Feeling Depressed. Would appreciate advice.?

Question

I'd like first thank you for taking time to at least read this. I'm 14 a sophomore in highschool. but for about 7 months ive been feeling somewhat depressed. i know its not like really serious, i dont feel like committing suicide or anything. i just feel alone in most situations and that nothing i can do will ever be right. i know i shouldnt be, i have some of the greatest friends you could ask for, my oldest sister is amazing, she helps me through a lot and we seem to just get along. but i think id have a hard time talking to her about it. from what i know she had some form of depression around my age, i know my mom had it too. most likely my dad aswell. by no means do i want to be on medication for it. im already on adderall xr for help in school, could that possibly contribute to my depression? im just tired of this whole thing, i want to be happy but i cant. i was already thinking of talking to my parents, but im worried they'll think im some kind of nut job and try to get me into some kind of counselor, they have tried before because they caught me smoking pot. and please dont criticize me for that, it's the last thing i need, i only do it on occasion im not like some huge stoner. but any advice you could give me i would really appreciate it. thank you.

Answer 1

Hi there, depression is a big subject and is a bit beyond the scope of a sentence or two.  I have a website that deals with depression and might have a few tips that can really help you.  Just click on the depression tab.

There are some good links too that might help.

http://www.dream-life-coaching.com

Best of luck with this, don't give up.  

Answer 2

meh talking is the best help, talk to your sister and family it will help you out.

Answer 3

First of all don't beat yourself up about how you feel or what you do to give yourself  some relief. Yeah it's not the best solution but hey, you could be doing worse.

You say you shouldn't be feeling alone but when I was going through depression I was surrounded by people and yet I felt so isolated. The way I felt made me feel that way, not my social situation.

I'm no councillor but I'm a Mum and I have observed a great increase in the amount of young people who experience depression. I wonder if life has dealt you  guys a whole lot of false hope. When you're little kid your told you can be anything you want to be then you reach a certain age and find out that this is simply not true. Everything depends on how you look, how brainy you are, how popular you are or how cool you are, how much money you have...  the list goes on. On top of that you have to deal with your stress head parents (I'm one of those), teachers who seem to be either in your face or ignoring you, and the uncertainty of your future.

Keep a journal. Write about all your sh**y experiences and feelings and hide it.

If you can, surround yourself with things that you like, pictures, music and books...do you like drawing? Get a special book and draw your feelings no-matter how horrible or lame they are.

Take up meditation too that might help.

All the best and blessed be.  

  

Answer 4

Share it with someone in real life, someone that can understand you.

It would be helpful if you told us why you feel depressed.  

Answer 5

I'm not sure what Adderall is so I'm sorry but I can't help you with that, but I do have a few suggestions to try and counteract the depression.

First off, I should say that counselling can be a really great outlet and should be nothing to be afraid of, I think everyone needs counselling at some point in their life. I'm sure, especially, since your parents have felt depressed themselves, that they will be understanding of it. But you're not nuts and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Counsellors can really shed a lot of light on your problems and you won't feel as alone if you're able to talk about your problems. Plus, talking about it helps you to understand what the underlying reasons are.

It sounds like you're experiencing a lot of negative inner dialogue. You need to change what you're telling yourself - that inner voice. Positive affirmations are a great way to do that. Mediation is very calming as well. You can have daily inspirational messages sent to your computer everyday. You need to constantly surround yourself with positive feedback,paste positive statements about yourself on your walls, think of yourself in kind, loving ways., try and catch yourself whenever your inner dialogue is giving you negative feedback and try and change that. You probably wouldn't say things like that about other people so you should give yourself the same breaks. Have compassion for yourself. Make your surroundings a sanctuary - make it bright and colorful with all the things that you love, try and remove excess clutter - that can get depressing.

Orin's meditation room (on-line) is one of my favorites because you only have to go to that page and turn the audio up and then just relax on your bed and listen to the positive affirmations and relax. It's very soothing.

Also, you should rule out anything physical - anemia, low blood sugar levels - etc. Are you getting enough sleep and is it good quality sleep? Are you stressed?

- Bach flower remedies are really good. They go by your emotional state. You choose the emotions from the chart that correspond with your emotional state. Then you get a Bach remedy that will counteract that problem. It may sound hokey but I didn't even believe in it at all, and it works wonders for me. Even the "Rescue Remedy" works really well.

-Can you afford to go for a massage? A massage can be very theraputic.

-If you like to read, Creative Visualization is a fantastic book for changing and improving your life. They have short exercises that you can do every day.

-Yoga would probably be helpful too. You may be under a lot of stress and it's coming out as depression.

-Is there a Guidance Counsellor at school that you can talk to? It's private and that's what they're there for.

-Start a Gratitude Journal - this helps you to think of positive things in your life everyday

-Start an Accomplishment Book- List everything - big or small accomplishments - you will be surprised how full it will get and it's something to review when you're feeling down

-Prayer - if you're religious - you can always ask for God's help with your feelings of depression.

I hope these suggestions help!

Take care,

Answer 6

hey.im kinda going through the same thing here.im fourteen too,and i've been depressed cos' i havent gotten a scholarship which i really wanted.i suppose its okay to be depressed once in a while,everyone goes through it,its just how you deal with it,you know.maybe you should get up really one morning,and just watch a sunrise.all by yourself.think about all the good things you have.write them down on a piece of paper.im a girl by the way.my nicknames johnny.

just keep hanging on.p.s.go look up some funny videos on youtube.like the suite life of zack and cody or something.it really helps.

hang in there.god bless.will pray for you.

Answer 7

First it is NOT normal, but common.  You have a lot of irrational thoughts which are making you feel "sad" not depressed.  Depression is a very serious condition and most people that go to therapy for depression are just sad and thinking irrational.  You most likely won't need medication if you work at changing your irrational thoughts.  What is also driving some of these changes are the changes in hormones.  Since you did not indicate that you have the one true symptom of depression i would suspect that the physical changes you are going through will not cause you much problems if you do not let them.

I suggest reading and soing the exercises in "Feeling Good The New mood Therapy" by Dr. David Burns, M.D.  You may also want to check out the Albert Ellis Institute website and see what books they have that will help you at your age.

Good Luck,

Lucy

$.05 please

Answer 8

My daughter is (was) in the same position you are. It's normal what your feeling she came to me and told me of course I did the same thing thought maybe she needed someone to talk to and took her back to doctor and still she was depressed. A friend of mine told me to try some St John's Wort its to help with anxiety and depression. You can go to any  store for example Walmart, Walgreen's cvs etc.. and Get it where you find the vitamins it can cost anywhere from 3.00-8.00 a bottle depending on how many you want per bottle. My daughter takes that and it helps alot and its not habit forming and she seems alot happier since she started taking it. And its all natural but, as always you may want to talk to your parents. We dont always think our kids are crazy or nuts some of us do listen.