how do I beat depression while in college?

Question:

Answers:
I understand your desire to stay away from
"sledgehammer" solutions that involve powerful,
sometimes untested prescription medicines. When it
comes to your health, remedies that are stronger are
not always better. I have three things that have
gotten me through times when I've been depressed, and
they're all gentle solutions that I think will suit an
intelligent person like yourself.

1 - The first is what Freud calls the "talking cure".
He insists that it must be performed by a
psychoanalyst who you are paying for, but actually
I've performed it by writing in a diary. The key is to
be very honest, and try to find connections that you
might otherwise be supressing, because these are the
areas that need work. For example, what's the first
thing that pops into your mind when you think of
"depression"? If the answer is "flying a kite", then
follow the chain. What do you think of when you
think of "kite" and "flying". You'll be surprised
how quickly this takes you right down to an event in
your childhood or an unresolved conflict that might
have happened a year ago.

2 - Looking for lies. A chair cannot make you
depressed. A lampshade cannot make you depressed. Only
another person can make you depressed. I believe it is
because a chair and a lampshade cannot lie. Only a
person can lie. Depression, it seems to me, comes from
believing a lie. That conflict (between reality and
the lie) takes up so much mental energy to maintain,
it drains you as a whole. You may find, after using
technique #1, that it leads to you to this conclusion
#2. For example, after free associating your way to an
event, you might find that it was when someone told
you that you weren't worth a hill of beans. The
problem is not that they insulted you, the problem is
that you believed the lie. Beware, giving up on a lie
that we've believed in for a long time is tougher than
it sounds.

3 - This one is going to sound goofy, especially after
wading in deeply with the other two techniques. Get
some light to shine on the cells in the back of your
eyes. Go outside for an extended period of time
without sunglasses (no need to stare at the sun or a
light-bulb, indirect light will do). Use one of those
gentle light therapy products like www.everlyte.com .
Take a trip on a sailboat. Spend a few hours in open
fields on sunny days. It's those cells in the eyes
that produce much of the chemical that pills and
herbal remedies seek to replace, but the cells in the
eyes put the chemicals where they are needed, in your
brain, and not in your stomach and everywhere else.
This third technique will help you with the other two,
allowing you to think clearly, and get out from being
stuck in a loop.

I hope this "whole-istic" answer is as helpful to you
as it has been to me over the years. A gentle look at
the whole picture is often better than a sledgehammer
to just one piece of the problem.

Other Answers:
This depends on the reason why you are depressed. Is it something inherent about college life or does it have something to do with something outside the realm of college? Perhaps you do not have any idea why you are depressed; only that you know that you are. If you are depressed because of college or college life I suggest keeping yourself as busy as possible. Go out with friends more; take up a new sport (exercise is a great alleviator of depression - it increases serotonin levels); go out and eat some good meals. Anything to let yourself know that there is certainly life outside of college (although it seems quite the contrary at times - especially around December and late April). One thing that may make you feel better is to bury yourself in your textbooks. This will keep your mind preoccupied and off of your depression. The increased studying will lead to better grades and consequently a nice little pick-me-up! If the problem is with something outside of college, I cannot offer too much in terms of advice but talking with friends and family about your problems is a great way to feel better. Talking about your depression - why you have it, what is bothering you - is a great way to assess your problems and beat it. If you have no idea why you are depressed I would suggest what I said earlier and that is just start talking to someone about your feelings or what may be troubling you. If you believe that you may be having a major depressive episode I suggest visiting your primary caregiver and getting on an anti-depressant. Another avenue open to you is psychotherapy (this seems like an expensive option - I went to college and too understand living on a tight budget - but it may only take a couple of sessions and it may make all of the difference in the world). Anti-depressants coupled with psychotherapy and bibliotherapy (reading self-help books - "Feeling Good" is a good book.it has a yellow cover and can be found in any self-help section of a bookstore). If you are feeling absolutely terrible and dread the upcoming day you may be in the midst of a major depressive episode and I suggest visiting a doctor. If you are simply down because of something related to school, keep yourself busy, talk to friends and you will get through it! Don't worry, it will all be fine! Good luck ;D

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how do I beat depression while in college?

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