Suggestions on handling Anxiety & Depression while not taking medication

[TimH1953]

How can I function while not taking medication ?My sleeping patterns are irregular.

And just day o day function

Medication where I'm living is so expensive and I'm on a pension

I've been of medication for 6 months now for the first time in 50 years

I'm trying find out if there other products that can assist me in my life

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Hidden]

I don't know but you are not alone. If I figure it out, I'll try and tell you. 😁

[Raggedy-Ann]

Hi, sorry to hear you are experiencing that. You can add some things to your diet- chamomile tea at night, I like vanilla chamomile. Take a bath with lavender Epsom salts. relax in the tub, soak for awhile. you can try melatonin at night. limit caffeine and none after 10:00 AM. Stretch every day as much as possible maybe take up yoga, loose muscles will help your overall health and sleep. drink lots of water especially after stretching. EXERCISE boosts the good chemicals in your brain and will help you sleep. Your body is your machine and you have to treat it with all the good things you can think of including eating healthy, limit sugar, ... the kinder you are to your body your mood will lift. try not to sleep too much during the day. good luck.

[TimH1953 in reply to Raggedy-Ann]

Thank you very much for your suggestions I will try these suggestions

I want ask you where I can find melatonin ?

I've heard that name but I'm not sure where to purchase this

[Satr9088 in reply to TimH1953]

Any grocery store or pharmacy will have melatonin. I've read that it is recommended not to take more than 5-10mg per night. If you overuse this I've heard it can mess with your sleep too. It's a supplement but not herbal, so it is one to not abuse. You may get weird dreams using it sometimes, just FYI.

[TimH1953 in reply to Satr9088]

Thank you so much for this information I do have here 3mg melatonin tablets which I was taking 1 tablet per night with no effect ,I will try 2 at night for a couple of nights then stop for a week ,try a pattern

[Blueruth in reply to TimH1953]

Actually read up on how to take melatonin. It isn't a sleeping pill. doubling the dose doesn't help. What it does is ease you back into a normal circadian rhythm . If schedule isn't your issue then it may or may not help. Anyway read up on it before deciding. If it is legal CBD/THC (literally a tiny amount of thc and always start small) is good with no hangover. I just can't say what the long term consequence is because I would only do that occasionally.

I have slept better since I added blackout curtains and put my cat out of the room to reduce distractions if that helps.

[TimH1953 in reply to Blueruth]

Yes this is an issue for me My sleeping patterns have become backwards, I'm sleeping from mid morning instead of night ,I still try to sleep at night ,but find myself up doing a night shift .

I had about 6mg of melatonin last night made it through to 2am and here I am now it's 3am

I will look into your recommendations thank you .

[Blueruth in reply to TimH1953]

look up circadian rhythm. that definitely seems like a factor and it is something you can fix without medication. In fact medication doesn't help really.

[Blueruth]

These are all researched and proven to ease depression. People who are mentally fit practice some or all of these things.

Meditation. Try guided or group to start. There is a physiological connection. It does increase dopamine.

Physical exercise. A 20 minute walk is enough to start. Walking can actually achieve physical activity and mindfulness at the same time.

Nutrition. veggies and fruits with every meal. No processed foods. Reduce or exclude gluten foods which could be an allergy and are not necessary for health.

Talking to someone. Go to a spiritual center if you can't afford therapy. That might be even better. If you have a religion seek out leaders. Sometimes they act as therapists in a spiritual way. Regardless having a spiritual life is also healing. You don't have to be religious to be spiritual.

Melatonin for sleep but read up on how to take it. It works on circadian rhythm. It is not like a sleeping pill.

Memory. This is a chicken and egg thing. It is both a trigger and a symptom. There are tricks you can do to help memory which will also help your mood. One recent one is memory games. You can look these up. Bonus is you can do them when you are starting to feel anxious like a "kill switch". Another one I learned recently is reading fiction. It takes practice if you haven't been reading for a while but it helps because you have to remember the beginning of the book in the middle of the story.

[TimH1953 in reply to Blueruth]

That's Excellent Thank you

[Experiment1982739903]

Methyl B12 and Methyl folate have helped me a LOT with mood... I recommended gluten free diet to someone on here and it helped her a lot with mood stability...A lot of people swear by magnesium for mood too. Make sure you buy a quality magnesium though. I just started taking it and think its helping. Vitamin D also helped me. Keeping your thyroid running at 100% will keep everything going smoothly as well.

[TimH1953 in reply to Experiment1982739903]

Thank you so much

[Greyhoundmommy]

I recommend reading The Depression Cure - gives six clinically proven strategies that reduce anxiety & depression symptoms without drugs. I’ve had great results using all of the strategies. Good luck - hope you find the right strategies that work for you

[TimH1953]

Thank you Where do I find this information of the 6 strategies ?