What are your ideas for staying psychologically healthy?

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

I'm sure a lot of people here have the same problem I do; always working to keep depression (or anxiety) at bay. Lets face it, the world is in a rather unhealthy state right now, society is becoming shallow and trains us to seek indulgent gratification for satisfaction. Of course this only leads to more suffering, more misery. It rattles us out of our state of homeostasis. There are many other factors to be had of course, including simple neurochemical imbalance (though there are many causes we are, and were, unaware of; such as eating gluten, recalled medicaitons, etc).

But anywhoo, how do you counter this to stay in a balanced, healthy, possitive state of mind? Sure smoking weed may help for many, but for lots of us that really isn't enough. One answer seldom is. Some things I've been doing recently to keep possitive and on-track:

- Running and working out. Regular excercise really is essential to keep your body and mind thriving, rather than withering.

- I meditate daily now. It doesn't eliminate the deep down psychological issues, but it clarifies them, unknots the thoughts that are getting so tangled in a web of worry that you don't know how to approach problems; trapped in circular, repetetive thinking. By meditating my brain is refreshed, like running a defrag to order the thoughts.

- Practicing Qigong really helps energize, focus, and make me feel better when I'm depressed in a groggy way.

- I eat plenty of fruit every day, particularily fruit smoothies as of late since they're easy and quick to make and give you an energy/nutrition bomb. Helps with digestion quite a bit too. But of course don't forget the other food groups to maintain the balance.

- Listening to some good music is at least a nice distraction; don't know how much it really helps though. Nice to have a break once in a while anyway.

- I try to make sure my breathing is deep and slow as it promotes a calm and clear mind, and a well-oxygenated body and brain.

- Meditating before bed really helps me get a better sleep, and sleep is essential to a healthy state of mind.

- And, if it's raining I find it really therapeutic to just sit outside on the porch and listen to the rain.

So how about you?

[Weedhound]

I agree with the physical stuff....try to get out in the air for a couple of hours every day and I think it makes a big difference.

Keeping in touch with people REALLY helps keep me focused and out of the isolation frame of mind.....which is VERY easy for someone like me to do. It definitely helps remind me that's there a LOT in the big world to see, learn, and do. I'll tend to close down mentally from things when I'm feeling depressed.

My husband and animals are probably the biggest things that help me feel both needed and loved.....both VERY necessary to me imo.

Animals have ALWAYS done it for me.....they REALLY remind me know that it's not all about me. :)

And....here is the REAL toughie......to judge myself fairly. To know when to give myself a break....and to know when to slap my ass and start acting like an adult. Seems to me I get these two wrong more than anything else I do. This one is DEFINITELY my hardest. :(

[Purple Banana]

If I'm having a bad day, I get outside, play guitar, swim, take a shower, or simply try to surround myself with positive things. Driving or hiking for long periods of time is also very nice.

[VoidLivesOn]

Well since I have a very fast matabolism I eat as much as I want. haha my mom and g/f say "Just cause your skinny doesn't mean your healthy", and i just reply "your just jealous" and continue to stuff my face. i love to eat.

ummm I beat the shit out of my drumset everyday, I think that relieves lots of stress.

Skating and being with my friends every single day is always fun.

and music and movies

[tootsie roll]

I agree with the physical stuff....try to get out in the air for a couple of hours every day and I think it makes a big difference.

Keeping in touch with people REALLY helps keep me focused and out of the isolation frame of mind.....which is VERY easy for someone like me to do. It definitely helps remind me that's there a LOT in the big world to see, learn, and do. I'll tend to close down mentally from things when I'm feeling depressed.

My husband and animals are probably the biggest things that help me feel both needed and loved.....both VERY necessary to me imo.

Animals have ALWAYS done it for me.....they REALLY remind me know that it's not all about me. :)

And....here is the REAL toughie......to judge myself fairly. To know when to give myself a break....and to know when to slap my ass and start acting like an adult. Seems to me I get these two wrong more than anything else I do. This one is DEFINITELY my hardest. :(

My twin in thought! (at least on this so far..:) )

I used to work out 5-7 days a week before my injury and it was the bomb! I was so addicted to the high I got. I miss it. :(

The meditation mentioned by Gandolf sounds like maybe something I could/should give a try.

I need to eat healithier. I don't eat bad food, well, not take out junk but I do indulge in my sweets and fruits and that's just about all I eat lately. I think it's the loss of summer and the fact that it's so dark so early now. I really hate it.:(:mad:

As for acting like an adul, what's that like? lol
I really have to kick my butt also.:Dt

[CanaDanKs Inc.]

Honestly...I think being aware of what you think about is the key
and spotting the thoughts that bring you down
and eleminating them from your mind

:jointsmile:

[burnable]

keeping a journal is helpful. it is therapeutic to vent negative emotions into a journal and gives you perspective when you read it again. also It gives you a feeling of posterity and immortality if you think that someone in the future might read what you wrote and possibly apply it to themselves. If nothing else, it feels cathartic to get thoughts down in an official way, on paper, in a complete and descriptive manner, and tends to put problems into perspective.

Master the skill of moderation. I don't think it's ever good to absolutely deny yourself something you enjoy, but it's worse to overindulge. Appreciating everything in life in small amounts promotes inner contentment and helps you relate to others because you're aware of what they enjoy firsthand.

[Spoken Word]

I know some people that take medicine for depression and such. Since I love to help people I have agreements with all of them to call me whenever they are feeling down. I'm so grateful to have never felt "depressed". I mean, I feel sad sometimes but I can control it.

and i've been thinking, there really isn't anything I can "list" since I don't know how bad depression can get. but I will say this, try to focus on good times. and if you feel THAT bad, remember, you are alive. some would say they don't care but wether we like it or not, we are living so we should make the best of it.

i know it really doesn't help but i just try to take in each moment for what it's worth.

like for example, im driving to work. my radio's broke...im late..an asshole just cut me off...i have no weed...BUT....the weather is beautiful and I focus on the fact that most people would LOVE to take a drive in miami and here i am, on I95, driving...
did that make any sense???

i really can't imagine a place where there is NOTHING you can think of to console you. think positive, reflect, and just try to smile.
bad times pass, remember that.

[Weedhound]

Thats the thing about depression.....you can't see the sky, you can't see the future, you can't see anything. All you can do is drag your fatigued, numb, self-hating and guilty feeling butt out of bed and wonder how you'll get the energy for another day.

Depression robs you of your ability to do the things that keep you balanced. Imagine your day again Spoken Word....except without any ability to process any happiness or good feeling. Imagine that all the things you love suddenly become no more than another job that you don''t have the energy to shoulder. No reward. Just the work....and endless exhaustion.

I remember starting on Prozac.....I had been sober for almost exactly one year. I thought about committing suicide and drinking again (an immediate death sentence for me).....ANYTHING, ANTHING to stop feeling so TIRED ALL the time. WHATEVER it took....anything for some peace.

I CLEARLY remember what the doctor who prescribed the medication said to me as he handed me the prescription. (at the time I absolutely ZERO faith that ANY medicine would work) "If this medicine works for you then you'll be able to see that there really IS a point to life."

And I did. ;) I liken it to a blind man suddenly being able to see. THAT's how much that medication did for me.....in the space of a week. That ALONE told me my problems were much more than "being weak". And that realization alone helped me tremendously as well.

I'm afraid I'm not one who buys into "its all in your mind" and "just think positive and it will be positive" I'm afraid I've had WAY too much proof otherwise in my experiences both being chronicially depressed AND as a 100% alcoholic. I wasted YEARS and ENDLESS amounts of energy berating myself for "being weak" and "not having what it takes." And that view kept me sicker than hell for a LONG LONG time. To this DAY I get angry at people telling others ANY such information because you know for a fact that people with those beliefs have never dealt with the problem themselves.

Sorry for the rant.....but thanks for letting me post. It helped...(me) :)

[TresLeches]

It's always good to do something nice for someone else when you are feeling down. Assuming you aren't so depressed that it is debilitating.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Weedhound is right in that it's impossible to "just look on the bright side" when you're in a deep depression. That's because of a neurochemical problem, a seratonin and/or dopamine deficiency and the such. It's at that time that I hold on to the one liferaft I have: logic. I know, logically, that there is a happy perception that I cannot picture right now, but I have experienced it and I will at some point. Then I do what it takes to get my seratonin back up... today that was taking an extra dose of painkillers (which was originally intended to treat an extra large dose of physical pain), but surely enough it skyrocketed my seratonin levels (I've checked up on this, these meds inhibit seratonin reuptake and cause mass production) and I was full of energy and possitivity.

A healthy neurochemistry is essential, but I also strongly believe that we have the ability to directly affect our neurochemistry by understanding the methods to change ones perception. Our own will is never enough, but depending on your skill, it can do a lot. Who knows, maybe an incredibly skilled mind can completely control ones neurochemistry, I certainly believe attaining total enlightenment in the Buddhist sense would enable you to do as such, as it is total liberation from suffering.


Oh on a side note, eating is definately a strong impulse of mine as well. I eat and eat and eat all day long, sometimes huge quantities of protein and carbs, but usually fruits. Thankfully, I seem to be incapable of getting fat at all:D

[Weedhound]

Gandalf I agree totally....whether or not you are depressed...or want a drink or WHATEVER the deal is.....you are responsible for your actions. You can use that responsibility either to help youself or to drag yourself down. Really....what power we DO have in our life decisions is what its all about and how we choose to use it (or not) ;)

[rebgirl420]

Stay Busy! I have bipolar disorder pretty bad and take quite a lot of meds (And i'm fine with that) so my mind races a lot and that tends to get me into trouble. However, when I keep myself busy with something (reading, writing, screwing around online, whatever) it helps a lot.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

I totally agree with you Rebgirl, the point is to keep away from those self destructive thoughts. I've really realized lately that when those thoughts come that start to justify my mistery, I have to push them away no matter how convincing they seem. If no productivity comes of them, they need not be considered.

[Weedhound]

The trick is in knowing which part of your mind you can trust. That' ALWAYS been what scares me the most......not being able to trust my own thoughts and judgements. The realization that my MIND would turn against me and cause me to harm myself.

I'm not talking about the normal stuff here.....(hey I think I'll hit the rush hour traffic on the freeway at 100mph...i'm sure it'll be fine) but the very ability of MY OWN MIND to think with such disregard to its own health and safety. Almost like a computer or something.....a bizarre ability of the mind to act in direct opposition of self preservation without seeming to know or realize how destructive that thinking is. THAT's the most frightening thing that occurs to me about mental issues.

I knew someone with a long history of mental illness...in and out of hospitals etc....multiple suicide attempts. She told me once that she could be walking along.....perfectly fine.....and see perhaps....an oleander bush (very toxic plant) and all of a sudden....without warning the thought would come into her head....."eat that plant" or "run in front of that car" and it took EVERYTHING she had to fight those thoughts....and sometimes she couldn't......therefore...multiple hospital visits.

That's probably the best example I can offer of not being able to trust your own thoughts and judgements. Not being able to trust yourself.

It's terrifying.

[cm8883]

I also have bipolar disorder, I think good coping skills and positive thinking helps just as much as therapy/meds, for me, anyway. Though it tooks YEARS of training myself to cope and think positively. And I have definitely known true clinical depression, more than once. It was a hell on earth for me; I truly feel terribly for people who have no relief from it.

Great thread!

[beachguy in thongs]

I keep in a good mood by coming to cannabis.com. Other than that, I entertain myself, somehow.

A sound mind is a strong body, or, vice-versa, or whatever. Breathing techniques help me, in many ways. Something as simple as "in through the nose, and, out through the mouth" can be calming, and reset your diaphragm.

[psychocat]

I kind of enjoy being a bit of a sociopath.

[rebgirl420]

^ Me too. I think that my bipolar gives me an edge.

[Weedhound]

^ Me too. I think that my bipolar gives me an edge.

I've heard this from several people....the superquick thinking part. Its one of the reasons people with manic depression don't like to take meds....they feel it slows down the thought process that make them unique. That's their choice in my opinion. (did you ever see "A Beautiful Mind?") as long as they are willing to accept and deal with the consequences.

I don't get that part of the disease of depression.....only the down side. Taking medication for depression not only saved my life it GAVE me life.

Again....if you haven't been there please DONT tell others how to "cure" their disease or treat it or how if they just "pick themselves up ", "look on the bright side" or WHATEVER the cute little cliche of the day is. Those views are EXTREMELY harmful in my opinion to those who REALLY NEED good and correct information to be able to help themselves. I also stand by this same view 100% in regards to addiction as well. :cool:

[rebgirl420]

^ I agree. However I know that without my meds I turn into a whole different person. So I know i'll take them for the rest of my life. And im okay with that.

I also agree with you when it comes to people who have'nt been there. Everyone seems to have an opinion.

[Weedhound]

Rebgirl: :)

[Weedhound]

^ I agree. However I know that without my meds I turn into a whole different person. So I know i'll take them for the rest of my life. And im okay with that.

I also agree with you when it comes to people who have'nt been there. Everyone seems to have an opinion.


When you say "a whole different person" I'm assuming by that you mean a person you don't like or want to be..is that right? And the meds help with that? That's EXACTLY true for me as well. And I'm ok with taking them as long is I need to as well (if that's forever then suits me fine) because I NEVER want to live the way I did before again. :thumbsup:

[rebgirl420]

Weedhound: :)

[rebgirl420]

Yeah thats exactly what I mean. Without my meds I get violent and my thoughts race and I begin to resort back to my old "comfort" feelings. Like my old columbine obsession or whatever.

So if meds keep those thoughts away then i'm just fine.

[Spoken Word]

Everyone does have an opinion. And I'm sorry if I offended you by sharing mine since I've never been "depressed".
But let me tell you, this whole "happy go lucky" act is just because I'm bored and high.
I hurt too. I think everyone does. Of course, there are people that for whatever reason need medicine for depression. I guess that would be a certain condition and not normal depression. But I know a lot of people that have been through hell and back and aren't depressed. So that leads me to believe that if it isn't an illness that the person has, they can overcome it. What strikes me as silly is that you get offended when people are just trying to lend words of encouragement. I get calls all the time from friends that are just "depressed" and then the ones that are severely depressed. One that's an orphan and is alone in this country. Another one that's 39 and just lost his 18 year old son. they all come to me because they know I will try my hardest to make them feel better. They don't see my "lucky" life and think "oh, he's too happy to help me". That's ridiculous.
Everyone hurts and everyone needs a helping hand sometimes. I just wanted to add a little entry to what I thought was a great thread. I'm sorry if I offended anyone since I'm not "depressed" enough.

I'm trying to think of what would make me that depressed... maybe the death of my grandmother. but because death is permanent.

and I'm sitting here making me out to be this free-loving hippy when I cry and feel tired sometimes too. but like I said, it passes. yea, maybe i've been "lucky" since I have most of my family. but you think "lucky" people don't feel hopeless at times?

I don't know. I'm glad that people find the will to live through medication but I think you NEED to have it in you to stay "pscyhologically healthy". If not, I wonder about the persons character and strength.

again, I'm sorry if i offended you. I can honestly say I only want the best for everyone.

[Weedhound]

Spoken Word, of course you do. You have a very kind heart....its quite obvious. If I led you to believe that your post was offensive then I COMPLETELY APOLOGIZE.....seriously.

It struck me that you had more knowledge about depression than alot of people...your statement about "knowing" there is a difference is what caught my eye because I find that to be very true. Like Rebgirl said.....a completely different person and one that you really don't feel you have any control over....and its YOU!

I COMPLETLEY agree with you about how you choose to view things making a difference in life. Yes, say i'm feeling very depressed. I can buy into that pity pot or I can tell myself that I need to do something to help myself STOP being this way whether or not I actually FEEL i'm worth at that time or not. That is MY responsibility and while I know I fall short of it often it doesn't change the fact that it IS up to me.

Letting depressed people know you are there for them as you do Spoken Word is HUGE. The isolating feeling can be so overwhelming that someone reaching through that fog and just making contact is a really BIG deal and can go a long way in keeping folks balanced. Being an ear and just listening to people is a wonderful thing. :thumbsup:

[pastetea]

This thread helped me.

Thanks - :)

[quantumdream]

I would strongly recommend reading material by Eckhart Tolle if you are interested in going beyond the limits of the human mind.

[psychocat]

I am happy to say that I know I am a human animal, I know my humanity and I acknowledge my animal side. I have a life or death mentality and I believe in the thrill of the ride, life can be steered and you are the helmsman of your own vessel.
What others think of me doesn't matter, I will listen to opinions and may learn from them but the choice of wether to believe others or not is ultimately mine. I have done so much and been so many places , the things I have seen have given me perspective on myself and make me realise I am what I am. I like me.
We all have the capability to do great good but at the same time we all have capacity for great evil , it's said that man was created in Gods image ,,,I don't believe this but I do believe man created God in his image because we are the true creators and destroyers.
You are never what others percieve you to be, but you are what you think you are, belief in yourself is a very important quality and lack of it is a great drawback.
I have always found that it doesn't matter if I succeed or fail , all that matters is that I can say I did my best , we all have talents and finding our true talent makes a big difference to how we see ourselves.

Acceptance of yourself and your good and bad points is the most important thing (IMO) once you take an honest look at yourself and recognise your strengths and weaknesses you can then improve on what you wish to and that is the first step to being happy with yourself.