# What do you do when you are depressed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2015, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754 "2015-07-21T06:38:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![McGuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@McGuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McGuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/1 "2015-07-21T06:38:14Z")
Music helps me. This video always makes smile. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wFWDGTVYqE8/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHOBYAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgYShKMA8=&rs=AOn4CLD3viUGudxu0Nqf_mz37mEWS4xZgw "Footloose - Kenny Loggins") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFWDGTVYqE8) ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/2 "2015-07-21T11:47:48Z")
drink vodka eat pizza guess that’s not healthy coping mechanisms ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/3 "2015-07-21T11:57:56Z")
Nope. The only permanent solution is a wholesale transformation of every aspect of your life. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Bragg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stealth\_Bragg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Bragg)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/4 "2015-07-21T12:07:57Z")
I always watch my Tangerine Dream DVDs when I get sad ☹ ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/5 "2015-07-21T12:14:38Z")
**Things I Do When I Am Depressed:** 1. Read books I’ve already read a hundred times (reading a new book = more mental/emotional effort than I want to spend). 2. See above, only with movies or TV shows. 3. Drink alcohol, to the “drunk but not quite shitfaced” level. 4. Rub one out, in spite of the ready availability of my GGG wife. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/6 "2015-07-21T12:24:07Z")
Go for a bicycle ride. Usually cheers me up. I also go on bicycle rides when I have a bad day at work; when I’m bored; worried about something; have to do a lot of thinking on an issue; to avoid doing some work; need to lose weight; and so on. Basically my coping mechanism is “bike ride”. And sometimes I just ride my bicycle because I like to. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/7 "2015-07-21T12:52:07Z")
Go for a bicycle ride. Usually cheers me up. I also go on bicycle rides when I have a bad day at work; when I’m bored; worried about something; have to do a lot of thinking on an issue; to avoid doing some work; need to lose weight; and so on. Basically my coping mechanism is “bike ride”. And sometimes I just ride my bicycle because I like to. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/8 "2015-07-21T13:30:26Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Nope. The only permanent solution is a wholesale transformation of every aspect of your life. That seems a little extreme. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/9 "2015-07-21T13:40:33Z")
Wait patiently. Things will always change. Sometimes I’ll get more depressed, but it’s still a change. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/10 "2015-07-21T14:20:42Z")
•Either eat too much sugar, or not enough of anything. •Lying in the dark listening to opera is up there, too, but that’s also what I do to get to sleep. The two modes being rather sadly intertwined, at times. •Plan…things. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/11 "2015-07-21T14:21:34Z")
Eat. Watch reruns of Modern Family, Big Bang, DVDs of Project Runway. Eat. Read books that I’ve read a thousand times. Eat. Write in my journal. Eat. Shop. Eat. Sleep. Sometimes I smoke cigarettes. No, I do not have healthy coping mechanisms. Fortunately my bad depressive moods will last less than 24 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/12 "2015-07-21T14:23:21Z")
Get up, shower, breakfast, head to work. Gym after work, then some computer games. On the weekends I skip going to work. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/13 "2015-07-21T14:27:18Z")
Some combination of ethanol and chocolate chip cookies is good for symptomatic relief. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/14 "2015-07-21T14:36:44Z")
Walk, if it’s not beastly hot. If it’s winter, seek out full spectrum light. Go to funny, apolitical websites. Iron (damned if I know how that works, but it does). Sometimes I read books, but if I have brought home crap books, it doesn’t help. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/15 "2015-07-21T14:59:31Z")
We’ve got two kinds of answers going on here: what people do when they need a pick-me-up and what people do when they’re depressed. When you’re depressed, nothing you ‘do’ is going to boost your spirits and the doing of things requires too much emotional and mental energy anyway. I guess my answer is, “occasionally post apathetic and negative things on the internet when I can be arsed to make typing motions.” 😜 ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/16 "2015-07-21T17:07:17Z")
Try this Sprint a few yards (for 5 seconds) then Gaze at clouds for 10 seconds then Hold ones arms in the air for 15 seconds then Hold ones breath for 20 seconds then Clap ones hands together once… ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/17 "2015-07-21T17:16:40Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > Try this > > Sprint a few yards (for 5 seconds) then > Gaze at clouds for 10 seconds then > Hold ones arms in the air for 15 seconds then > Hold ones breath for 20 seconds then > Clap ones hands together once… … or any other sequence of FIVE simple activities performed for a short time that have the effect of changing your pattern of thought ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/18 "2015-07-21T17:21:06Z")
Listen to Blues. The most down and dirty woman done me wrong life sucks gonna eat a shotgun Blues there is. For some reason it has the opposite effect on me and it makes me happier. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/19 "2015-07-21T18:39:29Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Nope. The only permanent solution is a wholesale transformation of every aspect of your life. 😕 I still don’t understand what you mean by this, and at this point, I’m certain that I don’t have the motivation or the energy to do what ever it takes to do it. > [@](#): > > **What do you do when you are depressed?** Not much, since nothing seems to work very well. A few things I do: [ul] [li]Eat.[/li][li]Sleep.[/li][li]Looking at pics of naked cats & furry guys.\*[/li][li]Mindlessly play clicker games.[/li][li]Obsessively play old computer games, like SMAC, or Civ3.[/li][li]Tweak existing plans.[/li][/ul] \*This can also make me even more depressed. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/20 "2015-07-21T19:11:25Z")
Work. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754.md?page=2)