Getting out of a funk/depression?

[kingmonkey]

Im currently in a funk. A depression of sorts. I realise this low mood actually shapes how i see the world.

I know it wont last forever but im looking for practical measures i can do to get out of it.

What do you guys do to remain positive or heart centered?

Thanks

[carnavas]

as I have learned,depression is just a deep rest and it's better not to be fighted off
Its a natural state of the brain providing you a silent place to be with yourself and to break down what you are stating as a big unsolvable problem in your life, It's just natural power,the silent place
have you seen, before we sleep or the first attemps of meditation your mind won't go silent? it just keeps talking, the mind always wants to talk when there comes an inner peace, and in this deep rest it may pop up with negative thoughts. we should not water negative thoughts and just watch them come and go till they vanish. cause they will not be true until you take them and believe them. as you will need a black sky to see the stars shine you will need to experience the flow of negative thoughs to see the positive flows and to decide which one deserves to stay.
only the moment you think you are depressed and its not good, its not good.

[Orph]

If you have some quiet time to be alone, then then I suggest you dive right down into the center of the funk, (or blues, aggravation, loneliness, anger, frustration, ..... well, you get the picture). What I mean is, take the time to just quiet yourself, relax, and then feel into the funk (or whatever emotion you want to deal with). And then slowly turn your attention inward, down into that funk. Imagine going right into the "heart" of it. (I used that term on purpose). Once you're there, then you slowly start to make that funk (or whatever) grow. Feel it grow. FEEL IT GROW!! Make it grow and grow until it just can't grow anymore. Make it the biggest, most powerful funk that ever was. Then, what happened for me, (dealing with anger and frustration), all of that so called bad feeling turned into love. Because at the heart of any emotion like that is really .... love.

[Knowrainknowrainbows!]

Posted by kingmonkey (here)
Im currently in a funk. A depression of sorts. I realise this low mood actually shapes how i see the world.

I know it wont last forever but im looking for practical measures i can do to get out of it.

What do you guys do to remain positive or heart centered?

Thanks

Knowing that it won't last forever is powerful. Hold tight to that idea!

When you're not "in a funk" what brings you joy? Can you do something or see/talk with someone who uplifts you?
I find doing something physical ... even if just minimum like stretching, deep breathing and walking outside in the sunshine is a good start.

Like music? Dance ( or just "wiggle")? Sing - (no matter if on key or not) ...
Write poetry? Memoires? Letters you may or may not want to actually send ...
Do a little yardwork ... take a walk ... feed the birds, ducks in the park.
Visit an animal shelter ... volunteer ...

At home, tidy up a part of your home ... clean out a drawer or closet... donate "stuff" to those in need.
Invite a good friend over ... watch a movie ... have a meal or snack ... keep it simple.

Avoid isolating ... people are social beings at the core ... some more so than others :-)
Back to basics. Maintain healthy habits - nutrition, sleep, activity, and spiritual/contemplative thought.
Be good to you. You are definitely worth it!

No Rain
No Rainbows

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

My psychiatrist says, waking up at a consistent time is the single most important factor in staying mentally healthy.
He is about 80 something years old.

He said that the next most important factor is getting about an hour of exercise (even light exercise) per day.

He really stressed the importance of B vitamins and folate, etc. Magnesium I guess. things of that nature.



On the other hand, my shrink suggested church, or a comparable social activity like a canoeing club or a bird watching group,
or go fishing, paint, something like that.

Lots of people do gardening to distract from sad thoughts.


I am currently in a horrible depression myself and the trick is actually getting to the point where I care about the doctor's advice enough to follow it.

[Zelig]

Writing my thoughts and feelings down regularly helped me through some dark periods as well as some stupid periods. When you transfer thoughts from your head to paper/screen, something happens to them, almost like surrendering them. The process may not seem to be working until you've done it for an extended period and one day you realize that your earlier writings sound like someone else's.

[greybeard]

Having gone through intense depression even pre alcoholism I am intimately familiar with the state.
Obviously AA was a great help being able to share without being judged by fellow sufferers.
The 12 steps of AA very effective.
For people who dont need AA ie dont have an additive problem, these books would help greatly.
The late Dr David Hawkins had the largest Psychiatric practice in USA.
Best wishes to those limited by depression.

Chris

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[greybeard]

As far as addiction went and depression can be addictive as a cyclic state.
It came to me to mentally wrap up my alcoholism and all that went with that including depression with ribbon in a box and give it as a gift to my Higher Power.
With high emotion I mentally did this.
There was an uplifting experience immediately---- even though I have been sober for over 37 years still there is a pull now and then
I say to myself "Chris you gave this as a gift to God you dont take gifts back" end of story.

As per the suggestions of Dr Hawkins any time I have a negative emotion I surrender the juice I get from it to the God of my understanding.
Yes I can get juice from misery. It makes me feel special/different. It has pay value, it gets me attention.
I don’t do that now.

The moment any negative feeling starts to arise, its nipped in the bud by surrender--- I don’t ignore it just realise its a thought a feeling but not what I am---I don’t own it or avoid it. I font give it energy by talking about MY feeling.
There is feeling, I just see it as separate.

An other way is I can re-frame it by thinking. What would life be like with out this?

I not making light of anyone’s suffering--just sharing what works for me.

With love Chris

[bearcow]

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=vgO4buIZccM

[Nanoo Nanoo]

Go for walks in nature

Go to a hospice and see people with real problems ( this will give you some perspective )

Magnesium , St Johns Wort , B 12 , Black Tea with Ginger

No alocohol or drugs

Exersise

An interest in something , a hobby

Usually financial problems get people down , then partners , then everything else.

Find out whats at the root of it , then get around it with results.

N

[Wind]

My depression over four years ago lead me to this path. I didn't want to live any more, but I always wondered that what was the meaning of life... I didn't believe in purpose then even though I've always been spiritual, however I was too stubborn to quit. I don't know what really cured me... I started to listen music a lot more, walked a lot more in nature. I got my dog soon after that so maybe that was part of my healing process. I decided to choose this spiritual path and I think that it was a good choice.

[Akasha]

Posted by kingmonkey (here)
What do you guys do to remain positive or heart centered?

Listening to Mooji helps.

[kingmonkey]

Thanks for all the replies people, intuitively i know that im hanging on to this as it provides some benefit........

Just downloaded the books to my kindle greybeard. Thanks a lot, what ive read so far resonates with me. It feels right on to me so far.

Putting it into practise thats another story.

Bit tired to reply properly to everyone, but thanks anyhow. I will report back later.

[Hip Hipnotist]

You didn't say how long you've been in this 'funk', 'depression of sorts'.

If not long -- who doesn't share this experience? Think about why you're feeling this way.

Okay, time's up. Why are you feeling this way?

Great. Change the thought to something pleasant. ( Like how grateful you are I'm not charging for the session ;-))

If you've been feeling ( caused by your thinking ) this way for some time then any of the advice already given would be a good place to start.

If you have a tv ( seriously, a lot of folks don't ) I'd tune into the cartoon channel and leave it there.

Laugter was, is and always will be the best prescription.

And you can't beat the price. ;-))))))

-----------------

After posting this I realized you just responded to your OP.

So, good luck!

[Joseph McAree]

King monkey,

I send you my thoughts of good intent and love you are among some good friends here be strong my friend.

me I just turn up the music as load as can be sometimes I start dancing about the house yes you should see me that would put a smile on your face.

Kindest Regards
Best wishes
Joe

[RunningDeer]

Hello KingMonkey, there might be some pointers in this video. They are simple ideas, but those are the ones that carry a lot of weight for me.

"Overcoming Depression Fast..."


By: Kemetprince1 of Infinitewaters.net

• People that suffer from depression feel that everything in the world is hopeless. They have this persist sadness about life. They loose an interest in life. In essence, life becomes pointless.
• Do something that you love every day. That is how to beat depression. Fall in love with your passion.
• We are around with people that we are not in resonance with. Connect with kindred spirits. Share with people.
• Accept yourself for who you are. Many of us who are depressed is because we are trying to be someone else. We are striving for perfection. It’s never enough. Because once you have what you want, the next question is, “Is that it?”
• Many of us on the planet right now have to remember there are high tides and low tides.
• Smile more. Fake it until you make it. And then you will see there was a reason to smile.
• Many of us that when we talk about depression we are ruminating about pass experiences. We have to see there is only Now. The power is in the present moment. Going over negative experiences only feeds them. In essence, they only grow larger.
• Whatever you focus on grows. You turn into what you are tuned into.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=rudZejwyOPc

Ralph Smart is a Psychologist. Author. Alchemist. Researcher. Radio Host. Musician. Graphic Designer. Film Maker. & Infinite Being. See here for bio, contact info and new book releases.

[Borodin]

I have found that acceptance is the first step.

Accept it all. Accept all your current conditions and circumstances good, bad or ugly, as things stand, in the now, right now. Stop fighting it. Stop struggling with it. Stop attempting to deal with it 'head on'. Just accept. That alone brings an immediate sense of relief. And relief is what you seek. For me, that is step one.

Step two is "get off your own back". I believe we are all adept, to varying degrees, at beating ourselves up - but particularly when our mood is low. We don't often realise we're doing this to ourselves, but it's surprisingly easy to stop doing it when we pause to observe that we are permitting it to happen and when we recognise the utter futility of allowing it to continue.

I have trained myself to bring my mind back to these two ideas whenever the 'pressure' is on; because the other important thing to notice is that when a low mood strikes, it often seems as if - caught up in the stress of it - we cannot remember what to do.


They're my 'first steps to freedom'. I hope you find them useful.

[wolfgaze]

Here is a simple recommendation. Force yourself to listen to classical music for extended periods of time. Even if you aren't particularly fond of this genre just try it out. There is something about the natural resonance and frequencies of the classical instruments that creates a balancing effect or synergy between the two hemispheres of the brain. This can create a state or feeling of harmony and 'well-being' - it's therapeutic. Give it a try, what do you have to lose?

Additionally, you can try physical activity like excersizing or taking long walks. Watch/improving your diet may be beneficial too if you don't already do that. If you are deficient in any particular vitamins that may be something to look at to address.

Hope you feel better soon and just keep reminding yourself that your present state is only temporarily and will pass in due time!

: )

[jagman]

It's completely normal to be in a funk every now and then. Poe wrote the Raven when he was in a funk and how did that work out.lol
Try not to be to hard on yourself kingmonkey. Just remember to smile and laugh.

[Chester]

Posted by Nanoo Nanoo (here)
Go for walks in nature

Go to a hospice and see people with real problems ( this will give you some perspective )

Magnesium , St Johns Wort , B 12 , Black Tea with Ginger

No alocohol or drugs

Exersise

An interest in something , a hobby

Usually financial problems get people down , then partners , then everything else.

Find out whats at the root of it , then get around it with results.

N

Hi and thanks - I went to the store yesterday and purchased all these supplements. I am also going to take all the rest of your advice - especially the exercise part (the hardest thing for me to do).

So... just saying thanks, Chester