Anxiety and depression have always been a huge struggle for me, I've done therapy and took antidepressants. none of that worked.Only thing that is helping me cope is my boyfriend who is there for me and smoking every now and then, the greens.. I do highly suggest to always seek help and never battle it alone. I am here to talk if you guys need me as well.
-Hugs-

Anxiety and depression is something I deal with everyday on a daily basis.
I am easily triggered sadly so anything or nothing can act up one or the other.

For me what seems to help cope with my mental illness is doing something I love.
I know not always I will feel up to drawing but when I do it really helps.
Though listening to music and just brooding seems to help a little too.

For anxiety though I watch cartoons. Something that makes me laugh helps me calm down.
And drinking peppermint tea. That also helps.

I'm on no meds for either of my mental illnesses so I just try my best to distract myself
with hobbies.

I've been struggling with depression since I was about 11 years old, but I wasn't medicated for it until I was 17. I currently take a generic for the drug Celexa. I don't think it does anything for my anxiety, however, which I've had since I was probably 13.

Honestly, every day is a struggle because besides the chemical imbalances in my brain, my sister and mother I live with also have depression, and we're going through stressful times right now and everyone is taking it out on each other. >.< Sometimes I can't even brush my hair or get out of bed, sometimes it's everything just to take a shower.

It's hard but you gotta keep going, yknow?

@fuuchan: I tend to brood a lot too. However I can't even find the energy or joy in doing the things I love at times and that just makes me feel like even more garbage than I already am. ;n;
@miss kitty: I feel like you just described me to a T! I get really nervous trying to do things outside of the house, and even though I have a license and can drive, it causes me a lot of anxiety and I sometimes blank too. I loooove ASMR I use it a lot to help me sleep or just to relax. <3 Who are some of your favorite ASMR'tists?
@neko: I've literally been wearing the same pajamas with ratted nasty hair for like over a week. Lol. I understand your struggle. >.>
@opaldeerling: I like your suggestion of eating your favorite snack and watching something funny. When I'm really sad I go to youtube to find funny videos to watch and force my chi to snuggle. She doesn't like it so much lol, so my husband and I call it "the snuggle struggle" where we hold her and love her and she anxiously awaits being set free. XD

@FuuChan: Lol, sometimes I feel that way too. But I'm trying not to brood too much lately. It's super draining to be upset and feel bad all day long and I already lack the energy to do anything. D:

I have a lot of issues with anxiety. My doctors tried to put me on a sedative for a while thinking it would help, but largely tend to excuse it as 'well, you have a really stressful job so...' so I've mostly learned to just kind of live with it. For me, it's mostly an issue when I'm in new environments, talking to people outside of topics I've rehearsed, and any time I'm driving--compacted by a crash I had last year that literally leaves me trembling, now, if I or whoever is driving happens to hit the breaks a little too hard.

What helps me cope is largely ignoring my issues and putting my SO in charge of the things that tend to set me off, as well as rehearsing things and making sure I'm as prepared as possible for a given topic or conversation. I don't know that I'm really handling my issues so much as unhealthily avoiding them, but I mean, it's worked so far!

Well, for me, depression is a symptom of another mental illness, bpd. So I tend to swing into it and then back out rapidly, as in... I could be seriously depressed and wanting to end my life and then hours later be excited and cuddling my spouse. The depression I do have, though, tends to be intense, as people with bpd are highly emotional. (I heard a reference one saying that our emotions are like a 3rd degree burn... any sort of pain is incredibly horrible.)

A lot of what I do is a part of DBT therapy. DBT is a very good practice, imo, so you should consider looking into it. There's websites and videos on youtube for it. It was designed for BPD, but it's actually really good for everyone!

One of the biggest points in DBT is self-acceptance. Accepting that your feelings are valid, no matter what the situation. So if you are depressed, that is valid, even if you think you're being stupid or silly. No feelings are stupid or silly, ever. That helps me to cope, because often when I am depressed I'll think I'm being dumb... which makes it worse x:

Other than that, I like to remind myself that the depression is only temporary and it's not going to last forever. So while I feel awful in the moment, I know that I will be able to move past that.

Stimming also helps, using textures and sounds, as well as flavors. I like to eat really sour things, it brings me back to reality. Petting animals as well.

The most important thing, though, is medication. I wouldn't be able to survive without my meds... I went too many years unmedicated and I'm surprised I'm still here today, tbh.

Depression/anxiety are caused by a combination of internal and external influences. I feel that while some people with severe cases need medication, others simply do not. The introduction of chemicals to a chemically unstable mind can be bad for some people. I was medicated for many years and never got ahold of my mental disorders until I stopped the medication. I honestly feel it was making it worse. Hate to be THAT person, but what I feel really helped me was marijuana. When I'm stoned, I don't worry as much, I'm happier, I don't indulge my OCD habits as much. It's just calming to their mind and body, which is good because I also have a neurological condition. Getting out, experiencing life, meeting new friends, tackling problems as soon as they became apparent. I will confess to also psychedelics, not like party drugs but as spiritual tools to enhance my sense of self. They helped me open up to all of life's possibilities and feel better about myself. Did a lot of work on myself... I know they're not for everyone, so I wouldn't recommend to anyone who's sensitive, but used in a responsible fashion, they can be a huge help, very therapeutic. Other than that, I take supplements every day. Magnesium, b complex, fish oil, etc. They help as well, I think. The point of life is to keep moving, you stand still too long, you get stuck. (once again, I appreciate my story isn't the same as everyone else and what works for me may not work for others) I still have bad days, it's just no longer a bad life. I have other people to thank for that as well though. :vanora_smile:

I suffer from both, and have for what I've worked out to be a long time now. My depression, at least, I'm lead to believe stems from my grandad dying when I was 8 or 9, and one night sitting in bed, asking myself, 'what happens to 'us' when we die?' and never being able to get a definite answer has been slowly driving me mad since.

I am unfortunately in that stage where, I only have the girl I'm dating and my mum as things that keep me going - my depression went in a downward spiral in November when we lost a friend of my mum's, as well as recently - and I don't think it's just my mental health making me imagine this - a lot of my friends seem to be moving on with their lives and that includes not talking to me anymore/being bothered with me/only messaging me when they want something, and that's about 99% of the people I'm friends with.

I try and cope by giving myself things to look forward to. Like, earlier in the year before I started dating, I planned to go to comiccon in November for my birthday, by myself, but now I'm like, nah I'm good, I'm now planning another date/meetup with a girl in October instead and decided I no longer need that comiccon by myself xD

Pills worked for a bit for me, but I've got to the point where, I don't feel like they are helping, but hell no am I risking stopping them incase I do become even worse. I've tried CBT twice, a year or two apart and with different people, but came to the conclusion that that is just not for me. I am currently awaiting a psychologist appointment since my assessment in February to see if I have any more luck with that.

Something I did try recently, that worked until I stopped doing it, was a 'boring self care' sheet I printed off from The Mighty. You put like small daily tasks, like brushing your teeth, or getting changed, or going outside etc, anything you wanted as your own targets, and then each day you could tick them off if you managed to do them. It was just a little something to try and give you a bit of motivation to do something, even the little things.

I have to deal with Depression every day, I have since I was a young child
meds don't really work the only thing that helps is by staying busy, or being
with family and friends, I always have to be doing something or on the go.

I also have anxiety, and panic attacks, I don't them I either have to be doing
something like being on the computer or texting on my phone to get over both,
but they come back when I am least to expect it breathing helps, and so does
drinking water.