I have heard St John's Wort helps with depression. Also, every thought about meditating? It can help with a variety of things and is completely free.

A lot of people have recommended that to me so I think I should look into it, thank you! I just remember hearing bad things about it from a few years back, like it mixing badly with other meds, but I'm not taking anything else anymore so I guess now would be a good time to try. Thanks for the tip. :3

Look up nootropics :3 it depends on what you have, but if you know what system is down, these can help your body produce what ever chemical it needs to balance it out.

Hmm, I've never heard of that so I looked it up. Most info about it seems to be geared towards college kids using different things to enhance focus/concentration. I dunno it kind of makes me nervous because I don't want to just jump into mixing a whole bunch of things I don't know a whole lot about, even if it's a supposedly nontoxic.
OMG I just found this on erowid: http://www.erowid.org/smarts/ GHB as a sleep aid?? HAHAHA! I'll keep looking into it though, maybe there is something out there that can help, thank you! :)

Start off with HTP-5, like Logarth recommend, it's pretty killer for depression and easy to look up :3
And, well, I don't think you'd ever get any better sleep than a GHB induced coma

Yeah there's a health store I found down here so I'm gonna go after work tomorrow & see if they have it there. (HTP-5, not GHB, lol) maybe I'll ask them for advice too. Thank you! I'll let you guys know if it helps.

Please please feel free to poke me on messenger.. I want to chat with you about this and help you out. I too, have issues, and for the most part, I have it under control without any medication, and I'd be more than happy to help you with yours. Sometimes just having a sympathetic ear that can understand what you're going through helps a little.

Thank you I kind of have a hard time over ims though...I think that's why it takes me so long to respond to comments honestly, like if I wait long enough it will be less like a real-time conversation and then I'll be less intimidated, if that makes sense. Half the time I don't even go on facebook now because I'm afraid someone will see I'm on & im me! It's so stupid I know.

It's not stupid. It's understandable You can always email if you want to talk as well. A few things that have helped me are:

Making sure I get some sunlight each day. not just being awake during the day, but getting some sun personally each day, even if it's only 30 minutes.

I take calcium and Vitamin D. Vitamin D compliments that which you get from the sun; that's what helps with the depression. Make sure you get one with Calcium. Your body needs calcium in order to absorb and process the vitamin D.

If you can, a little bit of exercise helps. Any sort of exercise helps. It'll sound sick too, but there are studies that sex also increases the amount of endorphins in your system.

I've also found..this last one is tough.. On those days when you are feeling down and don't want to do anything or see anyone? Try doing something little. Force yourself to go to the local park, or to a smaller store to pick something up, or to go out for a little bit to spend time with a friend or acquaintance nearby. It will feel like it's completely contrary to what you want to do, but I've found Most of the time that I get that feeling, it's not actually Me, and it's my depression. If I let it go and stay home, I just spiral downward more. If I force myself to go out, I may not enjoy the whole time, but I'll usually get a few smiles, maybe a giggle or laugh in or two.. and I feel better when I get home. Staying at home, even if you work on stuff like cleaning or whatnot, makes me more liable to wallow in my depression.

Yeah I try to force myself to go for walks on my days off. I live on a really pretty golf course and it's still in the 70s-80s down here during the day so it's nice to get a little walk in. usually I find that even if I didn't want to go, I feel better when I get back. You're right though. A lot of times all I want to do is lay in bed, but when I do that it makes my body feel sick. I need to force myself to move around, even if I only stay in the house, like get up and dance for a few minutes if I have to, lol. It's just hard to get that momentum going.
I don't really have any friends down here to hang out with yet and that kind of bums me out too. I've been so busy with school & work that I haven't had any time to check out the local furry scene, even though they've all been very nice & inviting me out & everything. I should make time -for my mental health- to go hang out with these guys! But I really miss everyone up north too. :p

*nod* Wish you could get as far north as me and ride with me up to FF.

OMG I would LOVE too! It's really hitting me hard that I can't go this year. Next year though...next year. (I just keep telling myself that. )

Aww.. no budget at all for it? :(

No, I just had some expensive dental work done so I'm down to pretty much nothing money-wise. Plus it would put me way behind in school. As much as I want to go, the whole reason I moved was to go to college so I've got to make sure I'm on top of that before anything else. There's no way I'm screwing up & staying here any longer than I absolutely have to! I would have to be sitting in the hotel room doing homework. :p

Aww, bummer. i understand though.. definitely next year.. and hey, maybe Furthemore in Baltimore in April!

Well, the Con's for sure, just maybe if you'll get to go.

lol
yeah okay, that's pretty far out I might actually be able to make that one depending on classes. That would be awesome!

Weed, as a sledgehammer when its really bad. Though, back during my breakup though even weapons-grade weed was not working very well, but still took the edge off.

I had that period of not responding to everyone, then nuked all those comments. I had hundreds in my inbox.

she said legal...but I agree.

Anywho...

As for other advice, my sister said that Isotonix and/or Bliss help her a lot.

isotonix - http://isotonix.marketamerica.com/

bliss - http://www.shop.com/Bliss+153+Anti+.....52307-p+.xhtml

random info - http://teamexcellencemlm.com/2012/0.....s-and-anxiety/

Pardon, I missed the legal bit as I am pretty sick right now and a bit out of it.

No it's alright. :) I haven't smoked in ages though, I dunno it just doesn't really do anything for me anymore, but it does make me tired so maybe that's worth looking into. Although I live w my dad now so...i don't see that working out. I hope you're feeling better now though! ;)

I'm still sick but feeling more energetic.

Well yay! & that was a week ago so I hope by now you're all better. I'm pretty sick now myself because I just had a wisdom tooth pulled & I think I got an infection, feeling better today than yesterday though. ugh. Being unhealthy sucks.

Hmmm, that actually looks really interesting. It's a little pricey for me right now, but I'm gonna look more into it. I am taking multivitamins and they really do help a lot and I get sick a lot less when I'm taking them, but these seem to be geared more towards sleeping and anxiety, which is definitely what I need, thank you!

My sis swears up and down on this stuff! shes been using it for three years i think. Depending on the severity of the issues, it really does help. i was on both for a little while and it helped (granted not as much as medication, but still) and i only stopped because i couldnt afford it anymore.

Yeah that's like my biggest setback right now, money. :( I don't know if I'd be able to afford refilling that however often it would be required. (I'm assuming monthly?) I just had some expensive dental work done, maybe once I've recovered a bit I'll be able to give it a try. But yeah, nothing ever really helps as much as the medication. It sucks because it took years to figure out exactly the right prescription for me & we had it perfect. Plus I'd been on it for years, so it really suck to have everything screwed up like this, oh well.

Honestly weed is pretty much a cure all for me. But that's me.

I've been dealing with anxiety disorders for years now, and I do take prozac, but only on a very low dose. Weed always helps me on off days, though.

Yeah, I wish it worked for me, it really only makes me feel tired. Tired is good though, I need tired. Only problem is I just moved in with my dad and I don't think he'd be too happy about me smoking in the house. He doesn't even know I smoke cigarettes, ugh. Drinking has pretty much the same effect on me though, and that doesn't smell, so I'll probably just go back to drinking.

Drinking is so bad for your body though :( And being a depressant is generally not good for those prone to mood disorders. If you ever need to you can always make weed into a tea (I do this a lot, & it's much better for you) Just boil it in a pot of water for 5 minutes or so with some citrus peel and strain it, the weed just goes in the garbage or toilet when you're done. I always add honey to it but you can actually add a little bit of marmalade if you want. Tea is magic!

OH MY GOD THAT SOUNDS AMAZING!!! What an awesome idea! I can't believe I've never even heard of that! I'm so gonna try it!!! Thank you!!!!!!! Yeah I don't like drinking too much but sometimes you just get home & want to drink everything in the house. I used to drink every day for a long time so it's really easy to fall back into that without even realizing. Thank you for that tea idea though, it sounds just perfect!!

I have heard from some who do the diet Celiacs do. Vitamin D is good to take. Potassium & Magnesium get rid of Charlie Horse and Night Cramps. To help with moods could mean you need to increase Serotonin levels supplement with 5-HTP or with tryptophan. Another alternative is St. John’s Wart that many people have had good results with. Increasing amino acids help. One supplement is tyrosine and another is phenylalanine.

I agree with Irime a sympathetic ear to listen does help. I would like to help you out too. Feel free to give me a holler on messenger and or Skype. We are hear for you.

Thank you a lot of people have been mentioning 5-HTp and I've never even heard of it! I wonder if you can take tryptophan by itself to help you sleep, that's the stuff that's in turkey that makes you sleepy right? Sounds like St. John's Wart is a good, well-known starting point for me though. A lot of people are recommending it and I'm pretty sure it's easy to find. I have been taking multi vitamins and they do make me feel a lot better. They don't necessarily improve my mood directly, but it's easier to be happy when you're feeling healthy, and I'm pretty sure the ones I'm taking have a lot of the ingredients you mentioned.
I wish I was able to talk to people, I just, have a really hard time doing that. I've always kind of been able to fake that I'm not terrified of normal conversations, but now that I lost my insurance that's gotten a lot harder. It's part of why it takes me so long to reply to things. :/

I actually have a huge book the size of a bible that's all natural home-remedies for every-day symptoms that gives you household products to help with symptoms. If not, it recommends a homeopathic remedy that you can usually get at a co-op if there's one near by you. Been quite effective for me. My friend had a cold, I told him about how he could get over it real quick, he said "I'll be fine", took him 2 weeks. I had a cold, followed the instructions, gone in 3 days, and each day never got to the point of feeling knocked out, just minor runny nose or minor symptoms while they were all being treated. Feel free to text me or hit me up on I.M. and I'd be happy to try to help in any way I can. <3

That actually sounds useful for just everyday life stuff too, i hate taking pills with all kinds of chemicals, I mean, I always have, but if there was a more natural alternative I'd be all for it. Is there anything in your book that might be good for anxiety? I think that's my biggest problem right now, that & needing sleep :c I should be sleeping now since I have to get up @ 4 but I just can't! :p

I will take a look and see what I can find! Btw, you still have your cell? I could text you a little more quicker than responding here if you'd like heheh.

Yup it's still the same ##.
I'm finding that for some reason I can't text certain people from up north though, like it won't let me text Zanner. I don't know why that is, I really need to go into a store & ask them about it.

vitamin d, fish oil, glucosamine/chondroitin, and magnesium will all help you perk up. I take all of those, (i'm deficient in vitamin d but most people are, i'm also deficient in magnesium) but all of those will help boost your mood a little bit. The more vitamins/minerals/nutrients you're caught up on, the better you'll feel. But what you're caught up on/getting enough of also depends on your diet. What do you eat normally? O:

Oh I eat terribly and I know it! :p Mostly due to just not having time between work & school, plus we don't get breaks at my work so I'm kinda limited to something I can grab & throw in my purse in the morning. I try to make it something good but it isn't always. I do take vitamins though, I recently started taking fish oil but I don't know if I'll keep taking it because the pills are huge, I'm supposed to take 3 a day apparently and they have like 60 calories @.@ but I know the multi-vitamins make a huge difference. I do know I have iron deficiencies so I make sure what I'm taking has iron. I plan to go through all the things people have suggested here and perhaps pick up supplements of certain things not present in what I'm already taking. Thanks for the tips! ^_^

As far as multivitamins goes...i'm basically borderline deficient in everything in the prenatal pill...so i just take it even though i'm not preggers xD MY HAIR IS GROWING LIKE WEEDS AND IT'S SO SILKY, YO

YAY for pretty hurrr! ^u^
I know those prenatals are super good for you. I don't have a whole lot of deficiencies that I know of though besides iron so I would probably OD on something or other if I took those. @.@ but then again, pregger ppl take them so they can't be that bad.

Yep! If you have a crappy diet they're pretty much fine cuz you aren't getting much of any of the stuff in them anyways xD That's what my doc told me LOL

*nods* hmmmm well then maybe that's what I need. I pretty much only ate cheese-its & a hard boiled egg today...yup.

Yeah you're a perfect candidate just like me xD I had..sugar cookies yesterday. That's it xD

HAHAHA yes. *highfive* best diet.

We're talking the supersoft like cake. With that processed cake icing. With sprinkles. It's like cupcake tops. ...It is entirely and completely addictive. xD

OMG I know exactly the ones you're talking about. BEST. FOOD. EVER. *drools*

YES <3
THERE SHOULD BE ART
OF YOU
NOMMING THEM
CUZ THEY ARE BEST
andificansquishmywayinbyofferingatradeofsortscuzimanoppurtunistiwouldtotallygoforit

Haha yes, okay, I might be able to do that but no promises. What character would you want in it if I did? I might not get around to it but if I have time I'll try do a doodle of it. :3

<3 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8806267/ or http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8644511/ (NSFW, adult but best reference honestly apart from missing a toe but SMALL DETAIL WHATEVS) I'll have to...throw...iunno like make you some cookies or scrounge up some extra monies or something WE'LL SEE lots of things are happening

I treat my depression with alcoholism. :)

Yeah that's kinda what I've been doing, and continue to do, but it's interfering a little bit with getting homework done so I've had to cut back.

I LOVE tea. Everyone down here makes fun of me because apparently nobody in the south drinks anything but sweet tea, and their idea of sweet tea is basically sugar with a little bit of tea in it. Everybody thinks the tea I make is gross. :p I work @ dunkin donuts & I have this great tea I make myself w skim milk & blueberry...mmmmm it's so good! I don't know what EFT is though, I tried googling it but got something about taxes. :/

Yeah if you ever go in there, tell them to make a hot tea with skim milk, 2 tea bags, blueberry & one sugar. it's yummm

Tbh. nothing but the meds work.

Since I suffer from hormonal imbalance, nothing but the birth control can bring that back in order.

I'm on an anti depressant, but that's to cover anxiety. There is nothing that can keep that under control but the meds >: I get so deep into the miserableness and there's honestly nothing that can get me out of it..

I would really and truly meet my end if I had no insurance to cover the costs of the meds.
Even then. My parents pay for the $400 deductible involved with my psychiatrist.. I could never afford the $80 a vist JUST TO GET A NEW PRESCRIPTION...

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was afraid of & kinda knew in the back of my head. I'm not a huge believer in holistic/natural medicine compared with what science has given us. Not that herbs & whatnot have no effect at all, I'm sure they were just fine for our ancestors but I don't expect any natural remedies to have even close to the same effect as what I'm supposed to be taking. I just figured when I have no other options that something would be better than nothing at all.
Psychiatrist fees are ridiculous though! My insurance used to cover part of it but I was still paying a couple hundred per visit when I was going, & the lady wanted me to go ONCE A WEEK! I was like lady, that's almost my whole paycheck, I don't think so. It's really sad how most health insurance companies completely overlook that mental heath is a part of being healthy and should totally be covered the same as going to a family doctor.

Yeah... it depends a lot on what's causing things.
My psych says eating a bit healthier, getting your sleep schedule in order, simple things like that can help a lot. St John's Wort is supposed to help out a lot, too. Beyond that, I don't really know too much. :s

Definitely going to be looking into St. Johns Wort since so many people here have mentioned it. I'm trying so hard to eat more healthy, I know it makes me feel better vs. feeling even crappier when all I eat is junk. It's just so hard with my schedule. Sleeping is my biggest problem though, I know I need to get that under control but it just doesn't happen. I go to sleep when I should & end up just laying there wide awake for hours, & before I know it it's time to get up & go to work. I', so tired all the time! Ugh. But thank you for the tips, definitely will be trying to eat better from now on.

Welcome. :3 I know how the sleep thing is - I am just now getting my sleep schedule back in order after two months of sleeping at like... 6AM and waking up at 3PM. I don't work, so it wouldn't be too bad, but I still do have homework to get done and I don't like sleeping that late. x___x

Yup, that's exactly what I did when I was out of work. Every night I went to bed/woke up a little later until I was going to bed in the morning & waking up at night. I think that's just my natural schedule.

It might be. I don't mind it myself but seeing as pretty much everything happens in the daytime... school, appointments, other people being awake... I kinda need my schedule to be normal. x~x

St Johns Wort helps with depression while Meletonin , chamomile and Valerian root will help with sleep. If you have depression or schizophrenia like me, I rely on people being around me and situations that require concentration. Work and such. But one needs sleep! So try mrlatonin and valerian first, then if it fails, I use diphenhydramine. Zzzquil or Sleep II (you'll have to ask for diphenhydramine at each store)

I have a few issues if you need help figuring things out. I have relative control unmedicated.
Depression is a bitch to deal with on a public level though.

Oh thank you or all the suggestions. Everyone keeps mentioning St Johns Wort so I think that's a good place for me to start. I think I'll be picking up some chamomile tea too, even though I know it doesn't really work for me, but does relax me a little bit. That's the thing that sucks, most herbal remedies and even some prescriptions have very little effect on me for whatever reason. I looked up diphenhydramine but it seems to be an antihistamine, and while I do take those for sleep sometimes, I don't really like taking them. That's great that you're able to take care of things without being medicated! It gives me a little hope to hear that other people are successful. Sometimes I really just wish to be normal, you know? It's even worse when you know in your head that the things you're feeling/experiencing aren't real but you just can't shut it out. But then I wonder how that would effect my art. Most of the things I draw now are just silly pictures, but the only reason I got into art in the first place was as an emotional outlet. If I had to give up art to be normal, I think I would choose art.

Sleeping regularly (with pill if need be), St. Johns Wort IN THE MORNING ONLY... SJW will keep you up all night for you take it after noon.

Also try brain balancers like HTP-5, and L-Tyrosene. Supplements for these are easily available at any CVS. There are other herbal blends that also can reduce anxiety and increase dopamine levels, but HTP-5 and L_Tyosene are the brain chemicals that already do that. HTP-5 is also greta for memory improvement.

Also, work out for an hour a day, stay away from fatty salty foods, and give yourself a "calm" period before bedtime so you sleep better.

I do all of this stuff, so I know personally it works for me.

A lot of things I definitely need to do. For example I'm usually on the internet until right before I go to bed. I know that's bad especially because I read somewhere that the brain interprets the blue light from the screen as daylight. But I'm gonna look into those things you mentioned. I think someone else suggested HTP-5 as well so I'll probably try that. I didn't know St Johns Wort kept you up at night, so I probably would have screwed that up, haha thank you.
The foods though, UGH I know you're right it's just so hard to eat well! Okay it's not really but it is when you're just so used to the things you always eat. I've done it before so I know once you start eating healthy the other stuff doesn't even look appetizing anymore, it's just getting to that point. I HAVE lost 30lbs though since moving here so I think I'm at least doing something right. :3

Grats on losing the weight hon, that's awesome. That's a HUGE thing for mental health. Healthy body, healthy mind and all. Sleeping well also helps with losing weight.
I usually take about 15 minutes before bed to tidy up, lock up, and just take a few deep breaths. Nothing fancy, just unplugging myself and there is just something cathartic to cleaning up for me. Makes me feel in control of my life I guess?

*nods* yup, I think your surrounding have a huge impact on your state of mind. Now that I'm in a hew house I'm trying really hard to stay on top of it before it gets out of hand...like my old room.

"Transcendental Meditation" has done wonders for my mental health. I haven't had to take a "freak out pill" in months.

Oh I'm so awful at meditation, haha! I've tried it before & I just cannot focus to save my life. Even though I don't do it right though it does help a little bit just to take a minute to collect yourself, thanks for the tip. :)

Sorry I don't have any advice man but good luck with it and I hope it gets better! <3

That's alright, just knowing people are listening helps. <3 I have been doing a little better the past few days but it comes & goes. Thank you. :3

I go on runs with my dog. Completely free, easy to do, lots of benefits... There's a nature preserve next to my house and I take him on the trails there. Seeing some non-concrete scenery relaxes me. And I bring my shiba because he loves to go on walks, and his enthusiasm keeps me going.

I totally agree, & I think that might be part of my problem. I just moved from a mountain in NH down to an urban area in SC and I absolutely hate it here. I miss the fresh air and woods. The other night I looked up and realized I could only see about 1/3 of the amount of stars I could see back home, it makes me so sad. I do live right next to a golf course though so I try to get out there for walks. It's man made but it's still beautiful so that helps a little. Also omg shibas best dogs!! ^_^

Ahh, yeah, I hear ya. Every summer, I have the opportunity to get out of the suburbs of this massive city and visit the mountains and forests and open plains of Wyoming and Montana. I always feel really good in the summer, but shortly after returning to the city, I fall into a long-term funk... it's kinda like depression, although I don't know if it truly is depression. But the preserve I mentioned helps, even though there's miles of city all around me. I can still pretend it's not there. x)
Yes, shibas. <3 Lovely dogs, despite their attitude lol!

I think it might be the people too. Like when you're in heavily populated area where you are in close quarters with so many people you tend to absorb a lot of the negativity. Wow I would love to go see Montana some day. The furthest west I've ever been was Colorado and I absolutely loved it. It's like a whole different country out there!

when I couldnt sleep a hammer to the forehead worked lol on a serious note, Sun found some natural sleep meds and she says it really helps her. Not sure what it is since im not home but you can always ask her!

AH thank you, I see she mentioned them below. I've got some myself but they are just not working at all :p

You know, I recently got this stuff called nightynight. You can get it at Walmart for just a few dollars, so, you might be able to get some. It's an herbal, non-habit-forming sleepy thing, and it really works.

There are so many herbal remedies online that you can look at. Speaking of that, I rly need to find out if Louie's has garlic bulbs or not.....I'm gonna shove some in my mouth or something.

hmmm, I'll have to try that. I have this herbal stuff, I think it's called midnight something or other, I dunno. I need to take like 3x the normal dose for it to work on me though, but that's what I do when I have to.

You can always try bendadryl.

I could, I just hate taking allergy meds for sleep. I always thought they had a lot of nasty chemicals in them, but I could be wrong. Nothing works right for me though. I took a bunch of percocets earlier and now I'm wired when I should be going to bed. That's not right. :p

It will just sedate you. It's not something I'd personally take a lot of---I'd use it sparingly. Like any medication you take, you know, there's always the ups and downs. Regardless, you might give it a try.

I totally didn't sleep last night.

I'm awake. It's four. What happened? I'm not even tired.

Ugh, story of my life. I don't even have internet anymore & I'm still up all night. Doing what exactly? I DONT EVEN KNOW!!!!

DRAWING. MAYBE.

I wish it was anything as productive as that. :p

Well. Maybe it is.

Maybe it isn't.

Maybe you're a giant poofy witch.

Weird remedy
but i eat prunes and drink Izzies
and my moods mellow way out and i can think clearly
hope it helps hun

Oh man I LOVE Izzies! Those things are just so good! I only wish they were a little cheaper, but I drink them when I can, thank you! :3