How Do You Deal With "The Sads"?

[PastryOfApathy]

I dunno man, I just suddenly feel like shit for reasons I can't explain really. Like thing's should be going more or less fine, I mean I started a new job that I kinda enjoy, I have people to talk to who legitimately like me, and being a terrible antisocial shut-in aside, I have the makings of a decent life...but I don't. It just sucks to wake up at some fucked-up time and have your first that be "I wanna fucking run into traffic." I feel like an asshole typing this since it's so dumb but I guess I need to stop letting shit fester inside, seeing as the last time I seriously tried that for an extended period of time it didn't end well. Like at all.

[Alexxx-Returns]

One word.

Sertraline.

It stops it hurting, it mostly stops the "I wanna die, everyone will be celebrating my death for a week" thoughts and makes it easier for me to think about nice positive things. Not everyone wants to go medicated though.

[Xaende]

I don't know if you're in the northern hemisphere, but winter weather, short days, and being cooped up indoors can contribute to crappy moods. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a thing.

[Spot]

^that

[Azure]

i just smoke weed and then meditate. exercise also helps. working yourself to exhaustion and getting good sleep helps too. 

[Endless/Nameless]

I go to bed. If I'm feeling exceptionally shitty, I watch Apocalypse Now and bask in cynicism. 

I hope you get feeling better tho. I went thru a similar rough patch about 6 months ago. I just knida slogged through it, but man, that traffic sure looked inviting... Just hang in there, best I can really say. 

[kazooie]

51 minutes ago, Azure said:

i just smoke weed and then meditate. exercise also helps. working yourself to exhaustion and getting good sleep helps too. 

yup, whenever my brain is being dumb and is making me feel like everything is impossible, jumping on my bike makes everything significantly less terrible

exercise rules

also vitamin d and sunlight also do, so try to get those things too, i guess

Edited February 19, 2016 by kazooie

[Mikazuki Marazhu]

16 minutes ago, Endless/Nameless said:

I go to bed.

This works and it's 100% natural

[Onnes]

4 hours ago, Saxon said:

Sertraline may increase the risk of suicide and can cause sexual dysfunction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sertraline#Adverse_effects

That's the black box warning on all SSRIs. It only applies to those under 24 years old, and mostly to those under 19. Also, the actual cause of that statistical observation is also unknown. One of the most popular hypotheses for the increased suicide rate is that mild improvements in the symptoms of depression make someone more likely to act.

To the OP, I would strongly recommend seeing a psychiatrist, counselor, or general doctor for depression. Intervening early tends to make things a lot easier than waiting.

 

[DrGravitas]

I can concur on the exercise thing, butdon't do it to exhaustion!

A simple walk outside for 45mi to an hour, really can be a big help. But, it takes some time to start having an effect. Make it a daily activity and after the first month or so, you will start to notice your mood improves afterwards. But, I can't say it solves everything.

[kazooie]

 

40 minutes ago, Endless/Nameless said:

I go to bed

 

22 minutes ago, Mikazuki Marazhu said:

This works and it's 100% natural

depression/SAD makes one lethargic and sleepy

people with these conditions sometimes spend days in bed

 

while sleep is certainly the solution to grumpiness born from sleep deprivation, it generally does nothing to mitigate the effects of depression, and can gradually make the condition worse if a depressed individual sleeps in excess

Edited February 19, 2016 by kazooie

[Mikazuki Marazhu]

7 minutes ago, DrGravitas said:

I can concur on the exercise thing, butdon't do it to exhaustion!

A simple walk outside for 45mi to an hour, really can be a big help. But, it takes some time to start having an effect. Make it a daily activity and after the first month or so, you will start to notice your mood improves afterwards. But, I can't say it solves everything.

I'll just post this to back up your statement

 

[Vallium]

Read "the sads"

Nah, but when Im sad I try to keep through it, vent it somewhere where someone or no one may hear, cry, distract myself with activities I like

And mostly I just cycle back to being cheerful when my life dictates such and I have positive events to keep me going.

You can find positivity and happy in any of the smallest of details, like stuff people overlook. Extremely small insignificant things like how green that one blade of grass is to the others or how that amorphous marking stain on the wall appears to form a happy face. That's usually how I feel when Im in the not-sads.

 

[Caledonian]

brutal truth: I don't.I don;t handle 'the sads' I pretend to be fine until the feeling goes away. sometimes I cry at night, but I always make sure there is nobody around.

[Sidewalk Surfboard]

I just try to sleep, and at times I can end up taking out the sadness and frustration on others, which isn't good.

[Fantasma]

Stay with other people, look forward to popping my hormones, and maaaaybe a little bit of tequila.

Eat, drink, and don't close yourself off girl.

[Pignog]

Everyone else already covered everything. Nthing exercise. Have you tried running? Whenever I was stressed out, depressed and didn't know why, or whatever, I'd go for a run and clear my head. I never get tired of recommending couch-to-5k http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

And yeah, chat with us any time in the forums discord, or on Brass' channel. We'll listen.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Pignog

[#00Buck]

Stop being an asshole and cheer up.

[Machine]

Weed used to be a godsend for me, but since I'm looking for work I can't touch that shit. Biking helps, and the sensation of exercise and adrenaline is quite a high of its own.

[Conker]

My alcohol consumption tends to go up quite a bit.

I try to shrug em off by reading more books or doing things I generally find enjoyment out of. I loves me a good book. I love being lost for awhile in a story.

I also listen to a shitton more music.

[Joel]

Talking it out with people who you trust who you know have your back you can't bottle up or hold onto your feelings pastry buns even if you don't know what's wrong simply talking to someone can take your mind off your troubles 

[Astus]

I really just deal with it; it isn't really efficient at all but bothering someone else with my problems/sadness seems a worse alternative then suffering with it. I usually listen to a lot of sad music, draw, play guitar or the piano, or write about my thoughts and emotions. Generally after a while the feeling goes away usually by itself or is pushed away and comes back later

[jcstinks]

I complain to you on the Internet.

[Half-Note]

It's simple. I even wrote a limerick on how I deal with it.

Now and then I get hit with depression
And feel the need to make confessions
Talk to a friend
And try to vent
And never go into recession

Yeah, I'm horrible at making funny limericks on the fly. Anyway. I try talking to people and vent it out.

After all, that's a whole lot better than taking my anger out on something completely unrelated or having a mental breakdown at a family dinner or something of the like.

[Hewge]

I find if I've been getting the random sads, it's because I've not been keeping healthy in some ways. Not enough exercise, staying inside too much, not getting enough sleep, etc, etc.

So I just adjust as needed, and I feel fine again. You'd be surprised how much better even just a little self-care can make you feel!

[Terminal7]

Honestly,  I don't. 

It's like breathing. If you try to breath in and out quickly, such as living and venting,  you only get light-headed and aware to the fact that you're breathing. You force air out of you when some of the oxygen can still be used.

It's not easy, try not to think as much about breathing.

(That's all the fake wisdom I got)

 

 

[Luca]

Lot's of alcohol, food, music and diving into video games for escapism. Sure, it's not healthy in the slightest but I can wait out a bad time like this.

[Luka]

I force myself not to be sad

[Mr.Kumquat]

I mostly just get drunk and watch Star Trek.

[LazerMaster5]

Blast death metal and play violent video games. The best way to get rid of negative energy is to let it out.

[PastryOfApathy]

I appreciate everyone's sentiments, but due to recent events I've been thinking and talking to people a lot and I've finally realized something.

It doesn't even fucking matter. No matter what I do, no matter what pills I take, no matter who I talk to I'm fucking helpless. It will always come back and we'll do this whole song and dance once again. All it takes is a single innocuous thing, a single word or picture, or anything to trigger some kind of intrusive thought and that's all it takes. I'm doomed to live a life of paranoia, a life where any semblance of joy is at risk of being snatched away at a moment's notice and I have no escape from it, no way to combat it, nothing.

I've experienced this time and time again but only now have I finally recognized what it is. I feel like an idiot. But ultimately it doesn't matter, no matter what me or anyone else does I'll be back here again. The only way to end this is to kill myself, but I can't even do that. Instead I'm doomed to live in this horrific middle ground where I'm too aware of the consequences of suicide, yet know that it's my only escape.

I shouldn't have made this thread...

[kazooie]

1 hour ago, PastryOfApathy said:

It will always come back and we'll do this whole song and dance once again.

Well, yeah, that's the entire nature of chronic depression/anxiety disorders/mental illness. It's your brain being dumb. Dumb brains sucks, mostly because you're stuck with the brain you have.

 

And yeah, you're likely going to continue to experience the crippling lows, but that doesn't mean you're powerless; physiologists can help you formulate cognitive battle plans to help you cope with all the dissonance (and it does help make life manageable), exercise and medication can help regulate the chemical imbalances that cause the brain to be dumb in the first place.

 

Life is complicated, and having a dumb brain makes it even more so, but it's manageable; go find some professional help. Once you figure out how to live with your brain, things get better. 

[PastryOfApathy]

5 hours ago, kazooie said:

Well, yeah, that's the entire nature of chronic depression/anxiety disorders/mental illness. It's your brain being dumb. Dumb brains sucks, mostly because you're stuck with the brain you have.

 

And yeah, you're likely going to continue to experience the crippling lows, but that doesn't mean you're powerless; physiologists can help you formulate cognitive battle plans to help you cope with all the dissonance (and it does help make life manageable), exercise and medication can help regulate the chemical imbalances that cause the brain to be dumb in the first place.

 

Life is complicated, and having a dumb brain makes it even more so, but it's manageable; go find some professional help. Once you figure out how to live with your brain, things get better. 

That's the thing, I've tried everything. All these coping strategies simply delay the inevitable.

I can't live a life where I'm in constant fear of my own brain. That at any moment everything will just go to shit at a moments notice. That any tiny little thing is just going to subject me to excruciating emotional and mental torture, which is exactly what it is in no uncertain terms. I'm just tired of it...

6 hours ago, Saxon said:

It always goes away again too. A lot of people are temperamental; it doesn't mean they're doomed. 

Of course it does, but it just comes back. The highs just get shorter and shorter and lows only get lower. At this rate what is it going to be like 10 years from now? I don't think I can handle that quite frankly.

[PastryOfApathy]

44 minutes ago, Saxon said:

Can I join you in gloomy town? 

Yes you may. We can share depressing poetry together.