Deziraye1

I thought I was just sad because that's what my normal life showed me what life was until I was diagnosed with depression. Sad you could pretend to put a smile on, but depression is nothing to joke around with. It takes over your mind body and soul, next minute you know your the living dead,

Any Ideas To Distract Your Mind From Takeover ?

RDBplus3

The only thing that actually worked for me was working the 12 Steps.

1. I had to actually come to realize and admit my life had become unmanageable.
2. I acknowledged I hadn't been able to 'fix myself' and doctors, therapists, rehabs, wife, etc hadn't 'fixed' me either. Then thru AA meetings, I met numerous people that had gone from 'hopeless' like me ... to a way of living that showed true meaning and awareness and purpose and a 'light-heartedness I I couldn't even comprehend in my 'condition'.
3. I made a decision to Do The Work of the remaining Steps.
4. The work was intensive, but it opened an awareness of what was going on inside me, and had been progressing - problem upon issue upon internal conflict upon thoughts and feelings out of control ...
5. I shared this with a person of my choosing, and it was like a ground rod dissipating that stored-up negativity into the Life on Life's Terms Reality I could never come to terms with previously.
6. I actually came to the understanding of what had been happening, and was continually going on inside me, and I came to the point that I not only wanted these things to change for the positive, but I actually felt inside that it could happen.
7. I followed the Step - it was something I was not actually capable of on my own power, but an exchange happened with the Higher Power concept in the Steps where many of these things inside me were released, and a new sense happened in me ... that I knew if I continued to follow this path, and new direction in life, I would never have to be a victim of inner feelings that plagued me, and continually seemed to develop inside me.
8...
9....
10.....
11......
12....... Wash, Rinse, Repeat ...


RDBplus3 ... Happy, Joyous and Free ... and I KNOW U Can B 2

Briar

I'm so sorry you're feeling this way. Depression can be really brutal. The best distraction I've found is being with trusted friends. They bring my focus out of my head so I don't stay caught up in terrible thoughts and rumination.

Are you taking any medication?

least

I've been on antidepressants for a long time. When I was drinking, they didn't work like they should. Now that I'm sober my meds help even out my mood. It's not a "happy pill", but it levels the playing field so I can live a normal life.

Has your doctor prescribed (or recommended) antidepressants for you? Might be worth considering. They saved my life. Well, that and getting sober for good.

squirrel6

I'll write a response here, mostly just so you know you are not alone. I'm fighting some of the same things myself. Depression sucks! I am on medication, it certainly has helped some, but much of mine is from negative thoughts, I won't go into details, but it certainly helps me to focus more on things I have done right and counting my blessings. Not a cure, but it does help. Sometimes trying to be happy with what you have instead of what you don't is a good thing to keep in mind. Which is a big area I constantly have trouble with. Finding someone to talk to that actually understands what you are feeling and going through is very important. Opening up to the right person has it's challenges because when you get down so far down, it can feel as though no one understands your pain. For me, the smallest things weigh me down the most. It starts with big things, I can keep trucking through, then the smallest things get me beat down hard. Most ppl see the big things, but fail to understand how the small stuff can hurt even more. I myself have made a couple new friends, and they have been an absolute godsend to me. Best of luck to you.