Anyone deal with anxiety and depression on here?

Yes the struggle is real. Severe depression sufferer here for several years so far. Tried a bunch of different medications, ketamine, ECT, group IOP therapy. No success. I’ve been out of work on disability since May. Take it day by day, sometimes just hour by hour.

 

I've struggled with anxiety and depression. Here are the things that keep it in check (most of the time) for me:

1. Intense exercise. Full exertion a few times a week helps me more than anything else.
2. Gratitude practice. I make a point of recognizing good luck, good fortune, blessings, or whatever you prefer to call it when it happens. Doing that consistently was a game changer for me.
3. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This also helped me a lot.
4. Fluoxetine 20mg/day gives me a good foundation for success. I've gotten off it but had to start again.

Hang in there OP. I hope maybe something in this post will help.

 

Browsed the thread, didn't see CBD mentioned here. Anyone with experience in it here that might share it if really works?
I've read in this article on cannabis for mental health that CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system and affects the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls an individual's emotions. That's why it helps with the anxiety. Is it true?

 

I use Charolette’s web CBD, specifically the calm gummies. I think they help. I don’t want to get a medical marijuanna card just yet and buy stronger stuff.
I also is lavender essential oil to help calm my nerves. It might just be a placebo effect but I think it helps me sometimes.

 

i have been thinking about this thread.

something clicked in my brain about 3 years ago, and i got anxiety. i didnt sleep for about three days. just going to bed gave me anxiety about laying down and trying to sleep. it was by far the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. believe me, a stuffed nose didnt let me sleep and it spiraled from there. i would pace endlessly.

i broke the problem down to manageable pieces.
1st, i made an emergency visit with my family doctors. she heard it in my voice and got me in ASAP. she didnt find anything.
2nd, i reached out to mental health. i got a 1on1 thing going online with a therapist. (covid was still a thing). we worked the problem.

she broke down that anxiety can be calmed by being present. we spoke weekly, and it worked and i started getting better. i would put on Bose headphones and walk while listening to music i loved. going to bed, i would put on a podcast on very low..then i started playing japanese restaurant vids for the background noise. (helped that i didnt speak japanese and wasnt woken by interesting comments) my wife moved to the spare room. i started sleeping better, nose still stuffy (for weeks)

then it happened. my tooth started hurting bad!! my dentist sent me to a specialist, and they found a cracked tooth, that was touching a nerve. root canal, and my nose cleared, and so did my mood. it was like a cloud lifted.

my issue was medical. apparently. the wildest thing was how nobody around me seemed to understand. they would say things like, "just cheer up". "exercise" "focus on the happy stuff"/

my mom was the worst. hahahha