What do you do when you're feeling blue?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m depressed.

I’m not Clinically Depressed. Been there once and I hope, never, NEVER to do so again. It was awful. This isn’t even remotely close to that.

I’m just feeling sad. Blue. Bummed. A trifle sorry for myself. And a bit irritated with myself for not being able to “just get over it”.

Nothing’s really wrong. I’m not a danger to myself or others, but if I’m not careful, I’ll get all maudlin and I may write bad, self-absorbed poetry. It’s happened before. ::wan grin::

I just feel…blue.

I’ve tried some obvious remedies: A cup of hot chocolate, a stack of old Carl Barks Uncle $crooge comics, a heavy blanket and, conveniently, a snowy day. I cracked the window, snuggled down under the blanket and read comics and sipped cocoa while a cold draft blew in. No good.

I’ve tried exercising. Nope. Now my legs hurt and I’m still feeling sad.

I watched about half of Danny Kaye’s The Court Jester, which usually cheers me up, and…eh…didn’t do it.

I tried writing another “Secret Origins of the SDMB Moderators” story (I got a pretty good idea for one yesterday), and, well…remember what I said about maudlin, self-absorbed poetry? It wasn’t poetry, but the result wasn’t good.

If I heard Paul Mauriat’s “Love Is Blue”, I’d get all teary, which is wildly atypical for me. What’s odd is that keep wanting there to be a “why” attached. My life’s going ok. Not great, not bad, but comfortable, which is fine for right now. I’m between significant others, but I’ve got a couple of really good friends, and that’s ok. Work’s going fine. Family’s fine. Nothing’s wrong. But despite everything being ok, I feel blue.

I’m sure this feeling’ll pass (and I hope it’s soon, dammit) but until then, my question…

What do the rest of you folks do when you’re in this sort of mood? Wait it out or something else? If something else, what?

Fenris :frowning:

2

Well if it wasn’t in the vessel with the pestle or the brue that is true…

Have you tried sex?

-L

3

Christ almighty. A case of the blues treated with Disney comics, Paul Mauriat and a Danny Kaye movie; it’s a wonder you haven’t put a gun in your mouth yet. Wake up, cupcake: these things make the doldrums worse. Get over yourself…you’ll feel better tomorrow.

4

I hate to say it because it sounds so cliche…but…when I am down, I shop. Buying things always perks me up. Last time I felt down I ended up at Rooms To Go buying a new bedroom set. It gets delivered in two weeks. :slight_smile: Course, I’m also quite poor, which doesn’t go well with my shopping problem.

I also force my cats to cuddle with me.

5

Sometimes I have a good cry, and that helps a lot. Or I go for a walk-my complex has a lovely nature trail. Or there’s the “curl up with a good book” method, which always seems to help. Lately the best method has been a bit of raucous music played loudly, and some stupid dancing, the kind that gives me the giggles.

6

I usually wallow in self-pity, but I don’t recommend that.

Yeah. A sad movie usually does the trick, but not one that is similar to my plight (or even a hppy movie that is very moving).

7

If I haven’t already exercised on that day, I go out and do that. I also look at what’s bugging me and try to determine if it’s something that really warrants anxiety. Or else I just ride it out.

8

On a particularly bad day, I dolled myself up, tripped down to the best department store in town,and bought myself chocolates and perfume. How can you be sad when someone is gifting you with lovely things? And that really kind, awesomely considerate, very cool person with achingly exquisite taste is you, hunnybunny!

9

To [mis]quote Homer Simpson, Alcohol is the problem and solution to all of life’s problems.

However, assuming you are unable to find happiness at the bottom of a Corona, I usually just go for a long drive in my car (alone). I know it sounds trivial, but by the time I get back home, I usually have sorted out any problems that I have to deal with. I know I’m not the only one who does this, because I read in Sports Illustrated that an ex-quarterback of Miami University (Gino Torreti? Something like that) used to drive all the way to Jacksonville and back whenever he was feeling depressed.

Or you could always watch Jerry Springer/Ricki Lake/Judge Judy. Watching those people helps you realize that life really isn’t that bad after all.

10

I get like this too. I’m actually feeling a bit like you are now, Fenris. What am i going to do? Welll, let’s see…after i stop listening to The The, i’ll probably crack out a Pixies album and listen to it really really loud. Frank Black’s screaming is very very mood-altering. After that, if i’m still feeling bad, it’s Lou Reed’s metal machine music. A true sonic headcleaner, if ever there was one. CDs do seem to help a lot; if you follow a certain flow pattern, you can acclimate your mind to the type of music youre listening to, and then gradually go through the three phases my down periods go through:

  1. weltschmerz. unexplainable, indefinate sadness.
  2. Anger. A step in the right direction? i think so.
  3. Dark. Not sad. Not angry. Just…kinda…dark.
  4. Pensive. Wistful. Thinking about past relationships. Coming up with my top-ten nights of wild passionate love.
  5. A sense of all-pervasive usefulness. This is, for me, being happy. At this point i write, or do whatever i have to do.

Maybe none of this helps; however, when im sad, i like to read about other people’s odd little mental exercises. it distracts me. maybe itll distract you too.

Another long post.

11

Fenris, although never diagnosed as such, ther’s a good chance that I am clinically depressed. It can be hell at times, I know. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll get through it, Break on Through to the other side, so to speak.

What do I do? Well, for a few years, I used to do what quite a few on the SDMB do, I would cut myself. I would not recommend this. In the end, you feel just as crappy, but now you have a bunch of unexplainable scars on your shoulders.

Now, I just sit back and try to look at the whole picture. I do a lot of what’s written above. Sometimes, like Cyndar, I’ll get online or head to the mall and spend some cash on stuff I like. Sometimes I’ll go out to a bar where I know I can just sit and read he paper or watch TV and no one will bug me. Other times, I’ll put in a happy, or sometimes, a sad movie. When it’s really bad, I grab a book, pop in The Wall, take a couple Tylenol PM, have a drink or two and just fade away.

From your OP, it sounds like you just have the “blahs.” Do what you want, sometimes it’s OK to be sad. It’s a natural emotion that we all pass through from time to time. Like in the book, “Tuesdays With Morrie,” maybe we should all relish in emotions like this. Say to yourself, “Okay, this is depression, let’s examine it to its fullest.”

Once you actually wallow in it and digest it, the next time it comes around you’ll say, “okay, this is depression. I know what it feels like, I can find out why I feel this way.”

Then, just look in the mirror and say, “but that’s OK. I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it! People like me.” :wink:

12

One good trick is to do something nice for someone else.

I often find that trying to give myself “treats” (a good book, a six-pack, some new ammo for the assault rifle), winds up making me more self involved and more aware of how depressed I am.

But if I take the emphasis off myself and try to brighten someone else’s day, I make them happier and I feel better too.

13

H-E-Double Toothpicks, looks like we’re all in trouble now.

I was going to chime in with:

“All I do is read one of Fenris’ threads!”

So instead, I’ll give you another reply.

I reach for a musical instrument. Sax, flute, guitar, pennywhistle, whatever it takes.

Soothes the savage… and all that.

14

fenris, it all depends on what kind of depression youre feeling right now. are you really down, really blue, really beating yerself up, or are you, you know, kinda feelin, like, sorry for yourself?

theres a big difference. my guess, from yer post, is that you are suffering mostly from the latter, with a good ol lagnaippe of real depression added, because if youve been there even once, it rears its ugly head every time it gets a chance.

if there is not too much real depression mixed in this time, add another marshmallow to your hot choccy, look at the covers of your scrooge mcduck comics (the covers are the best part, they always had some variation of ol scrooge diving into a whole room filled with money or some such), find a cat or dog to sit around with, and enjoy feeling sorry for yourself. you are allowed every now and then.

15

One of these always works for me:

If I’m mildly depressed, I listen to Tom Waits.

Slightly heavier depression, John Prine.

Really down, Leonard Cohen.

If I start thinking about listening to the Smiths, I call a friend.

jm

16

I also used to be clinically depressed, but gladly those days are nevermore.

However, ocassionally I’ll regress back to those days and find myself feeling pouty and down in the dumps over something pointless and trivial like “Why are my friends ignoring meee?” etc, etc.

So, to solve this problem, I usually go to bed and have a good, hard, headache-inducing cry and wake up in the morning feeling better [yet looking like shit because my eyes are all puffy and red…but I digress]. Just stop taking yourself and your life so seriously!

Oh, and chocolate helps.

17

My cure is not a cure at all, I stick it out, use the self-absorption and introspectiveness to soul search.

A good nights thinking (along with some mood music) and a goods nights rest, and I’ll almost always feel refreshed the next morning.

For those times when I can’t shake the gloominess, I go for a walk, or even just sit out on my patio at night and watch the stars.

18

Try singing. I’ve read that it’s been shown to help lift spirits (can’t remember why, though), and it works for me. I’ve been clinically depressed in the past and have been in a slump for weeks now, so I downloaded some of my favourite “singable” songs from Napster and whenever I get on the computer, I sing along to them. It has been helping me. (I also eat two chocolates a night, though. :))

Other things that help me include finding small ways to be productive (e.g. organise your book shelf or your cd’s), treating myself to something I’ve been wanting (usually a new book off Amazon or something), and putting on some of my favourite cheerful movies (usually Disney).

19

A long, hot bath while reading a good book usually cures whatever ails me.

Scotti

20

I jump up and down and shout “I am an ARSE!”
It works, becuase it makes me laugh.

If it doesn’t work, then I might curl up under a fleecy blanket with a nice cup of tea and watch a crappy film, or read a good book.

If I want to revel in it for a bit, I stick on a Flying Saucer Attack album and gaze out of the window at the grey, grey sky.