Is exercise. That seems to be the one treatment on these boards that I do not see. I have viewed medications, therapy, talking to a friend and such. Exercise is proven to release endorphins which the brain craves.....every single day. High blood sugars and even low blood sugars can cause mood swings. Yet throw in lack of exercise, a mediocre or poor diet, lack of sunlight and you could easily be depressed. I have met some people who just walk for exercise which is a start but at some points that only burns just enough calories that you have taken in. I have been through it all, in and out of therapists for over 20 years, went through a painful divorce, been on medications, lost loved ones and live in New England which gets less sunlight than most other places in the world. Yet I have realized with the one constant of staying in shape, yoga to reduce stress, Vitamin D and finding new adventures (visit new places, meet new people, see an interesting movie) has allowed me to prevail from at least a deep depression when I have personal struggles. I don't feel I put that much time in either during the week, about 10 hours of combined weights, yoga, walking plus eating healthier with fruits, veggies, low sugar and no caffeine has allowed me to feel good. Always love hearing other peoples thoughts, concerns, delights and struggles. Hope you are having a pleasant Sunday.
Patrick
If course you are RIGHT!!!. And add in this feature...the extent that exercise activates the receptors in diabetics of ALL types is phenomenal and proportionate to the extent the muscles were used. The effect lasts for hours as the muscles take a long time to soak up all the glycogen stores they used up in the exercise. I'm referring to say 5 miles of walking in a day the effect of which lasts into the next day.
Just the breathing in of relatively fresh air makes me feel like I am glad to be alive.
And what about the effect of doing all that to MUSIC that is upbeat and happy?
Goodness knows why it is that so much music of the heartbreak type exists. That is because people love to ruminate on why they are upset, but that only makes it worse and causes more crying in the heart even if tears are not shed. People compose those songs as they know others will identify with the theme and cry with them.
I agree with you Patrick and that is why I don't contribute much to this group. You've noticed there is too much discussion of antidepressant drugs and no talk of the simplest solutions.
In a sense, people will dislike me for mentioning this, one main reason for the group is that people find comfort in commiserating with people suffering as they do, but does that lift the suffering or more heavily justify it, or give it a rationale for it's presence in your life? It's as if people are saying they have a right to be depressed. Of course they do and there are plenty of reasons to be justifiably unhappy. But what about the solution? Exercising outdoors is a fine example for the reasons you mention.
Patrick, I think all of your suggested remedies for depression are accurate for some people. Not all need meds to help them through their depression, not all need talk thereapy, while exercise is a great way to DO something else. Many people need all of the ways of dealing. I wouldn't have been where I am today, IF I hadn't had talk therapy or meds. I am sorry but a run, walk, swim aerobic exercise would have made me work so very hard at doing myself. in.
Hi Cathy, I agree with you that my suggestion is geared towards "some people.You don't have to be sorry because everyone is different and I am well aware that different remedies work on different people. Glad you have found success.
I agree that exercise is very important. What worked best for me is a blend of exercise, cognitive behavior therapy (as learned from Dr. Burns' book: "The Feeling Good Handbook"), and a healthy diet with supplementation.
I agree, Janina. This is precisely why I quit online depression forums. I was seeking solutions and I really couldn't see where commiserating and talking about the different drugs I took helped one bit toward getting over depression. Perhaps many folks don't believe they can. I had a pshrink that said, "You will never be cured of depression". Thanks, Doc... I appreciate a good challenge. I left that session realizing that most doctors have no incentive to get you off the drugs and they know darn well and good that their drugs don't cure a thing which is probably why she believed what she said. So, I sought alternatives and found them. Exercise is one, but diet and positive thinking are equally important, in my view.
i agree, exercise is very helpful but not always enough. i do 40 min of interval(walking/jogging in place), plus light weight trainig & floor exercise, about an hour or more of walking a day, every day. in my case, i still find medication necessary, although i keep it minimal. i can't afford therapy or i would do that too. i can drop into clinical depression so i have to watch that, but luckily it's been a while. however, for those who have not suffered from long term depression, it's very possible meds could be avoided if you switch from a sedentary unhealthy eating lifestyle, haha, although for some people, the diabetes might go away too. thanks for the post,
Hi Baby Peanut,
Just a suggestion. My insurance covered therapy. After two suicide attempts and hours and hours of therapy, along with at least 10 different drugs, I was at my wit's end... Nothing seemed to help. When the doc said I would never get over it and the insurance ran out, that was the last straw. I was about to give up when a friend gave me: Dr. Burns' book: "The Feeling Good Handbook". Which changed my life, needless to say. If you haven't read it, buy it, borrow it, whatever it takes. It's truly the best medicine I know of for depression. Augmenting with healthy diet and exercise is icing on the cake. I've never looked back.
Craig
thank you craig. as i mentioned, i keep my meds as low as possible, & more importantly do not expect them to 'cure' my depression or make me happy. i am the only one who can do that, although a therapist would be nice :) i have put that book in my save for later at amazon, it certainly got good reviews. probably someone will give me a gift certificate for the holidaze, thanks again, liz
Wow that was an aspiring post I would like to thank you for your post.... I do not have diabetes my spouse do but I do suffer from depression and I will be changing a lot of things I am doing now so that I can feel better. Again thank you!!
-sigh- 2 outta 3 for me...
The other important thing for me is music, soothing music is known to affect the brain patterns and it definitely helps lift my depression.
funny, for me it's angry music :)
