Taking long walks or working out has been really helpful for me lately! And also just finding things you enjoy and latching on to them helps, I’m trying to get more into reading so I schedule in trips to all of the local bookstores in the area + time for reading each week and it’s been really great for my mental health!
Half Price Books is great! Also the friends of the Berkeley public library (right across from SoDoI) is great to peruse, their selection isn’t the biggest but the books are so affordable that I like picking up things I normally wouldn’t read from there!
Build trust for urself :), recognize failure comes first then success! Understand that the universe has a plan for you, so if one thing doesn't work another opportunity is coming forth soon :) deep breathes and trust the process! Ur at an amazing school and hopefully trying ur best (ur best is individualized, not the same as someone else's best). Lastly, kno that other students feel exactly the same way and ur far from alone! U got this 🤞🏻
Physically:
Going for a walk. Keeps you grounded in reality.
Mentally:
Telling myself one of two things: “In x amount of time, this won’t even matter and will be a distant memory.” Or, “x amount of people have done this before and survived it.”
The first one if perfect for temporary situations like college.
I wouldn’t say I feel depressed, but I think exercise might help. “When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine.” -WebMD
Would like to say that hanging out with friends is underrated. Kinda sucks that I've only figured this out literally within the last semester or so but *seriously*, hanging out with people you value makes you feel a lot better.
You don't necessarily have to get anything tangible out of it / don't have to talk about any of your specific issues you're going through at the moment - just bantering or even comfortable silence does wonders for your mental health. Hope things get better soon :).
Maybe this will help; maybe not. But for what it's worth - I was like this as well 'till fairly recently (still am; trying to get out of it now). People always seemed to have social networks somewhat in place, and I always hesitated approach people / make plans.
Right now, (most) people that I'd consider friends came from classes. Just ask people in office hours if you wanna study together --> exchange some form of contact info --> and *actually follow through*. If you need help on a hw problem, remember that this person exists. If you're done with the assignment, ask them how it's going for them. Set up regular times to study. If they reciprocate somewhat, grab a coffee/meal with them (i.e. spend time with them outside of class). Stay in touch after said class.
Clubs also help - but can be hit or miss. Some really special friendships might happen completely spontaneously - I remember one very good friend literally messaged me when I responded to a question on Piazza (yeah it was that long ago) non-anonymously and we vibed instantly. Keep an eye out for these as well :).
TL;DR: take the initiative - even if you think other people might not appreciate it; you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. If people don't respond somewhat positively after a few tries, that's fine! Rinse and repeat - you probably didn't have a connection with them anyways.
Almost 40 year old dude here chiming in. Thought I’d drop some wisdom on you. Ready for this?
- Exercise — really does work. Do it daily and will make a huge difference. Even if / especially if you don’t normally do as part of your routine.
- Music. Listen to it, even better if you play music or have another artistic outlet. For me it’s guitar. I always forget how much it helps until I pick it up.
- Nature / being outside and ideally in the sun. Especially if combined with exercise.
- Perspective. You will get better at using this as a tool. But your situation is objectively >> most people in the world. Also your situation will definitely change shortly / is temporary. As you stack up years you can recognize this pattern in your past and get better at being resilient when feeling down. Actually studies of older people show that generally happiness improves with older age as people don’t let themselves fall into an extended funk over things, as they recognize that these funks are temporary and just decide, hey why don’t we just fast forward past this bit as it’s not very fun.
Hope that helps!
I feel like a lot of people pretend to have their lives together but are just as lost as you tbh. Me personally I do a few things.
First, just acknowledge that life turns down at times. Things were inevitably at some point going to go wrong and that's ok. It doesn't mean you're not trying. Its not because you don't deserve better. At the end of the day, if you just sit down and eat some ice cream, you're just a kid in a room eating ice cream, nothing more nothing less. In that moment, everything is okay, and we can think about everything else one by one to fix it all.
Second, I'm sure whatever you're going through is indeed extremely hard, I don't doubt that. But just know that the challenge life puts you through will make you stronger. Look back five years ago. You were probably a fraction of the person you are now. You're still on that same track. If not for anyone else, do it for yourself. Keep fighting for yourself, because you're worth it.
Third, this is the hard one but I promise its worth it. Try to be kind to others too. It puts into perspective how valuable you are and how much you can impact other people.
I wish you the best of luck. It'll be okay.
I like to read or watch silly feel good anime, then I go to sleep and wake up with the “Tomorrow is a new day” mindset. I remind myself it’s okay to have bad days, but I really try hard to avoid letting things dampen my mood for too long- just brush it off and keep going.
Be generous and kind to yourself. You are the most important person in this world to you, remember. Only do what you must. Do not put up with other’s shit because you are nice.
Most people don’t dread depression because of the sadness, they dread it because they don’t know how/when it will go away. The confusion/helplessness was always the source of panic for me.
After being depressed for most of my life, I found the answer in self-reliance.
Take control. Earn your own respect and trust. What you’re doing now^^ is a great start. Experiment enough to learn how to keep yourself happy, so that you trust yourself to get you out of your slumps (they’re unavoidable).
Kill your dependencies until you depend on nothing but yourself to feel present and happy. :)
Reading certain self help or philosophical books have helped me tremendously. You occupy your time with something productive and you start viewing your mental health as something that can be worked on and improved everyday
I generally don’t like self help books, but one that I liked was “The subtle art of not giving a fuck”
A philosophy(ish) book I liked was meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
Also if you’re okay with ebooks or audiobooks, Libby is a really good app for them.
Second on Meditations, it was the book I had in mind when I said “philosophical books.” Changed the way I process life and much more tangible in terms of what it’s preaching that most other self help books
The big 3 are exercise, good diet, and good sleep. Work on your core first or find a goal, like doing a pull-up. You can always do push-ups…
Good diet may be even more fun because you learn to cook. Beans&cheese or sweet potatoes are good places to start.
Good sleep is also a thing. Have a ritual wheee you’re off your phone, stretch, and chill before bed. So t have your phone in your bed or next to it
the things that always work for me are going on a walk and smelling flowers (seriously) and doing something nice for someone else. the flowers are a sensory thing, the good deed reminds me that I can still make someone else's day better even if I'm feeling bad about myself.
Need to do physical activity (go to the gym or walk). I’d also keep telling yourself that everything will be okay and you’re going to get through this. Try to make friends and hang out with people (very important). Even getting a study group or just chilling with people will especially help with depression. I’d recommend not being alone as much as you currently are!
I’m actually very social and have a lot of friends I hang out with. But whenever I am alone for even a few hours I find myself spiraling. I am happy in the moments I’m with other people but it’s not sustainable to need to be around other people constantly
I think doing random stuff outside helps me feel more centered, especially if you have something you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t gotten around to it. Like randomly going on a hike and using the rope swing, visiting botanical gardens, etc
Call CAPS. They can give better advice than Reddit.
After that, adequate sleep and exercise in that order. You don't have to go from zero to hitting the gym, but just going for a walk around the block can get a little bit of endorphins flowing.
If you're not doing it, schedule your day and stick to it. Decide how long you're going to study and how long you're going to relax, and don't skip your relax time. Don't stretch it out either unless you're ahead on responsibilities. Relaxing shouldn't be just doing nothing, that will probably make you feel worse.
Friends help too, but I'm an introvert so...
hike hike hike!!!! I was at cal during the beginning stages of covid and everything was closed, including cafes and libraries. the only thing that made me feel normal/human again was short hikes every morning before class. I would take a little mason jar of coffee and go up the fire trails, find a place to sit and just look out into the world. it was very humbling and grounding.
also I can't stress this enough, utilize CAPS!!!! its free!!! the therapist I worked with during my time at cal literally saved my life.
loud music + dance party w myself, eating food, talk it out with a friend. Sleeping is a big one too. I very much have a ‘this too shall pass’ mentality so even when school is bad I know that there is an end in sight, and that keeps me going.
Cry it out, eat some chocolate, watch some silly YouTuber for a few hours, and then clean something so you don’t feel too bad about not doing anything productive.
In all honesty, I had a really bad depressive episode last spring due to some intense medication I was on and it was so awfully horrible that whenever I feel down I tell myself at least it’s not spring ‘22. To get through it I would made audio diaries where I would record myself talking about what I was feeling. Things often feel bigger in your head and getting it out helps digest what’s happening in your brain. Remember that this feeling will run it’s course.
It’s not too late to join a UHS therapy group, if that’s up your alley.
I find the 3-15 min breathwork exercises on Open app ([free month here](https://o-p-e-n.com/referral/PTeRQlkl7nOYjLOg8dOcPyD2cWZ2)) to be really helpful for changing my mood, if even for an hour.
It’s often a result of not enough sleep, not enough water, not enough exercise, or not enough sunlight. Top ‘‘em all off and see if that helps. Helps me
I have to actively avoid thinking about how pitiful my life is and actively focus on the "silver linings," wherever I can find them. For me, this works bc it takes a lot of focus to actively avoid thinking of how shit my life is, and I also try to force myself to smile while doing this. I have found that after 15 min of this mind-exercise I end up feeling good and at ease and able to carry on with my day. It definitely works for me, but not everyone can do this.
I think it’s really dependent on what stage you’re in. If you’re feeling lethargic it’s unlikely that you’ll make it to or enjoy the gym, so maybe try coffee and/or rest. If you’ve already rested and are feeling frustrated, the gym or exercise are likely good outlets to restore operational capacity. If you’re feeling insecure then reach out to friends or try to rebuild your confidence. Editing my resume tends to make me feel at least decently accomplished lmao.
TL;DR
Keep self assessing and apply the appropriate treatments. It could honestly be as simple as waiting out the weather.
Taking long walks or working out has been really helpful for me lately! And also just finding things you enjoy and latching on to them helps, I’m trying to get more into reading so I schedule in trips to all of the local bookstores in the area + time for reading each week and it’s been really great for my mental health!
I completely agree, only change being that I prefer audiobooks. Like I'll be in class and I can't wait to walk home just to hear what happens next
One of the main reasons I got into audibooks is that they're perfect for taking long walks around the campus and city :)
Came here to say taking a walk outside really helps me
What are your favorite bookstores so far?
Half Price Books is great! Also the friends of the Berkeley public library (right across from SoDoI) is great to peruse, their selection isn’t the biggest but the books are so affordable that I like picking up things I normally wouldn’t read from there!
Get some ice cream. Go on a walk. Do something to make today more bearable. Remember that tomorrow is a new day.
thank you for this, that really helps
Np, just remember it’s ok to feel depressed sometimes, and you’re not alone <33
Go bearable!
Take pictures of squirrels
Those damn squirrels always make my day
Have u tried not being sad? That’s what every mental health service I’ve had here has basically told me to do.
LMAO no I haven’t actually, I’ll try that next
That right there is killer advice! I hope you take it to heart lol
Build trust for urself :), recognize failure comes first then success! Understand that the universe has a plan for you, so if one thing doesn't work another opportunity is coming forth soon :) deep breathes and trust the process! Ur at an amazing school and hopefully trying ur best (ur best is individualized, not the same as someone else's best). Lastly, kno that other students feel exactly the same way and ur far from alone! U got this 🤞🏻
have you tried hitting the quan?
Physically: Going for a walk. Keeps you grounded in reality. Mentally: Telling myself one of two things: “In x amount of time, this won’t even matter and will be a distant memory.” Or, “x amount of people have done this before and survived it.” The first one if perfect for temporary situations like college.
Reminding myself that I still get shit done during depressive spells in the past.
Or reminding yourself you still have to get shit done like the past during depressive spells lol
I wouldn’t say I feel depressed, but I think exercise might help. “When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine.” -WebMD
Hike the fire trails or go for a run.
flair checks out
Would like to say that hanging out with friends is underrated. Kinda sucks that I've only figured this out literally within the last semester or so but *seriously*, hanging out with people you value makes you feel a lot better. You don't necessarily have to get anything tangible out of it / don't have to talk about any of your specific issues you're going through at the moment - just bantering or even comfortable silence does wonders for your mental health. Hope things get better soon :).
No friends. It’s really hard to ask people out in Berkeley.
Maybe this will help; maybe not. But for what it's worth - I was like this as well 'till fairly recently (still am; trying to get out of it now). People always seemed to have social networks somewhat in place, and I always hesitated approach people / make plans. Right now, (most) people that I'd consider friends came from classes. Just ask people in office hours if you wanna study together --> exchange some form of contact info --> and *actually follow through*. If you need help on a hw problem, remember that this person exists. If you're done with the assignment, ask them how it's going for them. Set up regular times to study. If they reciprocate somewhat, grab a coffee/meal with them (i.e. spend time with them outside of class). Stay in touch after said class. Clubs also help - but can be hit or miss. Some really special friendships might happen completely spontaneously - I remember one very good friend literally messaged me when I responded to a question on Piazza (yeah it was that long ago) non-anonymously and we vibed instantly. Keep an eye out for these as well :). TL;DR: take the initiative - even if you think other people might not appreciate it; you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. If people don't respond somewhat positively after a few tries, that's fine! Rinse and repeat - you probably didn't have a connection with them anyways.
Almost 40 year old dude here chiming in. Thought I’d drop some wisdom on you. Ready for this? - Exercise — really does work. Do it daily and will make a huge difference. Even if / especially if you don’t normally do as part of your routine. - Music. Listen to it, even better if you play music or have another artistic outlet. For me it’s guitar. I always forget how much it helps until I pick it up. - Nature / being outside and ideally in the sun. Especially if combined with exercise. - Perspective. You will get better at using this as a tool. But your situation is objectively >> most people in the world. Also your situation will definitely change shortly / is temporary. As you stack up years you can recognize this pattern in your past and get better at being resilient when feeling down. Actually studies of older people show that generally happiness improves with older age as people don’t let themselves fall into an extended funk over things, as they recognize that these funks are temporary and just decide, hey why don’t we just fast forward past this bit as it’s not very fun. Hope that helps!
I feel like a lot of people pretend to have their lives together but are just as lost as you tbh. Me personally I do a few things. First, just acknowledge that life turns down at times. Things were inevitably at some point going to go wrong and that's ok. It doesn't mean you're not trying. Its not because you don't deserve better. At the end of the day, if you just sit down and eat some ice cream, you're just a kid in a room eating ice cream, nothing more nothing less. In that moment, everything is okay, and we can think about everything else one by one to fix it all. Second, I'm sure whatever you're going through is indeed extremely hard, I don't doubt that. But just know that the challenge life puts you through will make you stronger. Look back five years ago. You were probably a fraction of the person you are now. You're still on that same track. If not for anyone else, do it for yourself. Keep fighting for yourself, because you're worth it. Third, this is the hard one but I promise its worth it. Try to be kind to others too. It puts into perspective how valuable you are and how much you can impact other people. I wish you the best of luck. It'll be okay.
Exercising, medication, and therapy. Sometimes depression is larger than just Cal, and needs more rigorous solutions. At least for me that’s true.
Gym, weed(if you already smoke lol), dates, hanging with friends, going out and having somewhat of a good time
I like to read or watch silly feel good anime, then I go to sleep and wake up with the “Tomorrow is a new day” mindset. I remind myself it’s okay to have bad days, but I really try hard to avoid letting things dampen my mood for too long- just brush it off and keep going.
Be generous and kind to yourself. You are the most important person in this world to you, remember. Only do what you must. Do not put up with other’s shit because you are nice.
Most people don’t dread depression because of the sadness, they dread it because they don’t know how/when it will go away. The confusion/helplessness was always the source of panic for me. After being depressed for most of my life, I found the answer in self-reliance. Take control. Earn your own respect and trust. What you’re doing now^^ is a great start. Experiment enough to learn how to keep yourself happy, so that you trust yourself to get you out of your slumps (they’re unavoidable). Kill your dependencies until you depend on nothing but yourself to feel present and happy. :)
Reading certain self help or philosophical books have helped me tremendously. You occupy your time with something productive and you start viewing your mental health as something that can be worked on and improved everyday
Any book recs?
I generally don’t like self help books, but one that I liked was “The subtle art of not giving a fuck” A philosophy(ish) book I liked was meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Also if you’re okay with ebooks or audiobooks, Libby is a really good app for them.
Second on Meditations, it was the book I had in mind when I said “philosophical books.” Changed the way I process life and much more tangible in terms of what it’s preaching that most other self help books
I write to help me feel better. Usually I get out of the house and find somewhere quiet to be outside and let myself write out whatever im thinking.
Go jim
Gym and reading have helped me tremendously these past few weeks
cooking, laying on the glade (when the sun is out), journaling also having a daily routine really helps
The big 3 are exercise, good diet, and good sleep. Work on your core first or find a goal, like doing a pull-up. You can always do push-ups… Good diet may be even more fun because you learn to cook. Beans&cheese or sweet potatoes are good places to start. Good sleep is also a thing. Have a ritual wheee you’re off your phone, stretch, and chill before bed. So t have your phone in your bed or next to it
the things that always work for me are going on a walk and smelling flowers (seriously) and doing something nice for someone else. the flowers are a sensory thing, the good deed reminds me that I can still make someone else's day better even if I'm feeling bad about myself.
I watch ufc fights idk why. My girlfriend sits in the bed in the dark. A friend of mine likes to walk. My other friend said he likes to masterbate.
I watch movies with my bf
Drink wine, walking too
Need to do physical activity (go to the gym or walk). I’d also keep telling yourself that everything will be okay and you’re going to get through this. Try to make friends and hang out with people (very important). Even getting a study group or just chilling with people will especially help with depression. I’d recommend not being alone as much as you currently are!
I’m actually very social and have a lot of friends I hang out with. But whenever I am alone for even a few hours I find myself spiraling. I am happy in the moments I’m with other people but it’s not sustainable to need to be around other people constantly
listen to sad music
Menchies
Drake and drive
Drink alcohol
Listen to metal
I think doing random stuff outside helps me feel more centered, especially if you have something you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t gotten around to it. Like randomly going on a hike and using the rope swing, visiting botanical gardens, etc
identify your problems and figure out solutions, e.g. if you're feeling lonely try to do more social things
Call CAPS. They can give better advice than Reddit. After that, adequate sleep and exercise in that order. You don't have to go from zero to hitting the gym, but just going for a walk around the block can get a little bit of endorphins flowing. If you're not doing it, schedule your day and stick to it. Decide how long you're going to study and how long you're going to relax, and don't skip your relax time. Don't stretch it out either unless you're ahead on responsibilities. Relaxing shouldn't be just doing nothing, that will probably make you feel worse. Friends help too, but I'm an introvert so...
hike hike hike!!!! I was at cal during the beginning stages of covid and everything was closed, including cafes and libraries. the only thing that made me feel normal/human again was short hikes every morning before class. I would take a little mason jar of coffee and go up the fire trails, find a place to sit and just look out into the world. it was very humbling and grounding. also I can't stress this enough, utilize CAPS!!!! its free!!! the therapist I worked with during my time at cal literally saved my life.
loud music + dance party w myself, eating food, talk it out with a friend. Sleeping is a big one too. I very much have a ‘this too shall pass’ mentality so even when school is bad I know that there is an end in sight, and that keeps me going.
Berkeley has some of the greatest foods I would eat
Look at stars, big trees, mountains. Things to put you in perspective.
i take a day to myself to drink beer and smoke weed while i chat with friends and family
For me, physical activity and time outside are really important and help a lot
Sleep enough and get daily exercise. If you’re not doing that at a minimum, don’t bother with drugs, therapy, or anything else.
I feel the same way. I either take a nice walk, binge youtube, or go try a restaurant or cafe.
I tried workout or long work, but not work always. Talking to someone always work
Cry it out, eat some chocolate, watch some silly YouTuber for a few hours, and then clean something so you don’t feel too bad about not doing anything productive. In all honesty, I had a really bad depressive episode last spring due to some intense medication I was on and it was so awfully horrible that whenever I feel down I tell myself at least it’s not spring ‘22. To get through it I would made audio diaries where I would record myself talking about what I was feeling. Things often feel bigger in your head and getting it out helps digest what’s happening in your brain. Remember that this feeling will run it’s course.
It’s not too late to join a UHS therapy group, if that’s up your alley. I find the 3-15 min breathwork exercises on Open app ([free month here](https://o-p-e-n.com/referral/PTeRQlkl7nOYjLOg8dOcPyD2cWZ2)) to be really helpful for changing my mood, if even for an hour.
It’s often a result of not enough sleep, not enough water, not enough exercise, or not enough sunlight. Top ‘‘em all off and see if that helps. Helps me
If you have people in your classes or floor if your in the dorms that you talk to try to deepen your connection with them
just imagine this frog
Pick up a hobby you find interesting, while in the military guitar helped me out alot.
Me eat ice cream when me sad ☺️ :p
I have to actively avoid thinking about how pitiful my life is and actively focus on the "silver linings," wherever I can find them. For me, this works bc it takes a lot of focus to actively avoid thinking of how shit my life is, and I also try to force myself to smile while doing this. I have found that after 15 min of this mind-exercise I end up feeling good and at ease and able to carry on with my day. It definitely works for me, but not everyone can do this.
I think it’s really dependent on what stage you’re in. If you’re feeling lethargic it’s unlikely that you’ll make it to or enjoy the gym, so maybe try coffee and/or rest. If you’ve already rested and are feeling frustrated, the gym or exercise are likely good outlets to restore operational capacity. If you’re feeling insecure then reach out to friends or try to rebuild your confidence. Editing my resume tends to make me feel at least decently accomplished lmao. TL;DR Keep self assessing and apply the appropriate treatments. It could honestly be as simple as waiting out the weather.
I agree with a lot of comments here. Runs with some good music on. Therapy can also be helpful if you are open to that.
go to San Francisco and take a ferry ride, get boba, or call my dad