Cold turkey for depresso slump

Ask a Therapist Coping
1

It’s like as though I’m stuck in some thick slimy gunk water. I’m wondering if I just do everything the opposite my mind tells me would I speed up my healing process?

I’m so sick and tired of feeling this way honestly and somehow I feel lower than I was a few months back idk why and also that’s why I have been away for a while.

Hiding has always been my comfort and go to but now I’m just wondering if opposite actions would help instead. Just like people go cold turkey for drugs and alcohol by avoiding totally. I wonder what’s the equivalent for depression and intrusive thoughts.

What’s the fastest and quickest fixes? I’m so sick and tired of being in this state alr. And hell it’s lonely being here and it’s so suffocating.

I’m not even coherent anymore.

2

Hi Wildflower,

Thank you for articulating your thoughts, feelings, and what you’ve been experiencing recently. It sounds tough where you are, cold, lonely, confusing and frustrating.

There are many reasons why a person experiences depression. Sometimes it is inherited, some times it is due to challenges that occur in our life, that we are not able to address and intervene early, then depressive symptoms can become clinical depression. So talking to a mental health professional would be the best option. Remember, the earlier we intervene, the easier it is to work with it.

Here’s some resources you can consider:

  • CHAT

    • The Community Health Assessment Team (CHAT) provides confidential mental health checks for young persons between 16 and 30 years old, who are currently living in Singapore. They operate CHAT hub, a mental health centre located at *SCAPE and maintains an online presence through their website and webchat.

    • 6493 6500

    • 6493 6501

    • https://www.chat.mentalhealth.sg/

    TOUCH Community Services – TOUCHline

    • Emotional support and practical advice are rendered through this youth helpline

    • 1800 377 2252

      ~~~~
      And if your feelings are due to a life challenge, and you are open to receive a thought that has supported my own life. My invitation to you, is that these thoughts and feelings, what are they trying to tell you? Is there an area of your life, that needs to be gently looked at?

  • Have you been ignoring some aspects of yourself and that is costing you?

  • Have you been denying yourself, of being yourself? Everything has a trade off in life, what is the trade off or cost when you’re not allowed to be your authentic self?

    And lastly, the piece around hiding? I feel you. I have a similar coping mechanism. When things get overwhelmed. I just want to hide. When I feel misunderstood or unsafe, I want to hide. But the answer may not be as simple as just doing the opposite.

    Here’s a simple process that I’d like to walk you through if you are open to getting curious together:

  1. Look for patterns - Are you having the same challenges again and again? You need to be aware of these. Otherwise, when something triggers you, you’ll feel a certain way, you will then activate a certain behaviour. But without awareness, you engage the same coping mechanism, which will get you the same outcome, and that is probably not what you want.

Perhaps this hiding away is also a coping mechanism, and it it serving? So start by being aware, stay in that discomfort, breathe through it, and break the pattern.
~
2. Instead of thinking your way through the situation and to answers. How about moving it instead? Does it makes sense that if we have experienced negative experiences, our brain tends to expect the same negative thing to happen? Remember you mind is designed to protect you, so it will keep regurgitating what is scary and who has hurt you. The purpose? Protect you, and prevent you from being hurt again!

But think these thoughts often enough, and our negative thought patterns becomes a habit. So when you take yourself away, don’t think. Just move it, feel it, and express the sadness or anger through movement, singing, writing, anything that allows these emotions to flow.

Picture a wave, there will be high points and low points. And life and emotions are just like a wave, learn to be a pro surfer. The problem is when we get stuck, wanting to always be happy, or trying to avoid the low points. But nothing is forever :wink: not the bad and not the good either. So enjoy every moment.

  1. Lastly when you have emptied the negative emotions, feel it up with the good things that you do want. Here are just something to get started:
  • Go into nature, feel the earth underneath you. Enjoy the wind, give thanks to the sky.
  • Do things that nourish your soul, that makes you expand on the inside.
  • And the easiest? Play and laugh a lot!
  • Maybe even try something new daily.

Your mind is the creator of your experience, and you are the storyteller of your life, but find the right ingredient. I hope that among these words, some will resonate, some will click, I hope you will find the path to where you are meant to be.

Wishing for your joy and aliveness,
Seektruth

3

Unfortunately I’m no longer a youth so some of those options will not work for me.

I’m supported by metal health professionals but the sessions are spaced too far apart and higher frequencies are too costly for me.

I’m just trying to reset my mind and hopefully use willpower to overcome everything but I guess I’m just pushing myself the wrong direction instead….

4

Hi @wildflower,

I’m really sorry to hear that you’re feeling this way. It sounds like you’re navigating a particularly challenging time, and it’s understandable to feel overwhelmed. The pressure to reset your mind and rely on willpower alone can sometimes lead to frustration. It’s great that you’re seeking support from mental health professionals, but I understand how long gaps between sessions can feel like they stall progress. It’s essential to surround yourself with the right resources to help you through this journey.

You might want to consider reaching out to the Community Integrated Team (COMIT), which provides free counselling to adults through Social Service Agencies. COMIT is a service where qualified mental health professionals will support you with therapy and counselling. The government fully funds COMIT, with no out-of-pocket cost. This service is available to those aged 18 and above, which would be suitable for your age group.

The COMIT service could be a helpful complement to your current support, especially if you’re finding it hard to maintain momentum without frequent sessions. Remember, you don’t have to go through this alone, and having additional support could make a positive difference in your path toward healing. Take care of yourself, and know that seeking help is a strong step forward.

You may visit your nearest COMIT resource here: mindline.sg | Free Mental Health Resources & Mindfulness Tools in Singapore

5

Hi Wildflower,

I’m glad that you do have mental health professionals supporting you, and I hear that the frequency and costs may not be a completely viable option. Like what Obi_Wan_Kenobi suggested, there are many different resources out there. Make good use of it :wink: .

Hahas, I hear you. Well which options are not working for you? I too am no longer a youth, but I still dance and sing and play whenever I get the opportunity. People twice my age are also dancing and playing, sometimes more outrageously than me!

The thought that you have, what you can or cannot do. Was a rule written about it? Or have we written up these rules ourselves? How many of these “rules” made us more joyful, more loving, more free? And how many of these “rules” made us smaller, more critical, more cynical?

And you’re absolutely on point, again what you think of the world, it will reflect itself back at you. And if you like to start resetting your mind tonight, here’s an exercise I sometimes give my clients:

Autosuggestion by Émile Coué

  1. Starting tonight, and for the next 7 days. When you go to bed, and just before you fall asleep, imagine the desired version for yourself.

  2. With both palms face down on your body, press down each finger gently per suggestion, until you completed the following suggestion 10 times while holding the image of your desired self:
    a. “Every day, in every way, I get better and better.”

  3. Move from the right to the left. It is important you complete this exercise without falling asleep.

  4. You are beginning to establish a habit pattern of programming yourself through positive suggestions before going to sleep. You’ll find yourself reacting very positively to that suggestion the next day.

    May you get better and better, every day in every way,
    Seektruth