional medical help there are ways to manage depression. Different people are, well, different; there is no single thing which works for everyone and there are no cures in a proper sense of the term. Based on what you've said in this thread you seem to be spinning your wheels a bit, so dealing with that is priority one. There are plenty of no-to-low cost hobbies you can take up, from drawing to programming to trying to pick up a new language or even something as simple as reading. To me it's important that I can be out of my home, sloth is at the center of depression for a lot of people and simply getting out of the house and doing something in a public space can help.

That all said, I do suggest at least talking to a doctor and getting a physical, depression is often chemical in some way and something as simple as diet can be a huge factor in depression. Blood work tends to reveal that if it is the case.

>>17633647
Sleep it off

>>17633647
I don't know, is it? have you even tried avoiding negative thoughts and exercising?

>>17633647

The first 3 big things to cure depression, that every counsillor and doctor will tell you are:
1) Get daily exercise. at leaast 30 minutes of it, and it has to be something that makes your heartare increase. That's because 2 of the hormones released during exercise (noradrenaline and seratonin) are also happiness hormones.
2) Fix your diet. You need a balanced diet, not an excess of sugar and fat, which is the typical diet today. First fix here is more vegetables and fruit, but long-term, you need to identify which foods help. The help will show in more than 2 hours, anything sooner than that is placebo effect.
3) Find someone to talk to, someone to confide in and hang with. This *can* be online, but is preferable to offline, due to small social cues. Listen to what they have to say, ask for advice and take it into consideration.

But you sound like you already know these things. If you already do these, then I suggest that you find what the bloody hell is giving you so much stress, so many problems. Is it something recent, or something far back? Something fresh on the mind, or something you buried inside? If it's fresh, fix it, if it's something buried, then a counsillor or doctor might be for the best.

One last thing. Doctors and drugs aren't the best idea. There are some people with a chemical imbalance in their brain, and they NEED the pills, but most don't. And all of those pills have side effects...

>>17635275
That's not how it works. I've done this for years, blaming how I've felt for such a long time on my environment, current situation, studies, etc. Sooner or later your world and your past are going to come down on you and then you'll REALLY need help.
The only real option is to see a psychologist. Heard good things about meditation but haven't tried it myself yet.

Also, ignore:
>>17635587
>>17635580
>>17635177
>>17635163
These are all just responses written by people who believe depression is not real and just 'a weak state of mind'.

>>17635601
>And all of those pills have side effects...
I've tried the medicine route before. I gave it three tries, and none of them helped me, but I had side effects ranging from making my heart race all the time, to simply completely killing any sex drive I had.
>Find someone to talk to, someone to confide in and hang with. This *can* be online, but is preferable to offline, due to small social cues. Listen to what they have to say, ask for advice and take it into consideration.
This is the hardest part. I don't have many friends and none that I'm close enough to talk about this kind of stuff with.

>>17635609
>The only real option is to see a psychologist.
I'm still trying to avoid that route for the time being. First of all, I'm not sure I can afford it. Pretty sure my shitty health insurance won't pay a single cent for mental health. Part of me also doesn't want to admit to anyone, including a doctor, that I have a problem.

>>17635666

>This is the hardest part. I don't have many friends and none that I'm close enough to talk about this kind of stuff with.
Only advice I can give here is to work on it. Psychological counsillors should do the core of what you need, but...

>I'm still trying to avoid that route for the time being. First of all, I'm not sure I can afford it. Pretty sure my shitty health insurance won't pay a single cent for mental health. Part of me also doesn't want to admit to anyone, including a doctor, that I have a problem.

>I'm still trying to avoid that route for the time being. First of all, I'm not sure I can afford it. Pretty sure my shitty health insurance won't pay a single cent for mental health. Part of me also doesn't want to admit to anyone, including a doctor, that I have a problem.

I'm still trying to avoid that route for the time being. First of all, I'm not sure I can afford it. Pretty sure my shitty health insurance won't pay a single cent for mental health. Part of me also doesn't want to admit to anyone, including a doctor, that I have a problem.

>I'm still trying to avoid that route for the time being. First of all, I'm not sure I can afford it. Pretty sure my shitty health insurance won't pay a single cent for mental health. Part of me also doesn't want to admit to anyone, including a doctor, that I have a problem.

Welp. Try to find if your town has a free counsillor program going (many eu cities have them, I know that much, no idea about the USA). The last part, the admitting part, is something that you'll have to work on/get over, before anyone, including specialists can help you, though.

>>17635666
>hello satan's trips


>I'm still trying to avoid that route for the time being. First of all, I'm not sure I can afford it. Pretty sure my shitty health insurance won't pay a single cent for mental health. Part of me also doesn't want to admit to anyone, including a doctor, that I have a problem.

Well, to put it bluntly, you can't really put a price on your mental health and sanity. It might be expensive/hard to afford but that's better than NOT trying to fix yourself and eventually an hero. I understand if you're in the US it complicates the situation as your country is still lagging behind when it comes to universal healthcare. What you have to realise is that you don't know this doctor and he/she doesn't know you so really, you will not lose face if that's what you're worried about. You lose face when your social circle has to bury you. Your mental health is something to be taken seriously and you shouldn't be afraid to feel like a bit of a hypochondriac. Don't try to downplay what you're feeling as 'normal'. Tried that for years and it doesn't help. I'll be here for a while if you have more specific questions.