How to motivate yourself when your depressed?

[Whoopipally]

if theres one thing in life that i know about, its depression. the advice such as "man up", "the world is yours, just take it!", "just keep pushing harder every day!!" is meaningless to a person with a mental sickness such as depression.

Please take a closer look to what I said. The first sentence I replied with was:

"Before anything, make sure you got your shit straight man..If you do have some struggles with life, get the appropriate support via family, friends, professionals,etc."

I then followed with a motivational speech to answer the OP's question of : "So how do you guys workout when your depressed?"

I was answering his question with my perspective..NOT telling him he should follow solely on my "push through it" advice which is obviously the wrong way to handle this. I recommended seeking guidance from professionals, family, etc. The rest was pure motivation in which he asked opinions for.

[2kool]

sorry Whoopipally, i wasnt meaning to single out anything you specifically said. i get what you are sayin.

i never did respond directly to what OP was asking.. oops, well what id say about motivating yourself to work out is this. there will be days where no matter what you do you just arent going to feel like hitting the gym. this kinda goes along with what i was saying as far learning to live with your illness rather than trying to fix it. i have my days that there just isnt a force on earth strong enough to make me want to go to the gym that day. youve just got to come to accept that and try not to let one missed session turn into 2, then 3, then the next thing you know you havent lifted for a month.

if you miss a day, just try to let it be at that. ONE day, then try again the next time.

[Canadian Crippler]

The real point of it is that I'd agree antidepressants can be over prescribed, but that doesn't mean they're inherently evil. They're a tool, as far as I'm concerned. Sometimes they give people a much needed boost, to get them out of their despair just long enough to start fixing the real sources of their dissatisfaction.

What the OP needs is somewhere to turn, people to talk to, and the motivation to fix his anxiety, his depression, to find out what it is that's tearing him down every day. Antidepressants could be one item in his arsenal, so no need to shun them entirely.

Cheers, all.

It can be of great benefit when prescribed properly. Michael Landsberg from OTR gives a good interview on it from a more layman's perspective


In fact I find many adults respond rather well to anti-depressants. Hell, my mother used to take them and now she's turned her life around, juggling 2 jobs and bringing in 6 figures.

However the story changes as it applies to youth IMO, which is why I find it hard to recommend them to the OP or any teen. My personal experience (not myself but others I know) has shown me that there is a higher incidence of reliance on these drugs when they are taken as a teen. I've read similar experiences, but I'll admit I haven't read studies that conclude such. The same applies to other drugs as well, recreational or medical. Then if we look at the drastic hormonal changes that occur during these years, it seems somewhat logical to be weary of these drugs, much like I wouldn't recommend AAS to someone until they are of the right age either.

With that said, suffering through depression throughout your teen years and onwards without effective treatment can in itself be rather unhealthy for the future state of your mental health, so it's tricky.

[jed]

Try to find some badass music that you can get lost in. I'm not talking "good lifting music". I'm talking music you can sit down to and listen intently and think a lot about, as well as listen+smash weights to. I like Tool, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Avenged Sevenfold for those purposes. Although Bowie isn't too good to SFW to.

[synonymous]

OP - Definitely see someone about your depression. Nobody on here can really tell how much of it is coming off the drug abuse and how much of it is actually you as a person. Watching the video posted above is a great way to understanding depression and how it works/feels. Don't feel any shame.

I suffered, and still do, from anxiety and depression. I'm on 4 different meds. I want off 2 of the meds. I fall into a category of people who were 'over prescribed'. That's my own personal battle.

Support is the first step. This is a disease just like cancer. You need people around you who understand what it is you're going through. Get them books, leaflets or any sort of free information for them to read so they can better understand what it is that is happening with you. Sometimes that support can be enough to bring you to a point where you may not need medication. I didn't have the support so the only option for me, at least from what I though, was medication. I still don't have the support, there's still an unfortunate stigma associated with mental health issues where I'm from. Finding a group of people who suffer the same as you and talking is a great way to let go of 'some' of the pain.

When I'm at a low point, I actually go online to some youtube videos of big guys training with some wicked background music. For me, this works. It gets me thinking about the gym, about getting big, about all that I like about going. It may not work for you, but give it a try, you never know.

[NITF]

Hi Wingman,
Mild exercises like yoga are great to reduce depression. Talk with your friends and family members and share your problems with them. Increase water intake and watch what you eat. Accept the things you cannot change and remember to laugh. Avoid alcohol, smoking and other stimulants.

Yeah... pretty sure if you'd read through the thread you'd see this situation was/is a lot more serious than some generic advice for minimizing everyday "blues"... I'm only responding to this because I wouldn't want someone with similar problems to read through this and think the just needed to drink some water.

[garyyatleung]

Yes, you are. There's a marginal incentive, but this is a very different world than it was five or ten years ago. I worked in the pharma industry for seven years, and believe me, physicians were NOT in any way considered our "salesmen". Quite the contrary- they are a customer, and very often a recalcitrant one. 95% of effective sales is targeted towards the patients- why do you think the "drug sales" (to clinics and hospitals) career path has all but evaporated in the last five years? It simply isn't worth the money- physicians prescribe generics as often as brand name- pharmas attempt to "educate" physicians on new drugs and treatments, but very often they resent the intrusion in their practice. Direct payouts are also illegal in this country- so you're effectively arguing that doctors are prescribing these drugs so that they get the occasional free dinner.

In fact, in many hospital systems, particularly state-funded, there are incentives to prescribe generics, since it's cheaper for the insurance companies.

It's the patients who request brand names and ask about new medicines/treatments for their conditions.

But I entirely too often find these sorts of arguments are wastes of time. Those who feel that it's all a conspiracy and/or collusion between physicians and pharmas to make millions by overprescribing expensive drugs generally don't listen to logic.

The most effective drug marketing is through the patients with commercials. I have worked in hospitals and I knew that.