Back to the topic. I think one of the best ways to handle depression is to pick up a sport. Exercise creates high dopamine levels, just like sex or drugs. Dopamine is the happiness hormone.

Bloated and sickly, maybe, but being fat wasn't a problem for us for most of our evolution. To the contrary, we got our calories where we could find them. Obesity is a sedentary problem.

Also, I was under the impression that for most of our evolution, we didn't really eat wheat as we had no way to process it so it wouldn't have needed to develop toxicity when ingested for self-defense.

For plants that produce fruits, the fruit is not the object of predation. It's a 'deliberate' offering in exchange for spreading the plant's seeds through excrement and is a good example of the mutually beneficial relationships that can be found in an ecosystem as a result of join evolution between several organisms. The seeds passing through the digestive track is just an adaptation that makes the relationship mutually beneficial (otherwise, it would need another way to spread it's seeds) rather than a defense mechanism. The fact that the fruit tastes so good and is such an healthy supply of energy along with the ingenious use of an animal's mobility to spread seeds strongly supports this.

Yup.

Varying metabolisms are a factor as well, of course.

Sort of, but I think the idea of compensating for caloric intake by way of exercise has been debunked at this point. A pound of muscle burns about 4 Calories per day more than a pound of fat does. And ultimately the exercise that most people do for the purposes of losing weight just increases appetite.

People mostly need to stop eating crap. The amount of exercise it takes to lose fat and build lean muscle is pretty minimal. As long as you're not eating crap and you're eating a reasonably sized diet. I've been in the position to need to lose large amounts of weight at times, and it never takes very long to do. Typically about 5 lbs., per month without doing anything extreme or feeling tired and generally deprived.

And that's normal. That's just getting to bed at a reasonable hour, not snacking on garbage during the middle of day, drinking a couple mugs of tea and light walking. The vast majority of people could do it, but the advice generally given out would be a lot harder and ultimately unmaintainable for most people.

I mean, seriously, who has 3-5 hours a week to spend on vigorous exercise? Who has the energy to plan all their meals ensuring that a dietitians recommendations are being followed at all times?

I agree that going back to a prehistoric lifestyle is not the solution.

As for exercising helping or not, it depends on what you eat. If you eat some empty calories, it can help compensate for that to a degree. Personally, I like running ~3 hours a week just to maintain a good cardio. I do some strength training also. I'm 6f1 and a bit bulky so if I look the part, I might as well play the part too. Ultimately, I just like being a very capable physical specimen for my specie. It's partly a pride/vanity thing :P. It has the added benefit of making me a calmer person as it gives me an outlet for my excess energy.

Ultimately, I agree with you that a change of diet is the main solution (I love my tea also btw), though I'm skeptical about the mainstream's ability to change it at this point. People are stuck in a neo-liberal train of thought as far as the food industry is concerned and I've had that conversation with too many people not to become disillusioned about changing the mindset of the mainstream (I think that food will be one of the crumbling pillars that will bring western civilization to it's knees). New generations would have a better chance of kicking the habit if properly taught, but parents are passing to them what they know which is crap.

The best way to combat people that make stupid choices is to take the best care of your body that you can and to show them what proper nutrition and exercise can give them. Which reminds me, I need to get a before picture. Ironically, I think I look better with 20-30 extra pounds, but I tend to be healthier without the weight.

I'm doing the paleo type stuff because I feel better doing it. I've been fasting daily for 16 hours for the last week and I feel better than I have in years. I'm starting to get into the doldrums, but I've got some coconut oil that should help a bit with the tail end. The point where I start to get hungry, so that I don't binge as soon as I'm allowed to eat.

Forgive me for not reading through the entire thread, but physical activity and keeping your mind busy are the two things I do when I'm depressed that help me snap out of it.

Getting outside, even if it's for a walk around the block once a day helps immensely, too.

Keep in mind anti depressants don't really work beyond making you not care as much about stuff, which is why they all cause worse depression as a side effect in some people.

Also, coffee helps perk a person up and raises the blood sugar, facilitating a more receptive state to exercise in, as mentioned above.

If it keeps going or gets worse, see a professional or at the very least talk to your doctor. You don't have to suffer alone, and maybe something homeopathic such as a depression support group might be enough to stem the flow and right your sails.

Hope this helps, and remember, we're here for you!
~Cym

Best way to handle depression - from the point of view of someone seriously depressed for a long time?
- Dont listen to the most of the crap people are telling you - It has sadly reduced to the usual depressing bitchy fare mate!

darthspudious - have all those symptoms bud, so i am willing to chat with you via PM should ya need!

On a similar note - those bitch-biting should join this GA (as should everyone!) http://www.gog.com/forum/general/as_n_when_ya_numpties/post1

Edit: even making me get bitchy now!

I agree, lots of 'advice' giving in this topic requires huge efforts: going sporting, meeting people, making big changes to diet. Someone who is really depressed doesn't have the energy for huge efforts and the result would be to think 'OMG, I should though this, I should do that, I don't have the energy to do it, I'm such a loser and other depressive thoughts that get triggered by advice which can't be followed up due to the depression".

If you would just shut up all your life-changing habits in mayor leagues and start talking about acceptance, baby steps, and little things that can be done when you're depressed.

As for going out and meeting people, giving how much effort it takes to make contact with people and all the stress it induces to go out, get new impressions that your mind needs to deal with, trying to take a stance on how to react to them, listen to their stories etc. I wonder if the tendency not to meet to many people isn't a healthy response of a far-too-easily-overstimulated and diseased mind to protect itself. If I'm in a depression, I can only handle a few contacts at a time and while it can be nice to be together with a friend, it's a relief to go home after two hours and wouldn't be able to see more than two friends a week (I do work for 2-3 hours 3 days in week as well, but then I'm usually more focussed on work and get annoyed if people want to talk to me too much).

Also bad advices: coffee and alcohol, while they may give temporary relief, don't help the mind recover in the long term. Not that it's easy quiting a habit, and you shouldn't take it too hard on yourself if you do (I quitted alcohol after a struggle lasting years but don't find coffee worth a second struggle, I don't have the energy for another one), but advicing it as 'help' is a bad idea.


To darthspudius: treat this topic as a topic dish: pick out the things you find helpful and are actually able to try out and just discard the rest, don't let yourself get down by 'I should do this, I should do that' thoughts. Your mind is your own and of no-one else in this forum. You are the one who has to judge what is helpful to you, it might help trying out new things, but you are to one who may judge what you can handle.

That works when the choice is rational, but not when you are struggling again a natural propensity to be lazy, a deep ingrained drive to go for high calorie food and a deep rooted neo-liberal mindset.

I don't think many people face this dilemma :P.

My ideal weight is about 170-180 and I look good in it.

When I get hungry, my mind becomes funny, and I need my mind to work, but without fasting, I think an healthy diet does wonders.

There's been a lot of interesting things to read in this topic. Thank you to everyone who messaged me and everyone in the thread. :)

Is this a 'Protagonist in a David Lynch film' "Depression"

or

'You just remembered thirty seconds after waking that your mom died yesterday' kinda "Depression"?

The latter goes away naturally and goes away quicker if you can distract yourself enough to forget that you're depressed.

The former makes an otherwise dull life ALOT more interesting once you learn how to just accept and roll with it.

Yeah, I know that last one. Its great to have friends who are legitimate but it is very bad to have friends who bring you down. Its actually very bad to associate with them. Alcohol is good with limits, Im on enough meds to prefer coffee. Video games are good but if prefer them in the evening. Exercise I got to get more of. Other than that sounds like somebody had a successful day's work !

Yes. Better no friends than shitty friends. I've learned this lesson, the hard way.

Dont tell someone with depression to drink lol,, bad advice. It will just get worse with the hangover. What you need is Zoloft, paxil..etc. Sorry if this was already posted but didnt make it past the second page. See a shrink, they will throw these meds at you. I know from experience.