Advice

To all those who have gone through depression and severe grief, what advice would you give those that are currently in you previous state?

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1) You're not alone, many people have experienced what you are experiencing. And even if they haven't, that doesn't mean that they are incapable of understanding.
2) You CAN overcome depression and CAN lead a happy, healthy life!
3) To be patient with yourself and give it time (your depression, and other concerns, won't dissipate over night).
4) Never give up hope and never give up on yourself!
5) To seek professional help (a therapist, counselor, group therapy, doctor, etc.) and be open-minded as to their advise or the resolution.

These are just a few things that instantly come to mind, that did come to mind when I suffered from depression.

I think positive and smile.....

:)

Im gonna play mr. negative, during the most traumatic times in my life, i relished in the suffering, i realize it sounds backwards, but if you hear all these people saying "its all good be happy", if you are in that bad spot, you may find yourself thinking, what did i do wrong to not be like "that guy", my opinion nothing, everyone emotions are felt differently and what you or i may feel about a situation may paralyze us while others can just blow it off...one thing that always brings me a little bit of solace is to listen to really sad, somber music, for me at least it makes me feel better, because by listening to it, it makes me realize that im not the only one who feels that way, and that is a very comforting thought, isolation is NOT a good thing..dont know if that helps, try to hang in there, good luck and best wishes

^ I agree Bob. Once a person has overcome there depression they should try to think about what they learned from that experience and what they learned about themselves, and take it with them for the rest of their life as another one of life's experiences so that they can may be able to help others who are going through what they've been through and so that if, God forbid, they experience it again they will hopefully know how to deal with it and take care of themselves.

And I definitely agree that a negative experience can turn into something positive. I know that once I overcame my depression it made me feel like a stronger person, like I could get through anything else that would come my way, and I also had a better appreciation for life.

I agree, Britt, with what you said about not being so hard on oneself for having a bad day or a feeling a bad emotion. People need to realize that just because you experience a bad day or a bad emotion it doesn't mean that you "failed". We all experience bad days and bad emotions from time to time, sometimes even more than we would like. We just have to pick ourselves up, look on the bright side (whether that is something in the moment or something you can look forward to in the future, such as the day you overcome your depression), enjoy the little things (such as a gorgeous day, your favorite movie that is playing on the telly, making your favorite snack, etc.) and continue what you started.

Also, like you said, even if a person hasn't been through what you are experiencing generally they can "get it". People are capable of empathy.

Doctors aren't always right.
They think they are, but they aren't.

Don't let them beat you down; don't let them mess with your head just to see what happens.

Tell them you need more help when they say only you can help yourself.

Prove them wrong when they say you won't get better, prove them wrong when they say you'll never get out of the mess you're in, prove them wrong.

Find a good doctor. Don't waste your time with someone who makes you feel bad, or guilty, stupid or suicidal. Don't. Find someone you like, and that you're comfortable with, it's sooooo important.

And when you do find someone you like and can talk to; talk! And when you're not with them Write! I can guarantee there are things in your past or even everyday things that you won't realize are there until you think verryyyy hard; writing helped me alot with that.

Don't trust medications and don't expect them to help you alot. In most cases, they don't. For me, they helped only slightly, just enough to keep me somewhat safe. Oh and DO NOT GO OFF ANTIDEPRESSANTS on your own; I know from experiance how dangerous this can be.

I could go on and on haha. . .