Log term living with depression and anxiety myself.
I can say with experience drugs are not the answer.
Speak to your doctor
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Recreational drugs* ? (Sorry - not trollin)
not sure man, i loved and i miss smoking but it doesnt help at all. To be discussed eventually with the doctor… if wine is not considered as a drug so a little glass can help landing the aeroplane 
It’s cool.
No I’m talking about recreational drugs.
Been there done that. I medicate with pills from the doctor.
I take the odd acid trip now and again but do not use drugs habitually.
Is there professional drugs?
They call those prescriptions
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First, let me say fair play for being open and honest and taking a step toward trying to make change for the better in your own headspace…
I’m from Ireland and there’s a guy called “Blindboy” from a band called the Rubberbandits who is well known here - the band themselves are highly creative and not afraid to weave comedy and absurdity into their music but it’s not their music I’d recommend to you -
Blindboy does a Podcast where throughout it he is very open and honest about his own mental health issues, how he found CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) worked for him, and how he approaches life and creativity to make it work for him. It’s very entertaining listening, though I guess it becomes more entertaining the closer you are to Ireland haha!
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-blindboy-podcast/id1300577518?mt=2
I believe we as humans are as likely to suffer mental health issues from time to time as we are to suffer from a cold or flu. We don’t get taught about it as kids and only recently are good people like yourself speaking openly about it. So - again - fair play.
If sometimes you are not motivated to do what you love, don’t give yourself a hard time about it. Try to go do one of the other things you might love - walking, running, cook a nice meal, read something, meet your mates for a coffee… the point being, don’t let negative thoughts about yourself determine your self worth just cos the creative juices aren’t flowing or the motivation isn’t there. It’s OK that it’s not there. Fuel the furnace of motivation by doing something else… kindness to yourself, and others, is always a good idea 
Best of luck to you mate, greets from Dublin 
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I’ve been known in the past to over obsess about things and having a fairly pessimistic view of life, though I felt it to be more of a realist view. Slowly I changed my perspective and focused on the positives and realized that I cannot fully control every aspect of my life.
At any rate, dwelling on those things that “could” happen and haven’t yet, has really messed me up in the past. It’s taken awhile to adopt this positive viewpoint and I still very much so struggle with it. Sometimes the stress just eats at you and you get inside your own head. The things that have helped me are…
- Having friends, family, co workers you can talk to about these issues / feelings (my wife is a blessing)
- Getting a good night sleep (hard with 2 toddlers though)
- Knowing I have to set a positive example for my children (stay strong)
- Looking forward to the little things
- Enjoying the music / art I create and not being to harsh on myself
- Meditation
- My children including my dog
Looking forward to the little joys in life has actually really gotten me through tough times. Something as simple as a chocolate shake, movie night, a hot shower, or my Monday commute podcast I listen to. Even coming on here and posting is therapeutic for me. Something I’ve also done lately is setup a countdown timer for the days for things I’m looking forward to. Currently I have it set for the projected release of the Nanoloop Hardware, projected release of my 2nd EP, and a family trip to Disneyland. Things to look forward to!
If you’re having major troubles, I would recommend you seek professional help. Feel free to vent here though, sometimes you just need someone willing to listen.
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Listening to the Positive Head podcast certainly can’t hurt…
If your up for it choose the first number that pops in your head between 1 and 906 and enter it in the box on this webpage, it will play an episode for you… 
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Blindboy talks so much sense on numerous topics. Lot of time and respect for him
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Belfast man myself, travel to Dublin once a month. Like a second home.
Love the rubber bandits too. Seen them at a small festival near me a few years back. Blind boy doing a really good job these days. Nice guy
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Identify so much with many of the comments on here. I’ve been teetotal now for 13+ years now and go to regular AA meetings. Getting sober has forced me to confront all the issues that daily life can throw at you rather than hiding from them in drink/drugs. As a result mental health has been a struggle - I have periods of wild optimism, unreasonable enthusiasm and high productivity counterbalanced by times of lethargy, lack of motivation for anything, depression, anxiety and insomnia. I really struggle to find the calm in between the extremes and can obsess over the smallest thing to the point of negatively affecting myself and the people and environment around me. Switching my mind off is very difficult most of the time.
Started on CBD oil about a month go and find this really helps. It doesn’t remove any of the issues above but it helps me to keep them in perspective (my life is pretty good actually, even though I’m prone to viewing it and the world/people in general quite negatively). I’d recommend it to anyone experiencing similar things to me. I’m using Orange County oil at the moment, 25mg x2 per day. Takes enough edge off the mood swings for me to be able to sleep 6-7hrs a night and find some relaxation in the madness.
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I suffer from depression, not sure of the exact terminology but it’s something I can’t shake without the use of prescription medicine, which I’ve been on for about 17 years or so. Have tried coming off it a few times in the past, the repercussions of which are not ideal. It runs in the family - mum suffers from chronic depression and her mum suffered from bipolar disorder. My big brother also suffered from undiagnosed depression, leading a life of solace and self-neglect before he passed away in 2017 at the age of 42.
I think it’s safe to say that I am addicted to SSRIs, as even an eight-to-ten hour gap between doses leads to sensory issues such as a buzzing in the back of my head when moving my eyes and mood swings. Not to mention I’m just addicted to being able to cope with life - without medication I am prone to outbursts of rage at the smallest things, and likely to cry while listening to music. It’s intense.
Goes without saying that I use music as a means of lifting my mood and giving me a sense of accomplishment beyond my career, which incidentally is going great. I’m also in what I consider to be a perfect relationship with an incredibly supportive and gentle partner who cares for me a great deal, which is particularly important for someone with mental health issues.
What’s the point of me telling you this? I guess to affirm the old adage that you can succeed in spite of mental illness with the correct support, even if that does mean a lifetime on medication. What’s worse - taking pills every day or being in a hole in the ground? You are who you choose to be - if that means you choose to be someone who does what they do to get by while doing no harm, is that such a bad thing?
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I have schizoaffective disorder. It almost cost me my life due to complications, and i was in really bad shape. No meds worked… until they found the one. The right meds, sobriety, therapy (not as much these days) were all part of the fix. I’ve been doing great for 3+ years now. I had to work very hard, but my life has changed dramatically. I never would have thought it would be possible to be where I am now. It can still be very hard to talk about.
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I am no doctor but taking 10-20 minutes each day to sit down and let go has really helped me a lot through times of depression and extreme mental strain/stress (pre-cancer diagnose, I had no idea what was wrong with me so I was eating myself alive).
However, I find the first steps of meditation are not easy on your own. What helped me massively is the guided meditation app called “waking up” by Sam Harris, with each day new 10 minute sessions. Nothing spooky or spiritual about his lessons, just sitting down and paying attention to whatever arises. I’d encourage anyone who is interested to try it each day for a few months. I usually practice after showering in the morning. It really helps to break habits of excessive thinking in my experience.
Also, if you can’t pay the costs, you can apply for a free membership by emailing.
Reading this is sounds like I’m a commercial haha, just give it a look if you’re trying to better the quality of your mind/mood.
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I was depressed when I was younger & kinda just fought myself out of that hole. I feel like depression is a glitch in your brain, it’s a chronic negative thought pattern you have program your brain out of. It’s hard, sometimes impossible without professional help but there’s no other cure than you just have to detect your destructive thought patterns and learn a way out of them. Those patterns are much easier to identify and fix with a therapist.
Some people naturally need drugs to fix imbalances in their brain chemistry, but that can often lead to feeling nothing at all, which can be in some ways worse than being depressed.
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I spent many many years as a qualified Psychiatric Nurse.(RMN) Mostly young men with Schizophrenia bipolar or Depression/Anxiety disorders. I’ve sat in counselling sessions with men who wanted to kill themselves or others. I’ve got a hospital wing closed down because they had only mattresses on the floor and were overcrowded which was a severe fire hazard as they were blocking the fire exits. The Police used to say to me why the hell are you doing this job with no protection. I questioned myself many times. Now i’m freelance and have my own office at home. But those institutional asylum days really showed me a view of the world most people will never get to see. Each day is a blessing. I think of all those young men who never made it to middle age. Music is a blessing. Peace and love.
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Loads of respect for everyone’s honesty in this thread. Keep it real 
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A couple of years late, but just to say IMO this is some excellent advice
Last December (2020) I started having a cold shower every morning (after a hot shower!) after watching some Wim Hof videos on YouTube. Really interesting results so far: decreased inflammation, better overall mood, more ability to concentrate, more ability to relax deeply, better sleep, fewer cravings for unhealthy food, more energy, etc, etc.
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