SockForPurpose
Posts: 3
Joined: 2/18/2016 Status: offline
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Thank you all for your replies. There are people posting on this thread whose replies I'm not at all surprised to see: I've long recognized those people to be kind. However, to Bill, particularly: having long been a user of these forums I've come to realize that, unfortunately, this is not always a 'safe' place when people are feeling that bit too vulnerable. I've sometimes felt like giving the same advice as Cell to others, in the past, who have looked too vulnerable: 'Get away from here!' Satanscharmer: A special thank you to you. It was unusually good of you to offer that personal connection. Everybody: just to be clear, I'm not about to harm myself. It's not that bad. It just took me by surprise when the bolt hit me earlier, that's all. I've had problems in the past and have been on a low dose of antidepressants for some while. Yes, there are certainly long-term problems that need to be resolved. It's been suggested to me that I see some kind of therapist and I may well do that. There hasn't been any recent trauma of any kind. Just a tiny thing - a 'friend' on Facebook being surprisingly hard. Trivial, really. But I was already low - I guess we all know how that goes. However, the main reason I posted today was to ask about what methods people used to 'pull themselves up' when they'd suddenly felt 'down'. I began to wonder about tactics that people often seem to half-joke about - 'retail therapy', chocolate, taking baths with lots of candles .... all those things. First aid for the soul, I suppose. Me, I understand the point about exercise: it's always been my first recourse when feeling low. I use a gym regularly. The endorphins do for me what no antidepressant has ever done. Today, though, I didn't have the heart for it. I put my gym-kit in my bag, gritted my teeth, and marched off towards the gym. It happened to be sunny here, today - and that certainly helped. I didn't get to the gym, though. I walked past it and another mile into the shopping precinct. (Fast pace - feel the muscle!) Something, anything ... 'retail therapy'. That turned into DIY therapy: I bought a few coat-hooks and walked home. I planed a length of wood, drilled holes in the wall, attached the coat-hooks to the wood and fixed it to my wall. God, that whole process felt good. Doing stuff. *Doing* stuff. I read once that Winston Churchill, a long sufferer of depression, used to - as he put it - 'Run through his black periods'. It does work, so long as those black periods aren't too black. I probably shouldn't be on my own for too much longer. I'm quite self-sufficient, but I'm not that tough. My mother frets about me. She might be right. I'm not depressed now. I'm just a bit sad. That's fine - everyone's a bit sad, now and then. I do appreciate your help. Thank you again, everyone.
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