How do we rescue ourselves after we have plummeted into that dark abyss of depre

1. 67

   Violet Flameposted 11 years ago

   How do we rescue ourselves after we have plummeted into that dark abyss of depression?
   
   What's the best thing to do when you feel like a failure and that nothing is working in your life? How do we rescue ourselves after we have plummeted into that dark place of depression?

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2. 68

   BSloanposted 11 years ago

   When depression hits you, it's so easy to let negativity get control of you.  Not wanting to let negativity win, you always have to have faith that things will get better, because they do.
   
   I believe that when things don't go your way it's because you aren't meant for them.  You are meant to be doing something else and not what you are focused on.  Everyone has a great potential to make a difference in this world and finding what that is, is part of life.  Sometimes finding out is fun, sometimes it's frustrating, and sometimes it can drain your patience.  But you can't give up. 
   
   Sometimes getting out of depression is seeing all the positive things you have in your life and not the negative.  It is so easy to be swallowed up by negative thoughts so think of everything positive you do have.  From the simple things of having a home, your health, food, and family/friends. 
   
   Write down all the good you have in your life and all the things you would like to accomplish and find ways of making it happen.  One day at a time, one step at a time.
   
   Find someone to talk to about how you feel.  Surround yourself with positive caring people.  Read uplifting stories and stories of people who have triumphed. 
   
   Above all, know that you are an extraordinary person and can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

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3. 76

   jpesch1posted 11 years ago

   You reach out for help from the professionals!  You don't hide your feelings and you DON'T just think that you can figure it out by yourself!  Friends and family may or may not notice your depression.  If they do, they may or may not know how to really help because the bottom line is to truly find the strength within yourself.  This doesn't mean to try to "power through" by yourself but rather to take the step to get real help!  Take the step!  Get help!!!

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4. 96

   chef-de-jourposted 11 years ago

   You have to try and fathom out why depression has set in. Depression can be treated!! It's not an incurable disease. Go see a doctor or professional, let friends and family know. The more you open up the more release you'll feel.
   You mention failure. Failure in which areas of life?
   
   Education - fail an exam?
   Career - not getting promotion or going sideways?
   Relationships - divorce or unstable partners?
   Health - weight problems or ill health?
   Finance - in debt because of the recession?
   
   Pinpoint the reasons for failure and ask for help. Every single individual on earth has failed at something! The issue is how we as individuals deal with failure, both minor and major. Yes for some failure is a big thing, but current failure is not a permanent obstacle to future progress. If it was none of us would get anywhere!
   
   Depression because of multiple failures is understandable but can be overcome through opening up, looking AT THE REASONS and working out a strategy to get back to some sort of normality. You need help to do this.

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5. 72

   lone77starposted 11 years ago

   Like all emotions, depression is a decision.
   
   You are the one in control. You decide what you put your attention on.
   
   Perhaps the best help you can get is from the owner of this universe, God. If you subdue your own ego and become utterly humble, you can communicate with Him. Such communication cannot come from your body or your ego -- only from your true self (immortal spirit, soul, Holy Ghost) within.
   
   If you create depression, then you have to realize that your depression is perfect. It is perfectly what it is, and there is not another one just like it in the entire universe.
   
   Also, realize that you can create whatever other emotions you want.
   
   Let me give you an example from my own experience. The year was 1985. I was suffering from multiple failures -- marriage, job, income, career, education. I was feeling overwhelmed and extremely blue. I remembered what someone had told me years earlier about being in control of my own emotions. I decided to try it out.
   
   I decided to smile, even though I didn't feel jolly in the slightest. The first few attempts were pitiful. It only made me feel worse. Then I decided to go extreme. I decided to laugh out loud -- a full, belly laugh -- as loud as I could make it. I was in traffic at the time, coming off of the Santa Monica Mountains at Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. I didn't care what other drivers might think of me. It wasn't their life at stake.
   
   Suddenly, my body felt relaxed. My muscles shifted. My metabolism changed. Laughing like I meant it was an act of creation -- placing me at cause, rather than at effect. Suddenly, the laughter was real. I felt overwhelming joy. I felt the loving arms of God welcoming me.
   
   You have to be able to forgive yourself. Here's a book that might help.
   
   http://www.genesiscode.net/books/the_ar … veness.php
   
   But beyond that, helping others can frequently be the best medicine. The main idea is to stop being at effect and having your attention on yourself (ego). Put your attention on others.
   
   I appreciate the suggestions of others to seek professional help, but that usually leads to learned helplessness. Depending on someone else to come up with all of your answers and solutions deprives you of the fun of creating your own solutions. Perhaps the biggest exception to this is seeking help from God. But, if you look closely, it's not an exception, after all. He expects you to create, fearlessly.
   
   May God bless and protect you and yours

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      jpesch1posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      The comment of Lonestar is perfect if your depression stems from life crisis'. But if you are dealing with a potential chemical imbalance, you can't make that go away by laughing at it.

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      Thesourceposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Not all depression are decisions. The most serious ones are from chemical imbalances.

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6. 0

   Suzanne Angwinposted 11 years ago

   I find the best way to help ourselves is to help help another!

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7. 74

   tiffany deliteposted 11 years ago

   speaking from experience, i think that the best thing to do from the moment one realizes they have become depressed is to GET HELP from a therapist/counselor! this is very important because we will be tempted to try to deal with it all on our own...big mistake. get help...and pray. blessings!

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8. 67

   Violet Flameposted 11 years ago

   Thank You Thank You to all you wonderful and generous souls for your helpful answers. All of them touched me like a dry parched plant is touched by the rain. I fell into a dark ditch but I didn't know how I got there. I called for help and you answered, and I bless you from the bottom of my heart. Each one of your caring response warms me a little and then a little more. I don't know whether chemical imbalance played a part or not, but I think a particular brutal critique at the art school tipped me over the edge and triggered an old nasty psychological nightmare: the over judgemental inner critic, who managed to resurface after a very long absence of many years and to use every single failure against me while sucking all daylight out of the sphere. At the end I did manage to recognise it for what it was, even though it took considerable and repetitive efforts to remind myself that I do have a choice. I appreciate your call for professional help and I would have if I could not manage to turn things around. It took a little while whilst I used every trick I know, from watching all my favorite happy movies to not taking things so seriously while still managed to hand in all my finals before deadline. My dreams continue to help me with insights and one of them very literally spells out "clean up your own emotional waste and fix up your outdated emotional automatic trigger mechanism. Face It!". It was so exact I woke up laughing out loud.
   But I could not have done it had I not being able to find courage in your encouragement.
   Thank You and My Warmest Appreciation to you all
   xoxoxo

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