What do people do when they really feel depressed and they can't get themselves

[JTFenthusiast2]

to do anything: call a friend, go outside, etc

[Secularbeliever]

I am no psychologist and don't even like psychology as a discipline but first you need to differentiate between being down and being truly depressed.  Then I would say look honestly at yourself to ask why are you depressed or down.  Is there something you can do about it?  If you are lonely, then call friends or relative, if you don't have friends work on making friends.  If you don't have money figure out how to make money.  I find it best to attack the problem causing the feelings. 

[Lisa]

One place to start is to look at what's been going on in your life recently.  When did you start feeling depressed?  Perhaps that way you can poin point the cause.  Another thing to do is take a walk, or work out, or do whatever interests you.  Finally, call a friend.  Talking it over helps. 

[IsraeliGovtAreKapos]

Fight for your dreams so they can come true and never give up, nothing will make a person happier (if you go to extreme happiness)

if you want average happiness you just need to find a girl

[Ari Ben-Canaan]

I have two cats, and my roommate has a third.  They make life more enjoyable, and they are always around.

30 minutes of even mild exercise forces your body to make natural anti-depressants.  If you won't go outside try doing something like push-ups and sit-ups, or whatever you can do in your space.

Ultimately you have to want to feel better; disliking/hating depression is not enough.

[Rubystars]

My dad was having a really depressing time at work a while back before he retired, and he had good reasons for feeling depressed. He was very, very upset at the way he was being treated, and felt down all the time. He mentioned to his doctor how upset he was and they tried to give him some kind of anti-depressant. When I looked it up, I saw people reviewing the medication saying things like "I wish this monster had never gotten into my body", etc. Also one of the risks of the medication was suicide. My dad was not suicidal, just really sad at how he was being treated.

I told my dad that he was supposed to be depressed because he had a reason to be depressed! I convinced him he didn't need medicine. I asked him if he would feel better if the circumstances changed, and he said yes, so I told him his brain was normal then and he didn't want to screw it up with chemicals that could have the potential of permanently unbalancing his brain chemistry. I believe those medicines are for people who are depressed out of context, or get to the point where they are at risk of suicide and need something to keep them from doing it. When he was able to retire, his mood brightened up and he wasn't depressed anymore.

So, the first question to ask yourself, is this. Do you feel depressed for a particular reason or set of reasons, or do you just feel depressed even when there is every reason you should feel happy? If your circumstances changed, would you feel happy? If your circumstances are depressing, it is NORMAL to feel depressed. Just pray and keep your faith up that God will see you through the hard times and do everything in your power to try to improve the situation. Stay away from anti-depressants, only use them as a last resort if you feel you are a danger to yourself.

[JTFenthusiast2]

Thank you, I think I need to find a therapist to talk to.  My job is so stressful, it never leaves me.  All weekend long Ive been super anxious

[Rubystars]

Thank you, I think I need to find a therapist to talk to.  My job is so stressful, it never leaves me.  All weekend long Ive been super anxious

If your circumstances are upsetting you, try to change your circumstances. With your education there are lots and lots of great opportunities open to you. Start seeking them out! When your circumstances change, you won't be depressed!

[Boyana]

Stress and anxiety are my constant companion!I do martial art-Aikido!It helps.

[Chai]

There are plenty of competent Drs  Psychologists  out there that can help.

However ,

There is no magic pill.

There are no magic words.

But believe it or not, what you just did is actually VERY VERY healthy and dont let anyone ever tell you other wise.

Depression can come from being angry at ones self .

Talking to someone that you hold in high regard also helps. Even though thats hard, it can help. A friend may not necessarily be the best answer .. The person you seek is again ,not to sound redundant but one YOU find in high regard.. he may not even be your friend .

Also ..This may sound corny but Rabbi Kahanes  book the Jewish Idea seems to help me when I'm sad.

I also feel that somewhere inside you , you yourself have the answer. The very fact you come to JTF for help must mean your soul is tying to tell you something .

[Chai]

I have two cats, and my roommate has a third.  They make life more enjoyable, and they are always around.

30 minutes of even mild exercise forces your body to make natural anti-depressants.  If you won't go outside try doing something like push-ups and sit-ups, or whatever you can do in your space.

Ultimately you have to want to feel better; disliking/hating depression is not enough.

+1

Music that hits your soul too!

[Dr. Dan]

If you are able to walk talk see breath eat hear and have a roof over your head have a job have good health have a loving family people like you. There is no reason to be depressed because there ar people who are sick who can't walk who have no family who are homeless missing body parts have terminal cancer are on a strict diet have no teeth etc.

If you have the first and feel depressed go outside and do something with the basic gifts Gd gave you.

[Debbie Shafer]

First of all, Know that your freedoms come from God the creator, Not the Government.  Exercise, Try to eat healthy foods, when possible.  An occasional burger, milkshake, mashed potatoes, or chocolate feed the soul.  Be good to yourself, enjoy that which God has given you, but quit striving to be rich.  It only takes up more of your time and drains your energy.  I would rather be comfortable and happy than rich and miserable.   I try to be fair to people and kind, there is always someone out there who ruins it for others by being Obsessed with themselves.   Know the people who are running for office, never have we seen such tyranny from the government as we do now.  Thats because people did not pay attention to who Obama really was, and his true agenda.  Now we are remorseful and worried, heading to a One World Government. 

 I can assure you this was totally preventable.

[Boyana]

ensure your thyroid is working well

[Yaakov Mendel]

Intense outdoors physical exercise. When you are feeling anxious, your mind works too much and in a restless, uncontrolled manner. You must substitute this with physical activity.
But if it's profound, if you are not feeling temporarily down but really depressed, then you need to think about your life, about the reasons for your frustration, or your anger or your sadness and ways to change things. You may need to seek help, as you may not be able to get over it all by yourself.
Of course, faith is a very strong bulwark against all forms of depression. If you really have faith, you should never feel depressed.

[muman613]

Listen to "Lazer Beams" @ Arutz Sheva Radio...

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/News.aspx/2548

Best-selling author, speaker, and spiritual guide, Rabbi Lazer Brody came to Israel from the USA in 1970 after graduating from the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture. He served in an elite IDF Special Forces Unit, and is a decorated veteran of two wars and many antiterrorist missions. After miraculously surviving a dangerous mission to Beirut in 1982, he left his mountaintop farm in Samaria and began intensive Torah studies that led to his rabbinical ordination in 1992. Rabbi Brody pens the award-winning Lazer Beams weblog, is the editor of Breslev Israel web magazine, author of The Trail to Tranquility, translator of the million-copy bestseller The Garden of Emuna, written by his rabbi and spiritual guide, Rav Shalom Arush shlit’a. Rabbi Brody travels around the world spreading the light of emuna.

I also find that meditating each day in natural surroundings, on sunny days, does a great job to chase away the depression...

[Rubystars]

I think being in the sun some can help too.

[Chai]

I think being in the sun some can help too.

So did king Solomon LOL.

[Rubystars]

I think being in the sun some can help too.

So did king Solomon LOL.

When I've been depressed in the past I've found that sunlight helps me a little bit. I really need to get more sunlight for the Vitamin D, but I've been avoiding it for the most part because I burn easily and the sun in Texas is horribly hot most of the time.

[muman613]

Yes, taking walks on sunny days often fights depression better than all the pills in the world...

[Rubystars]

My Irish-American grandmother had very very wrinkled skin and I was always told it was because she went out in the sun all the time when she was younger. So I have been out of the sun a lot to avoid extra wrinkles too and I think it's helped because most people say I look younger than I actually am.

[MassuhDGoodName]

This post and all of its threads are getting me depressed.

What a downer to read stuff like this on the forum.

[JTFenthusiast2]

Thank you all for the responses.  I work in a pediatric subspecialty where al of my kids are sick and their parents are usually unwell.  I can't handle the sadness in an adaptive way.  The day is filled with bad behavior and impoverished social enviroments, not to mention manipulative toxic behavior.  I am pretty resilient, but last work was like being punch in the stomach again and again.  I have not want to leave the house all weekend.  I need someone to talk to for sure, because I can't keep this up without cracking or feeling like I need to self-medicate with pills. I feel dead inside.

Today, these two Jewish men saw me coming off the 96th street subway and offered me to hold a citon in my hand and a bunch of banded 'reeds' in another.  They were so kind.  They were Lubavitch.  It was the first time like I felt like I was in the physical company of someone who cared about me.  I know that they did not expect anything from me in return.  They said they were from 770.  I mentioned JTF, but neither seemed familar to them.

[Rubystars]

I think you should find another nursing job. It will always involve people with illness but there are probably alternatives where you don't have to deal with seeing children sick all the time. Is it possible that you could be transferred to another department where you deal more with adults?

[muman613]

Thank you all for the responses.  I work in a pediatric subspecialty where al of my kids are sick and their parents are usually unwell.  I can't handle the sadness in an adaptive way.  The day is filled with bad behavior and impoverished social enviroments, not to mention manipulative toxic behavior.  I am pretty resilient, but last work was like being punch in the stomach again and again.  I have not want to leave the house all weekend.  I need someone to talk to for sure, because I can't keep this up without cracking or feeling like I need to self-medicate with pills. I feel dead inside.

Today, these two Jewish men saw me coming off the 96th street subway and offered me to hold a citon in my hand and a bunch of banded 'reeds' in another.  They were so kind.  They were Lubavitch.  It was the first time like I felt like I was in the physical company of someone who cared about me.  I know that they did not expect anything from me in return.  They said they were from 770.  I mentioned JTF, but neither seemed familar to them.

Shalom JTFEnthusiast2,

Today you did the wonderful mitzvah of Sukkot of shaking the Lulav and the Etrog. I did it today at my local synagogue right after their Sunday school children were told about it by the Rabbi. Every year I buy my own set...

Like this one:



The command to observe Sukkot and wave the Four Species is from Leviticus 23:39-43

39. But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the festival of the Lord for a seven day period; the first day shall be a rest day, and the eighth day shall be a rest day.
40. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day, the fruit of the hadar tree, date palm fronds, a branch of a braided tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for a seven day period.
41. And you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord for seven days in the year. [It is] an eternal statute throughout your generations [that] you celebrate it in the seventh month.
42. For a seven day period you shall live in booths. Every resident among the Israelites shall live in booths,
43. in order that your [ensuing] generations should know that I had the children of Israel live in booths when I took them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord, your God.