Feeling Blue

[almostfit]

I've got to do something, I just don't know what.
I've been feeling sad lately and I can feel myself slipping. I try to catch myself when negative thoughts overwhelm the situation but I'm so far from myself it's scaring me.
Exercise usually helps! why isn't it working now? Should I increase intensity? Do certain exercises help more than others?
I've reduced my carb intake recently, could that be exacerbating the situation? I'm still eating lots of veggies and some fruit and lean protein & take a multivitamin so I should be getting what I need nutrition wise.

-Sorry if this is in the wrong spot.

[Trusylver]

have you thought about talking to beyond blue or an org like them ?

[wolffmut]

As someone with Seasonal Affective Disorder, as well as having had Clinical Depression, There is no one thing that helps beat the blues. For me it is a combination of things: a full-spectrum light, gardening/watching things i planted grow(for me it is the whole process of starting something from seed, and growing/harvesting), as well as my pets. Excercise never really gave me a mood boost, unless i was on a nature trail, and even then it was more fun for me to see how happy the dogs are exploring and playing. Talk to a doctor or counsellor. Try new things. Don't be afraid of meds, but realize that they SHOULD be a short-term fix while you develop other coping methods.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by almostfit

I've got to do something, I just don't know what.
I've been feeling sad lately and I can feel myself slipping. I try to catch myself when negative thoughts overwhelm the situation but I'm so far from myself it's scaring me.
Exercise usually helps! why isn't it working now? Should I increase intensity? Do certain exercises help more than others?
I've reduced my carb intake recently, could that be exacerbating the situation? I'm still eating lots of veggies and some fruit and lean protein & take a multivitamin so I should be getting what I need nutrition wise.

-Sorry if this is in the wrong spot.

I actually sympathise, I suffer badly in winter, once the sunlight hits a wall my mood really raises...I've never been diagnosed, but I honestly believe I suffer SAD as well...Wolmutt and Trusylver have given some great advice.

I've heard that bananas and foods like them can help increase tryptophan levels and such, a light box is helpful although I think a person needs to sit in front of it for about an hour. What I find helps me, is to go straight to a window and just stand looking out to let as much light in to my eyes as possible. Whenever I feel down, I also find a room where the light is beaming in and go to that room, that also seems to "charge" me up...it was hell when I was doing my degree because a lot of it was done at home, and it wasn't until I realised that I had to go into a room that was "lit up" that I could actually con myself into getting on with studies.

Exercise has been said to be beneficial, but apparently that's not the case for either yourself or Wolfmutt, I find that intriguing, not good but still intriguing to read. Maybe it just depends on the person. It's supposed to release feel-good endorphins, but it could also be a mix of things that is preventing this occuring.

Music might be another avenue, do you have one track that really lifts your spirits...I like the one from the Ghostbusters movie "Your love is lifting me higher" (??) it seems to work to an extent at times.

Reducing carbs might not be helpful, I have read that some who have reduced carbs, Clarence Bass (when he did) noticed he became really down and grumpy, and so do women on low carb diets...once Bass put carbs back into his diet he mentioned that his mood improved....so it might not be a bad idea to just increase them for a while and see how you feel...go for the good carbs obviously, not the chocolates and such.

I hope some of that has helped.

[almostfit]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the replies.
The sunlight thing really stuck a cord, I've been working long hours trying to finish my honours exegesis, most of which have been inside a dark studio or in my study late at night, so I think that might have made things worse.
Music's a great idea too, I've picked out some happy tunes to put on
I think carbs might have really had something to do with this, I had a tiny bit of brown rice with dinner last night and I slept so much better and actually got out of bed without having to convince myself today. I've been to the gym already and whilst it's not giving me the happy rush it used to i'm feeling a much lighter shade of blue.
Thanks for all the ideas.
I'm having a banana with my shake now