# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/41 "2015-07-27T03:27:24Z")
If possible, I clean my house. I seldom get depressed, or anxious, but I find that the combination of exercise, keeping busy and creating order makes me feel better. ---
**Author:** ![McGuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@McGuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McGuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/42 "2015-07-27T05:14:18Z")
I’ll try again later… 4 times I have tried to post. ---
**Author:** ![McGuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@McGuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McGuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/43 "2015-07-27T05:24:47Z")
“drink vodka” I do that for stress/anxiety ---
**Author:** ![McGuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@McGuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McGuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/44 "2015-07-27T05:30:16Z")
"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. " Yup…and sometimes I go full tilt on the 60’s antiwar music. ---
**Author:** ![fridolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/85f322/32.png) [@fridolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fridolph)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/45 "2015-07-27T05:35:50Z")
I watch comedy movies. ---
**Author:** ![McGuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@McGuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McGuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/46 "2015-07-27T05:45:25Z")
I am Op. I didn’t think anyone would even respond to this post. I know people who crawl in bed and sleep. Others read. Others eat. Others become “Bob Villa”…remodel their houses. I feel really bad for long term chronic depressive people, there is no easy answer. And for bi-polar individuals…Hang on, find the right combo. I have chosen to believe mine is the “anger turned inward” form of depression. I drink vodka for anxiety… Then I read this …[9 things I wish people understood about anxiety - Vox](http://www.vox.com/2014/12/4/7262991/anxiety-disorder-help) Okay…something to think about. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/47 "2015-07-27T07:57:11Z")
I am 37 years-old. I have been depressed for as long as can remember. Perhaps there was a point 25+ years ago when I was not actually depressed but just anxious. So, when I’m depressed I do whatever I have to do every day to live- eat, sleep, work, brush my teeth, shower, look after my kids, read stuff here, etc. Sometimes I get up and bake a cake or something. Sometimes I stay in bed. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/48 "2015-07-27T17:31:34Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > 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.” 😜 Right on! So here’s what I did back in the day - Fantasized about (not contemplated) suicide on a daily basis for a couple of years, got counselling during the same time, and then a prescription for anti-depressants shortly after. I’m basically out of the hole now. ---
**Author:** ![CinnamonBabka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbce88/32.png) [@CinnamonBabka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CinnamonBabka)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/49 "2015-07-27T21:39:29Z")
I write a lot of code. When my dad died I wrote a working HCS08 emulator. Fun times. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/50 "2015-07-27T23:26:37Z")
Foremost, I remind myself that I really do suffer from diagnosed depression, that I do feel lousy and it’s not just my being lazy or feeling sorry for myself. I remember the good periods I’ve had which have shown me I have at least the potential for functioning well and being happy. If it’s a gloomy gray day I turn on my lamp with the yellow bulb to make the light in my room cheerier. And I make a no-obligation 2-Do list: stuff I could accomplish no matter how minor, and then I do what I can. At the end of the day I can check it and say “OK, at least I got these done”. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/51 "2015-07-28T00:33:20Z")
I have clinical depression, so it’s a daily thing lurking in the background even with medication. On the bad days I: Make myself tell my husband Fight the urge to run away and be isolated, since being alone always makes it worse Cry if I need to Try to keep occupied. Sometimes it works. Usually I spend the time trying to decide on something to do since it all sounds terrible. Wait On days where it’s just a mopey kind of day: Listen to music! Try not to be self-conscious about bopping to the music! Go for a walk, or at least sit outside and get some air Play games or read Try to figure out if doing something alone will help or if it’ll turn it from a funk into a bad day ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754/52 "2015-07-28T02:50:16Z")
> [@Foggy](#): > > Things have been worst lately, I don’t know why, but this did make me smile & laugh for a while at least. > > [Cats failing at jumping.](http://thefrogman.me/post/124939782425) > 😃 Thank you! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-when-you-are-depressed/725754.md?page=2)