Maybe some T-Men can help me with some problems as they have in the past. I will re-iterate how much I value your guys’ opinions.
My problem is depression this time. I have a lot of things going on and almost 0 free time. A lot of the stuff going on is bad news. Any advice on getting out of a slump in life, because I know I am the only one accountable for how my life goes. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.
Okay beannog. I have seen your responses to some of my posts in the past, and it is obvious to me that you know what needs to be done to help yourself. Nobody on this forum is going to do it for you, or magically inspire you with some enlightened turn of a phrase. Either be a real T-man and do what needs to be done, or shut up and live your mediocre life like every other loser. This T-man is rooting for you; there are vastly too many do-nothings in society, and I don’t want to include you in their numbers. I hope you can conquer your problems yourself, but the world needs sad-sack bedwetters too, I guess.
I’m not sure that first response helped much. But depression is insidious…it can sneak up on you and is very hard to “beat”. I think i’ve read that it’s like “learned defeatism”. So after a while you just feel like giving up.
You have to find things in your life that you like and are good at and things you have control over. If things are getting you down, find a way out but also find something you can excel at. This will break the “defeatism” part of depression. You have to feel like you are getting a grip on your problems and they are under your control, rather than vice versa. Also make sure you get a lot of exercise, especially weights. That will really pick you up. Also absolutely don’t drink any alcohol, it’s a depressant and can deplete your bodies store of essential fats, or I think I’ve read as much.
Also you might want to take fish oil supplements as omega-3 fats (the type everyone is low on) are linked to improved mental well being. You can also take flax oil instead of fish oil but you need more of it.
When you lose your purpose, you die on the inside. Remember your purpose. Ask yourself why you’re alive and arrive at your answer. Fight for what you feel is good and right, and help people to live for what’s right. Doesn’t it make you feel good when you help others out? Stop living for yourself and start living for those around you. That’s why we’re alive: to keep others company. Life is lonely by yourself, but life it’s satisfying when we remember that we exist to take the boredom and mundane out of the lives around us. You said that a lot of bad news is goin on in your life. Well now’s your chance to help those people out who are livin with those terrible conditions. Now’s your chance to give yourself more purpose for living, and in that you will become happy. Those rich people who can have anything often times become philanthropists because of this principle. Just remember that you can’t run 30 kilometers if you havn’t been running for the past 10 years. You gots to start gradually getting to your goal. Show “depression” that you’re not going to let it rule you. You’re not going to let it take over you. You’re going to fight it even if you have to die trying. Don’t be a nigga on Depression’s plantation.
beannog, how old are you? Clinical depression usually begins manifesting in the early 20’s or late teens if it’s genetic. Try natural supplements like 5-HTP or Tyrosine for a month. If they don’t help, you should seriously consider seeing a psychiatrist, who may or may not prescribe antidepressants. Do not make the mistake of trying to ‘wish’ your depression away, because if it is a genetic problem (low serotonin levels), you will not succeed. At this point in science, antidepressants are your best option. Peace.
I am not kidding here. 1. Get yourself a dog or a cat. 2. Buy yourself a new motorcycle. If you can afford something serious, great, if not, I suggest something that is cheap but lot of fun like Yamaha TW125, sold as TW200 if you’re in the USA, it’s somewhere around 3200 US$, very affordable if you ask me. Got one yesterday.
I have been on Zoloft in conjunction with psychotherapy for about 4 months now. The difference it has made is incredible, I literally feel like a new person. Do something about it, don’t just sit there, it will only get worse. And don;t listen to anyone who says or thinks that theraypy or Antidepressants are for wimps…that is a load of bullshit. Depression sucks, it is almost inconceivable for someon who is not depressed to understand what it feels like. You can get through this, just commit yourself to doing something about it. Good Luck!! If there is anything I can tell you or anything you would like to ask me, go ahead.
Definately try some 5-htp. Then go to the gym and pump some SERIOUS iron. Drink some SURGE. Then shower, shave, go out, and get laid.
The answer to every problem in two sentences 
Do you take MD6 or any of the other ECA stacks along with the Zoloft? If so, did your doctor give you the go ahead? Just curious, I can’t find any thing definitive on whether the two can be taken together. Thanks.
maclar, tony- i commend your responses. not that my opinion matters much, but they were very good. I myself have been on Zoloft since i was 15, im 22 now. It literally saved my life. But, if the cause of the depression is not biochemical in nature- if your seratonin is not being uptaken into the synapse at an accelerated rate- then zoloft (a Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor-SSRI) is not the answer. Get it checked out no matter what age you are. Sometimes people can deal with it for a long time, but something happens and they can no longer keep it up. It is more prevalent in younger people, with hormonal fluxuation and what not, but it is possible to onset at any age. Dont trust the opinion of anybody on this one. Get an MRI. That is what distinguished my Type1 Bi-Polar from a very different Type2 Bi-Polar. And the medications are totally different for each. Type1 meds(zoloft, etc) can actually make Type2 worse, and vice versa. So finding the EXACT cause and condition is important here.
if it is not biochemical, then it is environmentally induced. This is the tought one, IMO. you could see a therapist, go get hammered, get laid, watch tv, whatever. we each have our own ways of beating the blues. But, if this is seriously effecting you, and is not biochemical in nature, I would urge you to seek counsil. They can give you better options on overcoming the depression and anxiety than I could. After all, they are trained to do it.
I hope this helps, and like I said, maclar and tony hit the nail on the head. Good luck, and I hope you find your way through this.
To LL- I take MD6, and zoloft. I just wait to take my zoloft at night, before bed. that way there is a good amount of time between my last md6 dose and my dose of zoloft. I took them close together once, and got a little bit of a buzz, so I never did it again. Hope that information was useful.
Try to get your hands on as many books as possible and read read read! Also, watching funny movies helps. I’ve suffered through depression myself, and there are times when it creeps back at me. But whenever I go through my dark times, I always rent movies with Chris Farley. That guy usually lifts my spirits. If you want a list of movies, I suggest you rent these. Joe Dirt (with David Spade), Men At Work, Loaded Weapon, Top Secret, The Whole 9 Yards, The Sandlot, Tommy Boy, and Beverly Hills Ninja.
i can identify with the ‘slump’ feeling. i took a week to my self…didn’t go out (yes, went to work) and decided what i wanted to do. then FORCED myself to do it. for me it was getting my ass in the gym daily, and working until i was ready to drop… the first week was very hard, the second was better… the energy i expended in rugby and lifting and boxing, etc. left little energy for anything else. and TALK. if not to a therapist, talk to a close friend or two, or join a BBS where you can talk to people who care dealing with the EXACT same stuff - yes this forum is good, but i mean one dedicated to mental health issues. check out taper (do a search for it) you’ll get better, but you have to want to.
take SAMe, vitex and tribex. you will feel better. Also try to cultivate a positive and aggresive attitude. Very important!
Thanks.
This may not be the most popular answer on the board. I know that going in. I was so “why me?”, thought that there was a plot against my success, thought I could solve all my own problems. I actually started reading the Bible. Old Testament. scheduled about 1/2 hour, found the time despite insisting that I had none.
If nothing else, start a journal, put your goals on paper, put what it takes to get there and then list what you have already done.
You’re right! You are accountable for how your life goes but that doesn’t mean that you have to do it on your own. Jay had the right idea about readng the bible, but fell a little short.If you read the new testement as well you will find many answers. just read with an open heart and meditate on the words and a whole new world will open up for you. Go on! Don’t be afraid.Get yourself a original King James Bible with all the the’s and thow’s so you are getting the original English version. This could be the most important book you will ever read.
A point to consider is if the depressed person is using or has used anabolic hormones.These drugs really wreak havoc on your personality in a lot of cases.They did in mine.I’ve been clean for over 17 years and honestly feel and have seen that the worst effects of drugs are psychological.For about a year after I quit the androgens I was in a funk,combined with random panic attacks…then eventually I got back to normal.If it is a self induced hormonal imbalance and doesn’t clear up,maybe you should talk to a mental health pro.
Beannog – Here is the Christian perspective on your question: A primary cause of depression is when a person depends on someone or something other than God for his happiness, self-worth, meaning and purpose to life, etc. It is important to realize that God made man as a dependent creature, not independent. The essence of sin is the human drive to be independent and self-sufficient apart from God; to be one’s own god, in fact. However, Satan’s promise to Eve, “You will be like God”(Genesis 3:5), was a lie, and man has been enslaved ever since to a mad search for identity, significance, and security apart from his Creator. Man was so engineered by God that the presence of God within the man is indispensable to the humanity of the man. Like gas is indispensable to the usefulness of your car.
There are few things quite so boring as being religious, but there is nothing quite so exciting as being a Christian! Most folks have never discovered the difference between the one and the other, so that there are those who sincerely try to live a life they do not have, substituting religion for God, Christianity for Christ, and their own noble endeavors for the energy, joy, and power of God. There is so much religious confusion everywhere. I thank God I heard Bob George on the radio one day. If you want, see Bob’s website here Real Answers with Steve Russo – Real Answers with Steve Russo
Because I live, you also shall live - Jesus said that.
Thanx for all of the support. Like always, I’m trudging on trying to better things. The difference between me and my friends who stay depressed depends a lot on how bodybuilding (now more of combat training w/ powerlifting) and T-Mag has taught me how to overcome obstacles and mediocrity. Still, things are staying tough and I know I have to be tougher. I think I might look into a therapist and some pharmaceuticals. They may make all the difference in my life and then again, they might not.
the problem with prescription medications is they treat the symptoms, but they do not do anything about the cause of your problem. So remember that if you do go into therapy and medication. Bill Phillips once said “Reaching out for help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s an act of strength.”