Using aquariums to get out of depression....

[TheTenthDoctor]

Today I made a decision to fight every day to end my depression. I am trying to focus my mental energy not on depressive and other thoughts but on fish tanks and caring for my plants. The amount of mental energy it takes to be depressed is incredible. My mind almost feels empty. What took up all that space? I realized that I cannot make half hearted attempts to get better. It has to be a constant, and unrelenting. I cannot try one day but not the next. I need to focus my energy on building up my plant business and enjoying my beautiful fish. I also noticed that when I focus on my fish I am less depressed less angry and less of all of the horrible things that accompany depression. I am using fish to get out of this and to fill the giant empty hole in my soul. I burned some of my depressive items and am sick of all of this. I need to quickly fill up eveything in my life and reset and move on...

Anyhow, thanks for reading this disorganized rant......

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Good, good, good for you. [disclaimer: I am not a mental health professional. The following is based on my own experiences and those of people I love] Depression is real, and it's true what they say about it: You can't just "get over it" and will it to go away. All you can do is fight it, with every physical, relational, and spiritual weapon that comes to hand. Just making the decision to fight is a huge, huge victory. Change isn't easy. I for one respect your efforts.

 

[Colin_T]

There's nothing wrong with a disorganised rant, it can help get things off your chest and out into the open.

Exercise is meant to help with depression. You produce serotonin when you exercise and this is a feel good hormone that stops you going nuts and killing yourself. Most anti-depressants are SSRI's (serotonin selective reuptake inhibiters). They stop your body removing the serotonin as quickly as normal and you feel better for longer.

Blue light is meant to help, especially if you get it first thing when you wake up. Spend the first 30-60minutes of each day outside in the sun. Avoid getting sunburnt. Artificial blue light also works and having a computer monitor set to daylight will provide some blue light. However, at night you want the monitor set to night mode so there is more yellow light and no blue light because the blue light keeps you awake and yellow light tells the brain its time for bed. You can buy blue lights for your bedroom and have it on during the day, then turn the blue off and have a yellow on at night.

Socialising is important and going out and spending time with people can help a lot. Especially if the people are doing things outdoors and if they have a happy bubbly nature. It spreads to other people and makes everyone feel better.

Eating a balanced and varied diet helps by providing proper nutrition and feeding the gut bacteria that make serotonin.

Avoid alcohol, smoking and illegal drugs because these can all affect the body and how much serotonin it makes.

Try to avoid stress because that screws your body up in so many ways.

Pets are really good and have proven to increase health and life expectancy in people. You live for your pets and get up and feed and care for them. If you have a dog you take it for a walk and you both get exercise. Gardening can help too.

 

[AilyNC]

Great advice above. The tank allows you to zone out & slow your thoughts in a positive way - so good for mental health. It's a winding road to recovery so if you've a low day, it's just a day & the next can be better. Be patient. Get well soon.

 

[TheTenthDoctor]

There's nothing wrong with a disorganised rant, it can help get things off your chest and out into the open.

Exercise is meant to help with depression. You produce serotonin when you exercise and this is a feel good hormone that stops you going nuts and killing yourself. Most anti-depressants are SSRI's (serotonin selective reuptake inhibiters). They stop your body removing the serotonin as quickly as normal and you feel better for longer.

Blue light is meant to help, especially if you get it first thing when you wake up. Spend the first 30-60minutes of each day outside in the sun. Avoid getting sunburnt. Artificial blue light also works and having a computer monitor set to daylight will provide some blue light. However, at night you want the monitor set to night mode so there is more yellow light and no blue light because the blue light keeps you awake and yellow light tells the brain its time for bed. You can buy blue lights for your bedroom and have it on during the day, then turn the blue off and have a yellow on at night.

Socialising is important and going out and spending time with people can help a lot. Especially if the people are doing things outdoors and if they have a happy bubbly nature. It spreads to other people and makes everyone feel better.

Eating a balanced and varied diet helps by providing proper nutrition and feeding the gut bacteria that make serotonin.

Avoid alcohol, smoking and illegal drugs because these can all affect the body and how much serotonin it makes.

Try to avoid stress because that screws your body up in so many ways.

Pets are really good and have proven to increase health and life expectancy in people. You live for your pets and get up and feed and care for them. If you have a dog you take it for a walk and you both get exercise. Gardening can help too.

Hmm yeah so one thing. Exercise is my main escape. However the problem is, the OCD. The horrible OCD takes anything good or enjoyable and turns it into an obsession. For example, I have some difficulty with eating. I use the eating as a crutch to cure my depression. A distraction, something to focus my energy on. However both the depression and the eating have the power to cause me to die. So I HAVE to find a way to stop using food (or lack thereof) as a coping mechanism. PS I AM SEEKING HELP!!! I am going to try to focus more on my fish to help me stop using eating and exercise to cope

 

[FishGuest5123]

My son suffered from OCD and Celexa helped greatly. He also lifted weights. At times, it still nudges at him but he’s learned to control it through counseling. My husband was just diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia which has me deeply depressed. I go to my fish room and just stare at my tanks to get some downtime and not let him see me down. Each tank is like a box of underworld peace. Good luck!

 

[663]

It's weird how depression can work its way into everything one does. Medication didn't work for me, neither did eating like crazy. Both, of course, have their downsides. My solution is something as simple as having goals to work for. Now instead of anger the needs of my family are paramount. Any time I have left is devoted to my myriad hobbies and interests. Done right (meaning with dedication and thought), these things are more than enough to keep me from being depressed and/or angry. Success in whatever works for you, Tenth.

 

[Colin_T]

So I HAVE to find a way to stop using food (or lack thereof) as a coping mechanism. PS I AM SEEKING HELP!!! I am going to try to focus more on my fish to help me stop using eating and exercise to cope

When you say "I am seeking help", are you getting help from a professional or are you still trying to find someone to help you?

If you already have a counsellor then that is fine, but if you are still looking for one, keep looking and put it on the high priority list. Have a chat to your doctor (GP) and see if they can refer to a counsellor for some free sessions. Or check online, a lot of countries have free counselling services online now due to covid. The sooner you start talking to someone, the sooner things get better.

 

[Guyb93]

I have battled depression after my dad died and I don’t know if it’s something iv ever lost but learnt to deal with it flairs and il have real low points but I have learned to expect this , I think everybody deals with things in a differnt way , I cope with mine purely because of my daughters but anything can be a reason

 

[TheTenthDoctor]

When you say "I am seeking help", are you getting help from a professional or are you still trying to find someone to help you?

If you already have a counsellor then that is fine, but if you are still looking for one, keep looking and put it on the high priority list. Have a chat to your doctor (GP) and see if they can refer to a counsellor for some free sessions. Or check online, a lot of countries have free counselling services online now due to covid. The sooner you start talking to someone, the sooner things get better.

talking to a counsellor.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I had to seek counseling and take medication back in my early 30’s. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy s great and provides tools you can use all your life. It taught me to change negatives until positives and retrain my way of thinking.

 

[Stan510]

With SADS in mid winter effect for many and COVID and Civil War like news...sitting in front of a bunch of Rainbows and Bolbitis reaching upwards..is a good BP and stress reliever.
No doubt happy fish going back and forth and being ecstatic at feeding time is the emotional side of the hobby with of course,the laws of nature and science ..and big pumps! making it a great interest on several levels.
I endorse it.

 

[Barry Tetra]

Hmm yeah so one thing. Exercise is my main escape. However the problem is, the OCD. The horrible OCD takes anything good or enjoyable and turns it into an obsession. For example, I have some difficulty with eating. I use the eating as a crutch to cure my depression. A distraction, something to focus my energy on. However both the depression and the eating have the power to cause me to die. So I HAVE to find a way to stop using food (or lack thereof) as a coping mechanism. PS I AM SEEKING HELP!!! I am going to try to focus more on my fish to help me stop using eating and exercise to cope

Have you tried Hypnotherapy? it helped me a lot with my OCD

 

[BevW]

Hi, although I am very new to this forum, today actually, and just kind of wandering around I felt I needed to speak out to you. Depression is very real, and you can not "just get over it" I was diagnosed some years ago although I feel it was around long before the diagnosis. It got to where every muscle in my body hurt and it was an effort to do the smallest task. However, my animals and now my fish have helped me enormously! I have 2 dogs, Bailey a female Doberman and Lucy a female Dalmation as well as several Goldfish, a large Pleco, a male Betta and 2 Kuhli Loach. I love interacting with my critters, they keep me grounded and never judge. I have learned that I will likely never get over this, it will just get better than before. My advice to you is to be kind to yourself! Dont be judgemental about what you can do now vs what you could do "before". That is in the past and you need to live in the present. Break things down into the smallest elements that you need in order to be successful. Don"t set yourself up for failure by taking on more than you can handle at the time. You can find something good in the worst situation if you look and I found that very helpful, even I tiny bit of positive is better than a negative. I have been so far down that the only time I left my bed for days on end was for my dog and I hope to never go down that road again. I have been lucky through my family physician to find a Psychiatrist that also suffers from depression so clearly has as much understanding as is possible to have and he is very supportive, I hope you find someone as helpful for you. Don't ever apologise for a rant as nobody will make us read it and as long as it is not offensive and it helps you, so be it. I wish you luck and remember the sun does actually come up every day so that alone is something to be thankful for. Feel free to reach out if you need someone to listen.

 

[663]

Something I've thought I should mention but didn't know if it would be taken well, is participating in aggressive activity. By this I don't mean screwing around with other people. I live by the addage "hands off other people and their property." Keeping this in mind has always worked for me. What I do in order to feed this particular need is all computer-based.

I can participate in on-foot shootouts with various degree's of intensity, including realistically modeled worlds to wild sci-fi settings. The same is true for complex simulations from space ships to tanks to fighter jets, etc.

I realize that this approach may seem weird or anti-social to some of you. However, this form of recreation has helped me stay "even" for a long time, so I thought it deserved an acknowledgement.