Dealing with anxiety and depression without meds

[barbaar]

Hey guys. For a very long time, PSSD numbed my emotions so much I couldn't feel any anxiety or depression. This seems to be subsiding (very slowly), which means all that fun stuff is coming back again a little bit. I was wondering if there is any Papi Gbol™ approved way of dealing with this, as I'm obviously never touching antidepressants again.

I know the obvious things are:
- Exercise
- Quality sleep
- Quality food
- Mindfulness meditation

Now I only need to get off my ass and do them...

If anyone knows anything else that might help, please post it here.

 

[Sam90]

I've found that gardening is very therapeutic. I've actually chosen it as a career as I haven't been able to cope with stress and pressure situations since ssri's. Working with the soil, being outside and being in touch with the seasonal changes has really helped keep me grounded. Maybe just growing some of your own herbs or vegetables is a place to start? I also think cold showers are a good way to start the day although that routine has slipped a bit during the winter months!

 

[Shanks]

Do cooking, it is also relaxing. If possible get a dog. They are a livesaver...

 

[MNK99]

For me things like running,
straight razor shaving (and honing with japanese water stones) helped my focus/add/and morning anxiety.
-***I don't recommend this for anyone crashing from PSSD or PFS and having suicidal thoughts***
-In general, it made me more of a morning person.. or I tolerated mornings and could attack the day, whereas usually I lived for the night. I could not be on time in mornings... this helped and it taught me an art too.

-Cooking also is good. I'm pretty impatient tho. Music and walking helps a ton too. I could in my main city, can't so much in the suburbs where I am now unfortunately. Maybe walk at nights if you can and try and clear your head.

 

[barbaar]

Thanks for the replies guys, it means a lot. I'll try starting the day with cold showers for a while, see what that does. Sadly I can't get a dog or garden since I live in student housing, but cooking and going for walks sound like good ideas.

 

[Canari]

Good stuff to start the year!

You chose the off topic forum, and there is a forum about stress, in the human body forum... I have posted free ressources.
Understanding is also good, to know what happens. Numbness is a freeze response, but just hiding the high energy below, fight and flight. The goal is to unfreeze little and discharge the energy. You can actually imagine this with your hands on the metal pipes of any house water pipe, or heating. You can do it with the ground even if you do not garden. Feel your anxiety inside when it comes up, and imagine you channel it out through your hands.

I am a life long gardener and have worked in pedagogic farms with animals. All this work. You can volunteer in a dog shelter, for walking dogs out.

 

[Shadow]

@barbaar I was thinking about this too, when I realized how fucked up is this shit! I used to feel something on my stomach when I was anxious, and other day, I did get a little anxious, and the feeling was numbed, I mean, not emotionally but phisically!! Im planning on doing some Ayahuasca rituals a couple of times

 

[Canari]

and the feeling was numbed, I mean, not emotionally but phisically!!

Yes, emotions are from the limbic brain, and they correspond, and even come from, places in the autonomic nervous system, and this is responsible for the numbness, and anxiety when you come out of numbness. I am really happy for you that you noticed it was physical before emotional! This is the best way to remove it from you, treat the physical part first!

Im planning on doing some Ayahuasca rituals a couple of times

That helps to, and you are at a good place for this, not far from the Amazon... I guess you know a real shaman is necessary, and not a touristic tour... Is is so much popular now that you can find it too easy in Europe too, and there are some accidents, so better to be warned... Some people have re-lived some difficult experiences they got with mushrooms, and it needed to be well accompanied.
Shadow, do you know kambo for detox?

 

[Shadow]

Yes, emotions are from the limbic brain, and they correspond, and even come from, places in the autonomic nervous system, and this is responsible for the numbness, and anxiety when you come out of numbness. I am really happy for you that you noticed it was physical before emotional! This is the best way to remove it from you, treat the physical part first!


That helps to, and you are at a good place for this, not far from the Amazon... I guess you know a real shaman is necessary, and not a touristic tour... Is is so much popular now that you can find it too easy in Europe too, and there are some accidents, so better to be warned... Some people have re-lived some difficult experiences they got with mushrooms, and it needed to be well accompanied.
Shadow, do you know kambo for detox?

Yes, I know how the rituals should be done and all that stuff. When you decide doing the ritual you should be prepared to look at yourself, without any filter. One of my friends just spent a month at the tribe who discovered the Kambo =)

 

[Canari]

Do you know if it is better to clear as much as possible with liver flush and have lymphatic system ok before doing the kambo? Or is it the best when you have lymph nodes? That's pretty hard stuff...

It can be helpful for people who have to clear toxicities?

 

[Shadow]

Do you know if it is better to clear as much as possible with liver flush and have lymphatic system ok before doing the kambo? Or is it the best when you have lymph nodes? That's pretty hard stuff...

Kambo is no joke! this is all that I can tell you, the thing is nasty! It goes beyond a detox, this friend of mine told me that it is like crashing all your immune system, like a reset button.

 

[Canari]

Yes maybe you did not know how it is in other countries, that they do not always tell you well enough, and the protocoles, and how to keep your energy with you, and you need good ikaros etc. Very important for people to know all this. Some people have it too bad, and others have nothing because the dose is badly made.

 

[Shadow]

Yes maybe you did not know how it is in other countries, that they do not always tell you well enough, and the protocoles, and how to keep your energy with you, and you need good ikaros etc. Very important for people to know all this. Some people have it too bad, and others have nothing because the dose is badly made.

Yes, the first time of my friend was a mess, it wasnt enough to crash the system and he got a really bad acne for a good time. And when done right, well... I think that you know what happens heheheh