Anhedonia

[SaintMarie]

I have suffered with life long depression. TMS therapy has been helping, but I am not sure that it is helping this time around. Is there anyone here that suffers from anhedonia? I am experiencing this more and more. I have no motivation to do anything and nothing excites me or seems worth pursuing. To anhedonia sufferers...... Where have you found help? Does anything help at all? I am at a complete loss as to what to do, and I am spiraling. Suggestions??? Ideas??? Experiences???

[lovetodance2018]

Thank you for sharing. I am sorry to hear you are struggling with depression and loss of pleasure. I have been there and I know how terrible you feel and that it doesn't feel like you will get better. The good news with the right help and thought process you can feel better. It took me over 20 years but I am doing much better. Depression is a combination of chemical imbalance and how we deal with things (our thoughts and behavior). Are you on medication? Fighting the right medication is half the process to feeling better. The other is through counseling. Through counseling I figured out I am too hard on myself, have too high expectation, tell myself put downs instead of put ups. Using these methods I have been working on myself to keep from spiraling and it has made a huge difference.

1) Beliveing healing comes from the inside out. It starts with letting go of the things of the past, forgiving and changing our focus and behavior. Becoming aware of what you need through self-care and personal nourishment. Take time for yourself - you are worth it. Like taking walks, baths, massages, mani/pedi/, listening to uplifting music/sermons and anything that makes you feel refreshed and renewed. Even though you don't feel up to doing it - try to do it anyway.

2) The 557 breathing technique is take 5 deep breaths in while thinking good thoughts about yourself like I matter, I am special, I am strong and then hold the breaths for the count of 7 focusing on those words about yourself, then let out the breath slowly for 5 seconds letting go of any anxious, self-defeating, unhealthy thoughts. I do this one to three times a sitting.

3)The gratitude journal is writing down something good every morning and night something that went well in the day, or something I appreciate about myself. Taking our focus off of the anxiety and depression and focusing on positive uplifting things really helps. What you think is what you believe. So thinking uplifting things you believe those things but the reverse is true - thinking negative self-defeating things, you will believe those.

4) Emotional Freedom Tapping - bit.ly/3AVYNiX You use pressure points to tap on those points while you repeat positive uplifting things to yourself.)

I will be praying for you. Feel free to pm me if you'd like to chat. Hugs and God Bless

[designguy]

One of the things I have found very helpful is making a concerted effort to investigate what I was telling myself, my thoughts and beliefs about myself, others and life both consciously and subconsciously. This gave me the power and choice to choose what fit for me and what didn't and reject the ones that no longer served me. I also realized I suffered from shame and low-self-worth and low-self-esteem and started working to improve it. One of the things I have read about depression is that it can be caused by repressed anger and rage which definitely fit me so I started processing and releasing it by beating pillows and going outside with a sledge hammer and pounding on rocks. I would focus on who or what I was angry about and pound away and release it. I also did releasing by just writing it out on paper, not worry about editing or what it looked like and let it flow and vent and then throw it away when I was done. It helped over time release my anger and help my mood. I've also found emdr therapy to be very helpful as well as ACT therapy for learning to sit with my difficult emotions and allow them instead of rejecting them as I had habitually done in the past.

[Bibis-]

hi SaintMarie, I definitely have no answer for you 😣 that’s exactly what I am struggling with. It’s interesting to know other people feel it as well.

I tried medications and they didn’t help, counseling and it didn’t help. They (therapists, counselors) keep telling me things I rationally realize are true, but hearing them doesn’t change how I feel, in the slightest.

I’m in a point where I’m trying to build up small things first, like, finding interest in everyday things. Sometimes I find something that catch my interest, and I delve in it fullly.

Then people say I’m obsessed- because like, I spend 48 hours writing a story, or I binge watch a tv series or a true crime story I got passionate about. I don’t care: even those small things are better than total apathy. People can’t understand if the haven’t tried how it feels.

As for bigger things in life, like, finding a purpose, or happiness and interest in building our life, our relationships… well I’m far, far from it. I have no suggestions.

I wish you the best, let us know if you find anything that works for you!

[SaintMarie in reply to Bibis-]

Thank you so much for your considerate response. It is great to hear from another depression/anhedonia/therapy/med veteran. I agree that being interested in anything, to any degree, is a success. Thanks for letting me know that I am not alone in this struggle. I would love to hear from you again any time.