How do you cope with your mental illness?

[Quiji]

I simply don't think about my depression, that's my coping mechanism. I always find some form of distraction to keep myself busy. Tbh, I've been recommended some antidepressant medication a few times, but I refuse to go down that path. I want to feel like myself, not a medicated zombie.

 

[Pure Essence]

I came here for answers, but it seems nobody truly knows. I personally have had experiences with a therapist who didn't help and another who tried to help but realized she couldn't. I think we all have our own ways of coping with it. I personally imagine scenarios to music that I like to take my mind off of my depression more, but that might fail horribly for someone else.

Also, another thing. I don't like excising and there isn't many places to go with friends and not many friends who live close. I think that being social online can sometimes help even more then being social IRL.

 

[Sawsbuck]

I simply don't because idk of anything that helps

 

[Neb]

Making a long-term bucket list with all the things you want to accomplish in life has helped me out a ton. It let me create my own meaning in life and gave me something to look forward to. Nihilism can really mess with your head, so being optimistic can make a huge difference.

 

[Palamon]

I... cry or vent (a lot) when I'm depressed or ignore and shut people out, with the exception of close friends. When it comes to anxiety, I don't really deal with it, I just let it be there. I don't have much else to say about it, as I don't get anxious as much as I do depressed. My depression is very random, and happens with my mood swings, so yeah.

 

[Kai]

Being optimistic, focusing on positive things, and making an effort to improve your life works. Depression and social anxiety are basically overgrown sadness and fear in the garden of your mind. Despite their ominous appearance they can be trimmed down to a manageable size once again. It can be tough to do the first time but keeping them in check will be easier after the initial trimming and other emotions will have a chance to flourish without those two hogging the sunlight.

 

[PhoenixIgnition]

Being optimistic, focusing on positive things, and making an effort to improve your life works. Depression and social anxiety are basically overgrown sadness and fear in the garden of your mind. Despite their ominous appearance they can be trimmed down to a manageable size once again. It can be tough to do the first time but keeping them in check will be easier after the initial trimming and other emotions will have a chance to flourish without those two hogging the sunlight.

I loved the garden analogy and how you used the term 'trimming'.
Can you elaborate on that some more, perhaps about how this manifested and worked in your life?

 

[Sheep]

Unfortunately, all I can do is wait it out. Once the more severe anxiety hits I focus on it too much for any distractions to be effective. The breathing techniques don't seem to do much, either, so I've given up on that. Luckily nowadays I only ever have minor bouts of panic that is tolerable with some motivational words and reassurance (...plus medication, haha). @_@

 

[mikey]

Honestly? I don't. I have yet to find an effective way to cope with my depression/anxiety. I've tried hard to focus on the positives and such, but it doesn't work well for me like it does for others.

I just have to keep trying things out and hopefully something will stick to help me.

 

[Megan]

The way I'm looking at it is to turn it up side down completely. Instead of looking at depression as a type of torture I rather see it as a useful tool. In particular: one that can be abused for stuff like introspection, selfreflection and to come up with the most dumbest ideas you can think of.

I think, easiest to describe it is so: imagine your body (and mind for that matter) as a big city. In this city lots of things happen. Some of those things are bad things that we like to refer to as crimes. The people who deal with those crimes are the police.
However, the police can't really do much if they aren't aware of any crimes. In order to let them know it requires a message to reach them. That message can only come from a dutyful civilian who observed the crime and made a phone call to let them know.
Depression is pretty much that civilian.

That being said, turning it from a bad thing into a good thing is no easy task. It requires building up quite a bit of selfdiscipline. In fact, I would be lying if I told you that I didn't spend half my life trying to get into that mindset.

But if you pull it off you can explore a lot more possibilities in your mind and come up with the craziest stuff. That alone I would say is worth the effort.

Second thing to recommend: get a hobby that forces you to be actively participating in it. Stuff like watching TV/videos is way too passive and can trap you right back into your mind bring back all the bad thoughts. On the other hand stuff like reading a book or playing a (somewhat) challenging game, etc. forces you to put your mind away from these thoughts.

 

[Homeskulled Kid]

I don't get depressed: I get anxiety; mind-flaying, throat-gouging, vomit-prompting anxiety that rips out my heart and submerges it in a swamp of misery.

When that happens, it usually peters out after an hour or less. It's too powerful to be prolonged, and with some positive thinking I can keep myself from jumping out a window.

So yeah. Think good thoughts, calming thoughts, and take deep breaths. Or I get commando on my pansy ass and say stuff like 'stop being a pansy, you ass' in my head. I try and be hard on myself every now and again to keep myself well-rounded and not completely unbearable. I also mollify and spoil myself like a dog lady. They cancel each other out but the clash of ideals equates to stability, so never let it be said that I'm unbalanced. Well, yeah, I'm unbalanced but I don't think that the chainsaw massacres will occur a while yet. Not unless I accidentally throw away another limited edition Star Wars cup... oh god.

 

[DarkSkys]

Depression sleep

But I also have some anger management I need to work on, use music to calm me.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

I usually just have to deal with my anxiety. It can be a real pain because my brain will freak out for no apparent reason. It affects my daily life most of the time and makes me feel depressed every so often. I haven't actually felt that in a while, thanks to meds. It still can be a real butt for me though. I usually just got the over-bearing dread of worrying for no reason. It used to be worse where I felt like self-harming because the random emotional pain was just so great. Nowadays, I can keep it somewhat at bay with music, writing/journaling and stuff like that though. Playing Pokemon can often be helpful as well, and I owe the franchise a lot because it's been with me through almost everything.

 

[Satire]

My coping mechanisms vary within a small circle of actions.

I either cry until I pass out, stare at a wall and reevaluate my existence, or just ignore my feelings and continue with my day. On my 'crybaby days' I try to avoid everyone so they don't ask questions, and I usually end up coming to the conclusion that nobody really gives a psyduck if I'm depressed; sometimes it seems like literally everyone is these days. It's that mentality that leads me to my many BFRB's and honestly it's a very exhausting cycle.

 

[Aslan]

Honestly, I don't have the most healthy coping mechanisms. I will talk to other people about how I'm feeling if I'm having a hard day in terms of managing my depression or anxiety but for the most part I try and keep up a cheerful demeanour even if I'm not truly feeling it. I also used to cry just to get the emotions out - it did help as I'd often end up just feeling tired and sleeping it off. Naps also work sometimes. Writing what you would want to vent and then deleting it can also help. The only thing I haven't really found out how to help is the emotional numbness that I experience with depression - a lot of the time doing things that I like will only be minimal in helping but I find that socialising somewhat helps.

Also therapy worked surprisingly well for the few months I went! It was nice working with a therapist through addressing a lot of issues such as intrusive thoughts and voicing issues that I don't feel comfortable about bringing up with others. It also helped with the emotional burden of trying to conceal how I'm feeling from other people. Whilst I'm not perfect at coping, it has helped a lot more than if I hadn't gone. I'll definitely turn to it again in the future when I get a chance to reorganise a session.

 

[Neb]

I usually avoid crowds and do things I enjoy to lessen my anxiety. It seems to have worked as I'm much less anxious than I used to be.