First...avoid Byward Market....
Is the Embassy still across from Parliament Hill? If so....go walk around Par. Hill before going to Embassy. Being around people...and the activity ...will help ease your mind. Also...Laurier Place Mall is nearby...if you are OK w people indoors
That will help for your Embassy visit...
And...think of all the positives seeing your family. That will help. Especially if there is a youngster that looks up to you
Of course...the other advice provided by fellow FReepers is excellent...and well worth heeding
I dropped paxil after ten years - lost 60#, started hiking, dropped facebook and spending more time in my hobbies - and less on the computer
For me it was hunting and my atv - anything that increases your exposure to fresh air and sunlight.
Hope is here, and on dark days, know there are people that love you and want you here with them.
In many non-medical cases, depression is the result of finding oneself at a point in life analogous to a dead-end road. The person realizes at some level that they aren't where they want to be but see no easy way to get to where they want to be. The person may have reached this dead end point several times previously. Whereas in the past they always retraced their steps and found a new path through the maze of life, this time they just gave up as depression took over.
There is likely no miraculous fix. Instead, steady work over time is what is required to straighten out a person's life... a life that may resemble a tangled ball of string.
Start out by visiting a reputable health food store and asking for an age and sex appropriate multivitamin to help fill in any nutritional gaps you may be missing in your diet.
Without doing anything else differently, try the multivitamin for one week per directions and see if you notice any difference. Hopefully you will find that with the multivitamin you will have a little more energy and perhaps a little less in the way of food cravings. If you notice any improvement, you will know that some portion of your problem stemmed from a nutritional deficiency. Keep taking the multivitamins faithfully as they represent one of the first successful steps of many that you will take in conquering your depression.
I understand Julie. Sometimes it’s hard to feel optimistic. I have felt this way for some time. Just... disconnected and ‘why bother.’
Appreciation. Every morning and every night. It sounds simplistic, I know. But it was all that could bring me out of depression and I was seeing a therapist. Medication did not work for me. I had to spend 15 minutes morning and night writing down or praying about all I could find to be thankful for, and had to force myself to do it. Then I learned to do it through the day for the smallest of things that happened or that I received. It took a couple of months to really notice a difference.
You say that you are depressed. Just wondering if there is a particular reason that you are depressed. Did some event happen in your life (death in the family, etc...) making you depressed? Is this something that happens a lot or just lately (feelings of depression)?
Get in touch with family and health services immediately. Reach out to people you trust and share this immediately. Lord, I just hope you are ok and feeling better soon!
Hi Julie-
How are you doing today? Listen, everyone suffers from depression. Esp people of faith, because this world does not look like the world we know with Jesus. Dying sounds good some times, so we can be with our love and Lord. But that is not the plan, Julie.
I have struggled with finding death, myself. I totally understand. But if I killed myself, what does that say about my faith, to get me thru this fire?
THAT is why we are to give each other fellowship, while we run our race of faith. This world is a hard place, and every day we are given the chance to choose one of two paths laid before us.
One is a blessing, and one is a curse.
Duet- 30:19
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live
We have to LEARN how to find the blessings, and we get tackled and bruised while trying to figure that out. We make mistakes and get down.. and feel like giving up.
But don’t give up- because your joy will be greater each time you overcome your obstacle. Think of it like the Olympics. :)
Listen- our faith is ALWAYS being tested and refined and made more pure. We are being made holy, with all of these tests. SO each time you choose the right path, you are winning YOUR race. You are overcoming the world.
Drugs are death. OK? Don’t go that way.
Choose life and be blessed.
Tell Satan to GET behind you- by picking UP your Bible and getting on your knees. Jesus will not forsake you. He is FOR you. He intercedes for you. Pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to fill you with understanding. Ask for your identity IN Christ Jesus, by scripture and verse- and see the tools you have to overcome drugs.
You can do it. Many of us have overcome drugs, alcohol, strife, greed, lust, envy.. and you can do it too...so that you are an encouragement to YOUR brothers and sisters in faith.
We are praying for your success and joy.
God bless you.
Yes. Quit listening to STP. Garbage in, garbage out.
Seriously, when you see your doctor demand extensive thyroid testing. Certain types of thyroid disease mimics transient depression and can be severe. I have also seen several posts regarding vitaminD, and that information is invaluable, have your doctor do a D blood test as well. You do not need a prescription, go to the pharmacy and ask for......MAXIMUM D3, 10,000 IU. Take one a day for a week and then one capsule every week thereafter. You will feel significantly better . Even if you are clinically depressed the D will help fight in. Remember one thing........depression eventually lifts and what you are feeling today can change in a heartbeat. Look at depression as a voice from God to encourage you to look inward for answers and change in your life.
The first thing I’d advise is to get a physical. Hormone issues can cause massive depression. (Been there, done that)
The second thing I’d advise is to change your diet. Eat plenty of protein, healthy fats, veggies and some fruits and nuts. Add a good quality multi-vitamin to your regimen. A low-quality diet can cause depression. As can malnutrition.
While you’re doing these things, get help. Find a counselor who specializes in Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Traditional therapy focuses on the ‘why do I feel this way.’ CBT shifts that focus to ‘how to I stop thought patterns that make me feel this way and think in positive ways that help me feel better.’
Continue to have faith in G-d; but remember, He provides the oars. You still need to row the boat.
You live in Canada and you vacation in Chicago. No wonder you are depressed. Move back to a red state in America and go to the Florida beaches on vacation. You will cheer right up. :-)
Imagine tens of thousands of Freepers packed into a stadium cheering you on. Don’t give up. We’re rooting for you...
Others have suggested exercise. My suggestion is getting an exercise machine - a decent one like a recumbent bike with programs where you press a button and can veg out in front of the TV while pedaling away. Doesn’t have to be expensive - Walmart has machines with preset programs for a couple of hundred bucks. Work out at a set time and a moderate pace for about 30 minutes every day.
I, too, feel your pain... Every comment made to your post has connected with me!
Thank you for sharing - this is what we should do. I believe we are placed together in order to lift up each other.
Every day is a NEW day. I sing this song for you, for me, for everyone who needs reminding: “This is the day which the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day which the Lord hath made!”
OKAY BABY! CHECK IN WITH US when you can! How ya doin’ / how did you do today?
I forgot to add: sunlight and exercise.
If you have felt this way for more than a couple of weeks, it sounds like you might need an anti-depression medication for a few months. Lots of freepers think prayer alone and faith will be all that you need, but they would certainly not tell you that if you had, for instance diabetes...the brain chemisty can sometimes be out of wack and the medication can put you back on track....the brain is open to possible problems just like any other part of our body...thats why God gave us doctors. Just find one you feel you can trust, and he can help you....