Coping with Depression

[Purple500]

Anyone, have any tips on coping with severe depression apart from the obvious.

Am reluctant to go the pharma route, as, I have been overdosed before.

[Houda000]

Sport help a lot if you can. Running or spinning sessions will help. Even the zumba and dance lesson car bring some benefits to the mood. Good luck

[johnsmith]

See my Post "Mental state and the state of the fascia Part1"

healthunlocked.com/painconc...

We feel emotions in the body. Fascia state is what generates the emotion. So we need to move out of uncomfortable fascia state. Try different types of moving. Try @Houda000 suggestion. Experiment.

[LeighBlyth]

I can only speak from personal experience but I was severely depressed for nearly 20 years. I wanted it all to stop. I hated myself, the world, everything and had no hope for the future. Depression - a horrible, sticky cloak of sadness, fear, misery, anger, which I had been with me for so long I couldn't remember different.

Day to day was hard, always more reasons to be angry with myself and sad for the world and each of my mini-breakdowns would weigh me down with more self-loathing and blame.

I recovered. There is hope.

It turns out the decades of physical pain and damage on my body had created a cocoon of depression. I was physically wrecked, my body tense with a severely restricted range of movement. I didn't appreciate how much until I started to heal.

As I learned to use my body correctly and release the physical tensions my mental issues were released too. It's taken over 2 1/2 years to get where I am but the day my depression lifted like a blanket (3 months into my healing journey and focusing on using my main muscles of movement) was the moment when I knew I was onto something amazing.

I now feel better than I ever thought I could do - and am trying to share my experiences in the hope they help others too. Click on my icon to see my other posts too.

I believe the key to healing is connecting with your Base-Line muscles.

Pelvic floor "Base", the solid foundation for the body and root of all movement.

Kegel exercises are a good way to start - check out a few sites discussing Kegels and keep trying to activate these muscles throughout the day to build a connection.

Rectus abdominis "Line" (the abs). These muscles run up the front of your abdomen from your pubic symphysis (the part of your pelvis midline between your legs) to your chest - put your hands on your lower ribs at the front this is the upper attachment.

go-ogle Base-Line muscles and have a look at the images. Think about where these muscles are on your body and then focus on them activating as you breathe.

All movement should be supported by the Base-Line muscles. Our core pillar of strength.

▹Breathe in and up through your nostrils.

▹Breathe out through your mouth.

▹Engage your Base-Line muscles as you inhale.

∗ Begin with your Base pelvic floor muscles.

  → Take as many breaths as you need to feel your pelvic floor muscles engaging.

The solid base from where all movement should stem.

∗ Then focus on your mid-Line muscles.

  → As you breathe in and up through your nostrils, focus on each section of the rectus abdominis muscles activating and extending in sequence, from your pelvis to your chest.

Like a stack of panels to be switched on, your central pillar of strength.

Think: Longer and stronger with every breath in.

Take as many breaths as you need to engage and elongate your Base-Line.

I found it easiest to work on my breathing whilst standing (in a relaxed manner) or lying on my back.  Do whatever feels good for you.

It can take a long time to break old habits and many breaths to activate the correct muscles if you are not used to using them but keep thinking about them and start to feel these muscles.

The main movement during my recovery was the roll-down.

I found myself using the roll-down action again and again.

It felt good.

The standing roll-down is the best way to start, giving the greatest degree of freedom to move with your Base-Line.

How to Roll-Down

:

Stand in a comfortable position.   Don't worry about where your feet are to start - remember you are working from your Base-Line outwards.

Take as many breaths as you need to activate and lengthen your Base-Line from pelvis to chest, breathing in and up through your nostrils.   Adjust your stance and move as feels natural.

Exhale through your mouth and begin to roll-down from 'top to bottom', lowering your head towards your feet whilst feeling the support coming from your Base-Line.

Roll-down as far as comfortable.   Pause and re-activate your Base-Line over a few breaths, relaxing the rest of your body as much as you can.

Breathe.

Move your body as it feels right to do so-

Gently swing your arms, stretch and wiggle your fingers.   Move your legs, bend your knees, flex your ankles and toes.   Shift your weight on your feet - heel to toe, side to side.   Open and close your mouth, move your jaw, roll your eyes, pull faces, stick your tongue out.   Whatever feels good!   The possibilities are endless.

Let the tension go.

You may start to experience 'releases' allowing you to melt down a little further.   These feel good.   There may be cracks/pops and other sounds and sensations.   Relax, keep breathing and focus on your Base-Line.

There's no rush. Never force anything.

Stand up when you are ready, however feels comfortable. (Rolling up is good - only when you can do it!)

Move around.   Feel for the relative positions of your main muscles of movement.   Aim for a balance between left and right sides.

Repeat the roll-down.   Where and whenever you can.

Enjoy it.   Gain a little more freedom each time.

It takes practice and concentration to engage the right muscles if you are not used to using them.   Long-standing bad habits take time to rectify so you must keep working at it.

You may not be able to move very far at first and are likely to encounter areas of tension.   You may start to notice how your body adjusts itself to avoid certain positions as you roll-down.

Do what you can and every day you'll be able to do a little more.

Use the roll-down action in other positions when you feel ready - sitting, kneeling, whatever feels right.

It's no quick fix, but the difference this made to my life is phenomenal.

[Purple500 in reply to LeighBlyth]

Thanks, for the advice, will try these methods. Much, appreciated.

[LeighBlyth in reply to Purple500]

Please do, and you're welcome!

It takes time and focus to start working with your Base-Line muscles if you are not used to using them but keep thinking about where these muscles are on you body and them becoming stronger and longer with every inbreath, building the connection between body and mind.

You may start to become aware of "wrong" areas of muscle activating, the areas that have been trying to compensate for your Base-Line muscles not being fully active. If/when you feel this happening - relax and breathe with your Base-Line again.

By connecting with my Base-Line muscles I could then feel how to move to release some of the physical tensions on my body, instinctive rather than moving with intent. Movement is good.

As I felt the physical releases I experienced emotional releases too - releasing is like reliving but then being able to let go afterwards. Emotional baggage being opened, dealt with and then passing into memory rather than being carried around anymore ...

If you click on my icon I have other posts that explain more, but ultimately keep thinking about developing your Base-Line - your core pillar of strength.

Best wishes

Leigh

[Clarrisa]

I don’t want to go the medication route either so started acupuncture at a clinic at a acupuncture school last week. The school used far more needles than I am use to. It did leave me with a bit of a headache which I have never experienced before with acupuncture in the past. Practice must make perfect ... It is too soon to say how this will work on my depression.

The school did recommend herbs & I have been studying them, haven’t started any & may not. So far the potential adverse reactions listed for my recommended antidepressant seem far, far worse than anything I have read about these particular herbs.

Exercising & eating well may be your better suggestions, I will soon see.

[FibroWarriors]

I’m so so sorry you are going through this and have done for such a long time... I have had very severe bouts of depression off and on since My teens... what works for me is YouTube I listen every night to guided meditation & when I waken through the nite I always put it back on. In the mornings I listen to positivity, gratitude & affirmation on YouTube. I do mindfulness & meditation at least once through the day I also do a 5/10 or 15 minutes of yoga each day. Again from YouTube... You have to try eat well and get fresh air... A little walk in nature or even just sitting in you garden and listening to the sounds round about you, birds, cars, kids anything... I am on meditation and will be for life 😔 but life still comes Crashing Down on me every so often. I hope you manage to find something that helps you. If you want to know about what I listen to just let me know... Good Luck with your Struggle... Do you have a good support network around you? 🥰🥰🥰xxx

[Purple500 in reply to FibroWarriors]

Thanks for the nice comment. I guess everyone deals with this differently. Regarding the support group, I'm not really able to talk to anyone, they have too many problems of their own. xxx

[markprice]

After 40 years I asked God for help, and I got it.

[Purple500 in reply to markprice]

Thanks, glad that works for you