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MisterCrash

Depression is taking the fun out of skydiving, need help!

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Hello guys,

For several years I have been fighting depression. Skydiving has always been the one thing that got my spirits up and made me want to live again. But the last few weeks it seems I don't want to jump anymore. Each time I do, I land and I don't feel energized or happy anymore. The one thing I can still enjoy is high speed landings. The more dangerous stuff I do, the better I feel.

I really have to restrain myself not to hurt myself or others. I need help to find another way to get positive in life again.

Do any of you know ways I can fight depression other than pushing the limits of danger?
All speeding past collide and crashing, I'm in paradise.

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There are meds that you can take that if you find the right combination/dose can make a significant impact in your life.

Whatever you do end up doing though, don't push the limits in your jumping/swooping because if you're depressed now, ending up in a hospital won't help.
"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

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Try different meds. Everyone responds differently to different meds. It usually takes a while to figure out what works best for you. Even then it can change over time.
"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

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MisterCrash

I have been taking meds for years. Had electroshock therapy and other therapies. Nothing seems to work :(



Definitely keep trying different meds. Some people it takes years and years before they find one that works for them. Though it does sound like you've tried a number of different approaches so it's not like you're avoiding the issue.

One other small thing is to assess your diet and exercise regime. Do you eat mostly fresh food with plenty of fruit and vegetables? Do you exercise regularly? I've found these things to affect my moods and general outlook on life to a surprising extent.

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MisterCrash


Do any of you know ways I can fight depression other than pushing the limits of danger?



Get your blood checked for hormone and vitamin levels. Problems like low vitamin D levels can cause depression. Psychiatrists often don't look for things like that and vitamin levels aren't part of the usual CBC/metabolism panels so you may want to see an endocrinologist.

See a psychiatrist and try different anti-depressants until you find one which works for you. Buproprion (Wellbutrin) is unique in limiting dopamine reuptake thus increasing your levels (like adventure sports, except as time release pills so your levels are always more normal).

Get more exercise - at least an hour a day, preferably an hour and a half. Recommendations for a half hour a day may statistically reduce your chances for things like heart attack and diabetes but aren't enough to keep you healthy.

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There's no quick and easy cure for depression, you just have to keep trying stuff until you find something that works, and whatever you find that works may not continue to work over time. There are a lot of antidepressants you can get but people don't respond the same way to them, so on that front it's just a matter of finding one you respond well to and can tolerate the side effects of.

At the same time it's a good time to look for other reasons you might be depressed -- you could have a sleep disorder of some sort and constantly have low energy. It could be a food allergy or imbalance in your diet -- crashing off sugar or caffeine gets a lot of people down. It could be a vitamin deficiency or a need to get more exercise, as other people have mentioned in this thread. It could be PTSD, which therapy and meds seem to help.

It can take a while to work through the potential causes, but if you keep plugging away at it you're sure to find something or combination of things that works for you.
I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

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Good job reaching out. I have several people very very close to me who struggle with depression and anxiety and they're tough diseases. Diet is a HUGE part of managing any disease and for may counseling and/or therapy make a huge difference. You are not alone in this daily battle. Keep reaching out and fighting. Always look for things and people to help you stay strong and keep going.
In the "genie in a bottle" scenario my first wish would be for all those who suffer from depression/anxiety to be able to see themselves as their friends see them. We know how much you all mean to this world and to us. I always ask one friend to do me one favor, "be here tomorrow" and if she doesn't think she can be, "call me immediately". The hours long drives I've made have been completely worth ever second to continue to have her in my life.

"It is rare to realize how much you have taught the people in your life and just how much you mean to them." Keep fighting and reaching out for help.

With love and hope,
a brother
"The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."

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mcstain

One other small thing is to assess your diet and exercise regime. Do you eat mostly fresh food with plenty of fruit and vegetables? Do you exercise regularly? I've found these things to affect my moods and general outlook on life to a surprising extent.



These are things I used to be able to do but my energy levels are constantly so low I can't even make it to the gym that is only 1km from home. And making fresh food has never been my strong side. Though I will try to get some fruits into my body. Thx for the tips.

DrewEckhardt

Get your blood checked. Problems like low vitamin D levels can cause depression. Psychiatrists often don't look for things like that and vitamin levels aren't part of the usual CBC/metabolism panels so you may want to see an endocrinologist.


See a psychiatrist and try different anti-depressants until you find one which works for you. Buproprion (Wellbutrin) is unique in limiting dopamine reuptake thus increasing your levels (like adventure sports).



I did have my blood checked by my doctor and everything was okey then. But that was like 9 years ago when it first started. So maybe I'll have it checked again.

Wellbutrin was one of the first meds I took against depression. And at that time it didn't seem to have a great effect on me. But now the depression has gotten so bad it might be worth trying again. I'll ask my psychiater tomorrow.

FlyingRhenquest

At the same time it's a good time to look for other reasons you might be depressed -- you could have a sleep disorder of some sort and constantly have low energy. It could be a food allergy or imbalance in your diet -- crashing off sugar or caffeine gets a lot of people down. It could be a vitamin deficiency or a need to get more exercise, as other people have mentioned in this thread. It could be PTSD, which therapy and meds seem to help.

.

I did do a sleep research like a month ago and I do seem to wake up more than regular person. I still need to contact the hospital to see if there is something I can do to improve my sleep. Because I wake up more tired than I go to bed. Could that have something to do with my dreams? Almost every time I wake up, I am dreaming. And the dreams do involve a lot of stress...

I try to cut as much sugar out of my diet because depression caused me to gain a lot of weight. But one thing I still can't kick is cafeïne. I tell myself I need it to keep awake. But I'm long passed that momemt. Cafeïne has no effect on me any more. So I could just as well try to stop that nasty habit. I'll give it a try. Thx for the tips.

Tela


In the "genie in a bottle" scenario my first wish would be for all those who suffer from depression/anxiety to be able to see themselves as their friends see them.



I try to avoid friends as much as possible because I don't want them to see me suffer. They always ask me if there is anything they can do to help, but I don't even know how I can help myself.
All speeding past collide and crashing, I'm in paradise.

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antidepressants are never better than placebo and if you read about "tardive dysphoria" they can actually make depression worse in the long run. Only therapy helps, and dietary modification/exercise. Big Pharma will tell you there is a cure, but most depression is lifestyle. Get your Vitamin D checked and your testosterone levels as well...
You are not the contents of your wallet.

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As others have said, diet is vitally important. You need all the nutrients you can get - if you don't eat lots of fresh food, could you try making one fresh fruit/veg juice a day?

As for exercise, just get out in the fresh air. Tell yourself you will just do 5 minutes. Walk out of your front door and just go down the road for a couple of minutes. Don't just walk, observe absolutely everything in tiny detail. A crack in a paving slab, an insect on a flower, the colour of the sky, are there clouds, is it warm / cool, is there a breeze? Breathe deeply and slowly, then assess how your body feels. Do you feel energised / lethargic / tired / calm? How does your body react when you breathe in a deep breath?

Good luck. I have suffered with depression and it took time to overcome it, in baby steps.
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

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Yeah I'm a total caffeine addict, too. I was told that by a psychiatrist once based entirely in the information that I drank Mountain Dew. Kicked the habit for about 3 months and felt great after a couple weeks of nasty withdraw symptoms, then had to stay up late one nice and that was the end of that. I have definitely noticed that if I have caffeine after about 1PM, I'm not going to sleep very well that night.

Wellbutrin is really just the tip of the iceberg for meds and there are a lot of other ones you could try. I've never seen anyone respond well to Wellbutrin or Paxil, but they handled older seritonin reuptake inhibitors pretty well. I'm not a doctor, I just hang out with a lot of depressed people.

It does sound like there's something else going on though, so while you might find some meds that make the symptoms bearable, you should also work with your doctors to isolate the cause. Maybe get your thyroid checked, have a sleep study done, that sort of thing. I know a lot of folks who didn't even know they had a sleep disorder until they shacked up with a lady and were told that their snoring was REALLY bad. The story's usually the same -- they do a sleep study, get a CPAP machine and sleep like a rock for the first time in their lives.
I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

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"... It does sound like there's something else going on though, so while you might find some meds that make the symptoms bearable, you should also work with your doctors to isolate the cause. Maybe get your thyroid checked, have a sleep study done, that sort of thing. I know a lot of folks who didn't even know they had a sleep disorder until they shacked up with a lady and were told that their snoring was REALLY bad. The story's usually the same -- they do a sleep study, get a CPAP machine and sleep like a rock for the first time in their lives.

.................................................................................

Yes, that sounds like a diagnosis for sleep-apnia.

The original poster might want to get tested for sleep apnia.

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"... But one thing I still can't kick is cafeïne. I tell myself I need it to keep awake. But I'm long passed that momemt. Cafeïne has no effect on me any more. So I could just as well try to stop that nasty habit. I'll give it a try. ..."

......................................................................................

Caffeine is a difficult addiction. I drank military levels of caffeine (specifically coffee) for decades. Most of the military advice about coffee was worse than useless.
I still have not been able to kick my addiction to coffee, but after age 50 I figured out the correct dosage.
One of my problems is that my version of ADHD actually requires a small dose of caffeine - every morning - to convince 2 or more brain cells to agree.
1.5 cups of coffee seems ideal. But I cannot drink coffee in the afternoon because afternoon coffee breaks make it difficult to relax enough to fall asleep in the evening.

In the afternoons, I have to limit myself to green tea because it seems to contain the right combination of hydration and caffeine.
That is my personal experience with caffeine. Yours will vary. I just wish pharmacologists could map out caffeine dosages to help people. Also keep in mind that coffee, tea, Mountain Dew, chocolate, etc. contain caffeine in various dosages.

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Based on my personal experience of suffering from severe depression and severe anxiety disorders from the time I was 10 till 42 years old. During this period I was on many meds at varying dosages. Celaxa, Effexor, Zoloft, Zyprexa, Prozac, Paxil etc, the only time I got any relief was when the dosage was high enough that I was a semi functioning zombie.

Ditch the meds as soon as you can, slowly of course as going off them cold turkey is hard on the system, my cold turkey withdrawal lasted 6 months and consisted of feeling electric shock sensations through the body.

Change your diet, eliminate sugar, salt, alcohol , processed foods containing red dye, blue dye, nitrates, phosphates, msg and anything in the ingredients you can't pronounce, cut back / eliminate caffeine, artificial sweeteners and drink A LOT more water, at least 4-5 liters per day. Talk to a certified nutritionist.

Exercise daily, combination of cardio and weights, get enough sleep, 7- 9 hours per day.

See your doctor to run complete blood and body tests to determine if you are one of the small percentage of the population that has a chemical imbalance.

Find a therapist you can talk to and trust, thought patterns that drive depression and anxiety are a learned behavior and your body and brain are conditioned to behave in this manner unconsciously. It will take about a year of conscious thinking to reprogram the brain from depression and anxiety behaviors to more positive thought processes. ( For me I found Anthony Robbins Unleash the Power Within program did wonders.

As far as therapists and therapies I tried talk therapy, hypno therapy, music / art therapy, meditation and deep breathing. With these I only achieved very minor success. The therapist I had the most success with used acupuncture, Neuro Linguistic programming, Lifeline https://www.drdarrenweissman.com/ Sensory Evolution Technique http://www.play-shops.com/.

The other thing I did was go through my brain and wrote down all the things I could remember encountering in my life or doing that could contribute to me feeling like shit. wrote it all down, accepted what I could not change and apologised or made amends to everyone that I've wronged over the years
This is what worked for me, but everyone is different.

Edited to Add: Never give up, if something doesn't work then change your approach and try something else, keep changing your approach and trying something new until you find out what works.

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From all the answers, it looks like different things work for different people, huh? One thing that many have in common is taking charge of their lives, diets, caffeine, whatever. Put yourself in the driver's seat of your life, rather than falling into it.

And trying to get something bigger than you done (like legalization of marijuana in Europe) is part of taking charge.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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PLEASE, DO NOT AVOID YOUR FRIENDS. They are your friends for a reason. They care about you and would rather be there for you than be wondering when you're not there. Take strength from them. Talk with them. If there isn't a specific thing they can "do" tell them that, but for your safety and their sanity do not shut them out.

In my friends isolation has caused a downward spiral more often than not. Please, for everyone's sake get back around people who care. Tell them that the only thing they can do is shoot the shit and tell dirty jokes if that's what it takes.

When I don't hear from or see my family that suffers like you, I get scared and worry. Exercise, eat well, talk to the doc's and keep your friends in the loop. You are not alone. There are millions of people who fight just like you, everyday and there are millions of us who will fight with you.

This disease sucks, but we can manage it as micro-communities. I can't promise a cure or that I can fly to where you are, but I do promise to make people aware of what life is like and help everyone I can. Keep fighting
"The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."

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I feel like I'm in over my head here, but for me, being happy is about finding a good work-life balance, and finding hobbies and people that make me happy. Learning to scuba dive is one of the best things that I've ever done, and I'm much happier with my life since I added world travel a few times a year. You don't have to continue skydiving if it isn't making you happy anymore. Find something new and different, take the opportunity to explore new places and activities. For me, it's the exploration of the new that seems to bring the payoff in happiness.

My friends were different. I have a friend who sounds like you. He had depression, lack of energy, etc. He was diagnosed with a sleeping disorder, and got treatment for that. He also had a couple of children, and since then, he's been way happier and found a purpose. Children are not for everybody (including me, I don't want any), but for some people, they can give meaning to life. Others can find meaning in charity work, and so on.

"So many fatalities and injuries are caused by decisions jumpers make before even getting into the aircraft. Skydiving can be safe AND fun at the same time...Honest." - Bill Booth

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Quote

I did have my blood checked by my doctor and everything was okey then. But that was like 9 years ago when it first started. So maybe I'll have it checked again.



I think getting a physical that includes blood work should be your first step so you can rule out other illnesses. Call for an appointment tomorrow!
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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mcstain

***Mister Crash...
You are full of shit...



What the fuck is your problem?

Maybe the fact that he posted in Speakers Corner trying to glean votes online for legalizing cannabis in Europe?
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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