bloody miserable

Sick Boy

All about pride and egos
Doc said the same thing to me today. Apparently your skin creates it in sunlight but if you live in Canada where it's winter for most of the year, or Britain where you live in permanent gloom and fog, that stops happening. D isn't in a lot of food either, so best to take supplements.

That's what she said anyway, but I also treated the whole affair like she was about to waterboard me, so I can't really say if she was right or not.
 

slowtrain

Well-known member
Yeah - I notice that my mood improves vastly when I can get some sunshine... Probably more psychological than vit. d but it's definitely noticeable.

Need to try getting some more supplements - vitamin apparently helps a ton when you've got a lot of stuff on
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I started taking a bunch of dietary supplements, I think they might have fixed my brain. Valerian root, st. john's wort, n acetyl cysteine, tyrosine, vitamin d and fish oil. I don't really know what the motivation was but I feel better than I have in ages. Think the nice weather might have something to do with that too.

Where might one buy all this good shit?
 

grizzleb

Well-known member
I got it all from Holland and Barretts. Cost me about fifty bucks for a good while's supply. I used this as a guide and just bought all the stuff that is said to be effective for mental health (and fish oil cause I think it's pretty good anyway).

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/

I don't know what's happened to valerian root but it was right at the top and was said to be beneficial for sleep and anxiety. For the first time in my (post-pubescent) life I've had a regular sleeping pattern from taking it. Can't remember the last time I woke up after 12 o'clock.
 

cobretti

[-] :: [-] ~ [-] :: [-]
I started taking a bunch of dietary supplements, I think they might have fixed my brain. Valerian root, st. john's wort, n acetyl cysteine, tyrosine, vitamin d and fish oil. I don't really know what the motivation was but I feel better than I have in ages. Think the nice weather might have something to do with that too.


Easy to say when you're down south :mad:

Will need to get on some of these supplements myself though, it's been far too easy to let the pressures of work etc get on top of me and I've been feeling pretty gloomy. This terrible start to our Summer definitely isn't helping either.
 
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Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I got it all from Holland and Barretts. Cost me about fifty bucks for a good while's supply. I used this as a guide and just bought all the stuff that is said to be effective for mental health (and fish oil cause I think it's pretty good anyway).

Cheers. Only thing I ever bought from H+B = 5HTP for MDMA comedowns.
 

pattycakes_

Can turn naughty
Cheers. Only thing I ever bought from H+B = 5HTP for MDMA comedowns.

did it work for that?

i took 5-htp at a time when i should have probably been on anti-d's and it actually got me out of a really nasty rut. couldn't believe that it worked so well and i was feeling so good but, the fact that i depended on something to make me feel that way made me quit it. since quitting i haven't been as low as i was when i first took it but nowhere near as great as i was when i was.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
I got it all from Holland and Barretts. Cost me about fifty bucks for a good while's supply. I used this as a guide and just bought all the stuff that is said to be effective for mental health (and fish oil cause I think it's pretty good anyway).

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/

That's a great idea for a website. Goes well with a lot of what Ben 'Bad Science' Goldacre says about how (paraphrasing here) 90% of "nutrition" as it's sold to the general public via popular media is, at best, well-meaning pseudoscience and, at worst, snake oil.

By the bye, my housemate is happier than I've seen him in ages - seems to be eating a lot better and is even coming out to social events, really great news. I hope it lasts.
 
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Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Glad to hear your housemate has recovered. Did he get counselling/antidepressants?

I'm going to get hold of those vitamin supplements, try and get into some kind of meditation class, carry on doing this CBT, go to the gym more (maybe even try and start running)...

I think I generally need to occupy my mind more with reading, writing and so on too.

oh btw 5-HTP seemed to work but its very difficult to tell in that comedown situation when your mental state can be so erratic and easily effected. It might have been a placebo effect. Anyway, it worked for me.

on a sidenote, I was wondering recently if the effect MDMA has on you is similar in some ways to the effect meditation is supposed to have on you - that kind of intense experiencing of the world...
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
I'm going to get hold of those vitamin supplements, try and get into some kind of meditation class, carry on doing this CBT, go to the gym more (maybe even try and start running)...

I think I generally need to occupy my mind more with reading, writing and so on too.

on a sidenote, I was wondering recently if the effect MDMA has on you is similar in some ways to the effect meditation is supposed to have on you - that kind of intense experiencing of the world...

The gym is SO good for your mental state (or whatever your chosen method of exercise is - I'm personally suspicious of running on concrete tho', cos it must KILL your knees/shins).
 

luka

Well-known member
the great tragedy of my life was drugs stopped working properly after the age of 21. havent quite known what to do with myself ever since. it was good while it lasted though. i dont think meditation can ever be a substitue for drugs. a lot of people get into it after burning out from drugs but it doesnt fill the void for them. by all means try but dont expect it to be as good as drugs.
 

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
The gym is SO good for your mental state (or whatever your chosen method of exercise is - I'm personally suspicious of running on concrete tho', cos it must KILL your knees/shins).
I think things like walking and cycling are very good for your mental state - possible more so than the gym, because as well as getting some exercise you get to see a bit more of the world outside your flat / work, and kind of get a sense of perspective... I know someone who used to do work for the Ramblers in east london, just encouraging more people to walk a bit further in their everyday lives and he found that often the effect of just walking through a few different neighbourhoods would help people out of a mental rut.

The other forms of exercise that I've found really good for my psychic health have been climbing and martial arts. Both are good exercise, both get you a bit of an adrenaline rush, both have a bit of a social element without being overwhelming, both involve a bit of mindfulness / being in the moment (wobbling over a big drop or being liable to get thrown hard at any moment both work wonders for clearing irrelevant crap out of your mind), and - importantly for someone like me who's generally crap at sport - both of them are very accommodating for beginners and remain fun even if you don't immediately become amazing at them.

Going to the gym just seems like pure exercise. Which is kind of good I guess, but I'd rather spend the time on something more interesting and intrinsically rewarding...
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Going to the gym just seems like pure exercise. Which is kind of good I guess, but I'd rather spend the time on something more interesting and intrinsically rewarding...

i feel great every time I leave the gym. think I really like the getting-rid-of-aggression aspect of weights, thoguth the cardio machines are the most boring things in the world. kettlebells ftw.

Love wandering around London though, so I do that a lot as well. I find it a different kind of pleasure though.

Would like to get back into squash.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Glad to hear your housemate has recovered. Did he get counselling/antidepressants?

Not that I know of (almost certainly not, if I know him at all). I'm sure I said already but I think he's just one of those people who goes through phases of being depressed and being OK. It's good to see though.

on a sidenote, I was wondering recently if the effect MDMA has on you is similar in some ways to the effect meditation is supposed to have on you - that kind of intense experiencing of the world...

I've never meditated but this sounds reasonable - anything that significantly boosts serotonin is probably going to feel a bit E-like. Monks have been known to use MDMA to aid meditation and prayer.

Luka, maybe you just need to try some new drugs? What's the price of smack like in Sydney?
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Obviously I'm not looking to get mashed by meditating but I have often thought that one of the reasons MDMA makes you feel happy and excited is that it sharpens your senses up and makes you hyper-aware of your surroundings, and not in an analytic sense, but in a way that makes you feel somehow... 'connected' to the world? I imagine 'mindfulness' is something similar to this. And a lot of my depression comes from pursuing dark thoughts down rabbit holes, completely oblivious to my surroundings.
 

you

Well-known member
Drunken Honest Post ( looking for advice )

Hello dissensians.

I often have a mental battle with myself, I never know if I should medicate or not. I know I get depression. I know I have pseudo bi-polar tendencies ( periods of major lethargy OR obsession + energy ).

I'm a major exercise/outdoors fan, so mountain bike twice week ( usually around a forest alone :) ) and play squash 3 times a week. I also try to get away for walking holidays a lot. I probably drink a little more than I should too though.

Whilst working in an unfulfilling office job I dont know if I should medicate myself or not ( I've never had a prescription, I've avoided this ). Point is, I dont like the work or the people I work with so feel I should be grumpy but at the same time I think this is impacting upon my out-of-work life.

I've seriously contemplated taking up weed again or trying other herbs to balance my feelings, rather than alcohol. - However I dont want a decrease in fitness, I'm a none-smoker right now.

Advice?
 

grizzleb

Well-known member
Try some of the supplements I was bigging up upthread. I feel they've helped balance my emotional state, but it doesn't feel unnatural or invasive like I've heard SSRIs do from various people (incl. family).
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Hello dissensians.

I often have a mental battle with myself, I never know if I should medicate or not. I know I get depression. I know I have pseudo bi-polar tendencies ( periods of major lethargy OR obsession + energy ).

I'm a major exercise/outdoors fan, so mountain bike twice week ( usually around a forest alone :) ) and play squash 3 times a week. I also try to get away for walking holidays a lot. I probably drink a little more than I should too though.

Whilst working in an unfulfilling office job I dont know if I should medicate myself or not ( I've never had a prescription, I've avoided this ). Point is, I dont like the work or the people I work with so feel I should be grumpy but at the same time I think this is impacting upon my out-of-work life.

I've seriously contemplated taking up weed again or trying other herbs to balance my feelings, rather than alcohol. - However I dont want a decrease in fitness, I'm a none-smoker right now.

Advice?

First and most importantly, don't take up weed again. Maybe other herbal supplements as have been talked about here, but def not cannabis.

Second find a decent GP. You're in London , right? I've generally found GP advice in London excellent in several different areas, but I know of course it's a lottery too... Then ask their advice about medication, after having researched it thoroughly beforehand (never assume they know you well, or have specialist knowledge of mental health

Third, no job is perfect but a bad atmosphere can obv contribute to depression/general lowness. Any chance of moving out of it, even if this involves a (small) pay cut? If you don't think you'll find anything fulfilling, I've often found the charity sector to be more likely to contain 'nice' people ie be a bit more human, even if the jobs themselves aren't always fulfilling.

i think you're def doing the right things with lots of exercise.

Edit: I think one of the key antidotes to depression is minimising the extent top which you feel you're under the thumb of people you don't respect (eg living with people you like, and, as far as possible, with independence; working among people you like and, p[erhaps more importantly, respect etc etc). It can be a huge depressant, or so I 've found, to not be able to speak your mind to people you don't respect.
 
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