How to Break Out of a Depressed Mood | Being Well

[@Yourhighnessnona]

I travelled all by myself through The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and back to The Netherlands, for over half a year, listing to all your episodes and I felt you were my closest friends during my trip. I've learned so much, and my adventure wouldn't be the same without you guys. This is such valuable information ❤ Love, from Amsterdam

[@ForrestHanson]

This is really touching, thank you for listening!

[@jo5546]

I really appreciate how Forrest kept remembering to acknowledge reality: if you understand depression at all - when people are suffering to that extent, enjoying nothing, feeling apathetic, lethargic & low energy - struggling with ADL’s - some of these suggestions sound like … drifting into an ableist misunderstanding. One of the hardest things for depressed folks is the agenda of others who can’t tolerate their depression and need them to change. Hopefully they can find therapists who can simply allow and be with them where they are, and accept them - that’s a really good environment for the client to find their own space & freedom to heal.

[@babygonda1226]

No one talks about the vaccine..

[@babygonda1226]

The effects are showing and autoimmune diseases are all over..

[@jencart207]

Even cleaning the room can be too much. But sometimes just clearing off one small table and maybe putting some wildflowers or a a new ornament on it can be a start

[@Therika7]

Exactly ❤

[@lisaorlando1224]

I would really appreciate it if you would address the kind of depression that, rather than being rooted in sadness and low self esteem, is rooted in hopelessness and despair. Also, in all the years of the pandemic (which may never be over for a lot of us), I only ever heard one person talk about how, for those of us who are elderly and isolated (which includes millions of women), the pandemic meant that our hopes of still making a contribution, and our chances for a meaningful and maybe even adventurous end of life are gone. And our ability to engage in behavioral activation is really impaired. We’re more likely to be hoping that death with dignity comes soon.

[@myfuturepuglife]

Although it can be difficult to help ourselves with the brain fog that comes with MDD, I am grateful to hear this message. Thank You.

[@constantinaolstedt]

Just in this process...winter and spring was like swimming in tar....this episode came very timely, thankyou from Stockholm, Sweden 💐

[@foreigndaruma9825]

Thank you for this, woke up today after a few days of sneaky anhedonia brought on by poor sleep and felt like I'd been hit by a freight train. Been trying to get back up, and felt like I had, after a long Swedish winter, but it's rarely that easy with depression. Today, I'm just holding the line and this episode is really helping with that, along with journaling, mindfulness and clumsy attempts at self-compassion. Hope you're doing well and, again, thank you.

[@peacefulisland67]

If I may, once a person has been left to become taken over by anything- depression, anxiety, obsession, addiction, self harm, harming others- they become our collective responsibility. They become the way for each of us to practice our humanity without expectation of any kind of external relief or reward. We attend to those who cannot because it's the way. This is not codependency but a spiritual recognition and practice. There will always be those who need our help. No finish line. Just support. The reasons why are out of my understanding but my obligations are clear. If we get frustrated by a seeming lack of "progress", that isn't the other's issue, it's mine. You never know who is Bodhisattva. Treat the entity not the symptom, at least not beyond stabilization. 🙏😑

[@KandyKoatedKrafts]

Excellent comment! 🧡🍁🧡

[@barbarajean7208]

This was spot-on, guys. Crossfit really helps me to get out of the rut, even if momentarily. I appreciate the practical tools that are easy to remember: mindfulness, self compassion and other compassion. I intuitively knew that fostering a dog would help me through this current rough patch. Thank you!!’

[@monikatomaszuk6079]

Thank you for creating this episode, I really needed to hear this. Sometimes getting myself out of a low mood cycle feels impossible so I really appreciate your advice, and how you deliver it, in such a caring and compassionate way. Thank you 🙏

[@davidskalish]

Taking a long walk can improve well being, as often as you can. It’s low impact . the benefits are many. Use you smartphone to monitor your steps / progress . Turn it up a notch and go biking , another notch is join a cross-fit organization Exercise is key toward peace of mind.

[@andrewbaker8373]

The most realistic and professionally grounded explorations of this subject and field. Thank you

[@lindyvandenbosch9539]

I have had anxiety attacks since age 3 or 4. Diagnosed with depression at age 11. That was in 1991..... I am 44 now and I still struggle with depression weekly. My whole life is shut down because of it. It's never gone away.

[@davidlampert5884]

Some great ideas here, thanks. One difficulty I have using body-based, interoceptive mindfulness is when people have chronic pain. Just being is not pleasant for them, but uncomfortable.

[@peacefulisland67]

In recent days I've found the gift of desperation and honest, demanding prayer have lifted me out of a total CPTSD funk. Even being literally surrounded by a current overwhelming and triggering issue, admitting to hitting an internal wall and then insisting very specifically that I get what I need to rise above my self-obsessing tendencies is working. Whether the honest and clear pleas are being heard only by my subconscious Self or by God, the heaviness has been diluted!!

[@syxx7wun]

This episode and Jelly Roll's "I Am Not Okay" just falling into my life in the past few days. Must be fate.

[@elizabethhorton7]

Thank you both so much! I'm so grateful for the quality of these videos and discussions. This episode is very timely for me and the reminder of the pathologizing myself is immediately helpful. Even the reminders of things I had forgotten. The normalising not being happy is big.

[@TheYazmanian]

I'm so thankful that I found this channel. I have suffered from depression ever since I was in my teens but it really didn't peak until my father passed away when I was 17 and I've been struggling since. It's been up-and-down and currently I'm off the wagon again for lack of a better term. Grief has sort of sent me spiraling and listening to you to talk in such a calm manner and really intellectualizing all of this I find it very comforting and grounding and I deeply Thank You from the bottom of my Heart for creating this Free Content

[@jennavolution]

Forrest I love your show with your dad it’s really insightful and beautiful. I would really really love to hear you both discuss the introject. This internal “monster” puts those of us with PTSD at risk and can be very challenging to know how to organize it when it’s loud. Is this a concept you are familiar with? Hope to hear you discuss!

[@TheYazmanian]

That monster you refer to is what Chester Bennington called the voice inside his head that was hell-bent on taking him down and destroying him. I have that mean ugly voice as well and I don't know where it came from or whose voice it really is, but through meditation and mindfulness I've learned to not get emotionally involved with it as much.

[@JohnLeggio]

I appreciate the thought, effort and consideration that you two put into these vids. Thank you! But I can't help but worry about the plant that's over your dad's right shoulder 🤭. What is the other plant getting that the limp one isn't? Maybe my depression causes me to identify and relate with the wilting plant... Honestly, the stark contrast between the two plants also resonates with me. Many around me are thriving like the vibrant plant, yet I wilt and wither (while I stand right beside them). I wonder if the healthy plant wishes it could help its anemic neighbor.

[@ForrestHanson]

If I'm remembering right it's a different species of plant that has fewer, more variegated leaves. But I'll ask Rick and see if we can get it a little TLC.

[@JohnLeggio]

​​@@ForrestHanson in an attempt to be mindful, I realized how preoccupied i was with the (seemingly fatigued and desperate) plant... Then, to put some distance between myself and my rumination i said to myself 'I'm distracted by this plant", then "I notice I'm distracted by this plant' and watched as the thoughts left me (kind of like when bubbles are blown... you see one then touch it and simply dissolves)... But over and over i kept going back to the plant!!!..I saw the contrast between the two plants as an excellent example of what I feel like when I'm depressed...wilting away, while in the company of others who are thriving.

[@joysachs9032]

​@@JohnLeggioso mindful and self aware of you. Well done. May your inner plant get lots of nurturing and thrive, Soon. ❤

[@joysachs9032]

Thanks as always for your down to earth chats with us all. Yesterday, I happened upon Dr Karen Rutherford and her discussion (and TED talk) about "Hidden Depression". It suddenly became much clearer to me. And a wash of relief poured over me.

[@jasminfromgermany7960]

If you are feeling terribly sad, your being is sadness which is so painful that you just cant stand it. And this extreme sadness is there without negative thinking its like the weather . This intense horrible sadness and desperation: how can overcome it? . What can help in this situation?.

[@Zar2244]

Thankyou for speaking about ruminating, very helpful. Really kind and helpful to many, Forrest, to share your own story at the end.

[@ildimolnar2021]

As someone struggling with depression for the past few years, there's some great insights in here, I definitely will be revisiting this episode a few more times, thank you for the valuable content!

[@photo80sjeff84]

Ruminating thoughts....💯 I do this last few weeks. Looking into all this good information. I feel depressed..but, if I had a decent career I think I would not be depressed, so I'm just sad? 🤷‍♂️ either way, not a good place to be in.

[@sharynmain]

Only you would know how you feel… whether it be sad or depressed the tide will hopefully turn. As Rick mentioned we are in a globally high numbers of mental health issues … depression predominately. So I say that because even if you did think that a better flourishing career would solve the issue … for whatever would make it that way… security/ wealth / connections… there are many who have solid productive careers/ jobs … so how do we still have all of this current cases of depression? I say this not to be doom and gloom but to reflect that you , like me or someone else is sad/depressed at some stage or longer. Maybe that could help reframe the moment and comfort the darker moments. It’s hard … accepting the current feeling when really we want to step over it to something more calm and uplifting. 😊

[@craigherriot4026]

Extremely helpful, thanks.

[@aliakapoor]

Such a simple discussion yet so deeply impactful.

[@mystichash]

Been down so long it looks like up.

[@Vinemaple41]

Thank you! A very timely and much needed episode. Listening to you guys talking about this and reading all the comments make me feel I'm not alone in dealing with this issue

[@stroganoff2917]

Thank you for your valuable video all the time. I am really stressed frustrated grief and anxiety depressed but my psychiatrist does not admit my diagnosis of depression and I live in a hell. What should I approach and tell my psychiatrist?

[@aguedagarciairizar7092]

I think next time deepening on the triggers and most of all, what brings us back to well being (which tend to be similar each time, tied to our innermost pleasures in life) is fundamental, as a therapist. Thanks

[@laursd4866]

So helpful...thank you!

[@purenergywellness17]

Thank you for a fantastic episode. Love that the two of you are collaborating together to bring incredibly helpful information to so many people in need of it! I certainly will be sharing this with many others. Thank You!

[@KH-rr8mg]

Thank you for these videos.❤

[@twilfits]

Thanks!

[@ForrestHanson]

Focused this episode on the crux of a depressed mood: having one makes it harder to access the tools that help us break out of it. What's helped you through this?

[@suzannawylie8684]

I'm looking forward to this one. I've learnt techniques for looking after myself during depression, and what helps in the often long slow process of climbing out of that deep dark well. Things like eating healthily, keeping a clean room, showering every day, move the body in some way daily (yoga is magic). But I would like to strengthen my resilience to setbacks, and learn ways of dealing with the harsh self-criticism and lack of self-confidence that can send me spiralling. The last thing is that sometimes unexpected stimulation can pop you out of a depressive episode - I remember once having been depressed for months and a housemate gave me a sci-fi novel to read (Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke) - and it's sheer weirdness and creativity blasted my neurons back into a better mood. It was like medicine.

[@loisjeanmclaughlan5757]

Love listening to the two of you, but quite honestly this particular discussion felt overwhelming to me. Have been depressed the majority of my life, and tried so many things. Felt like too many ideas for me to handle so kind of shut me down. Maybe would be helpful to have less material spread out over more talks.

[@terryg4415]

Thank you. I needed this today.

[@mariesnyder1313]

I found a couple of your older videos on rumination, but where do we access the workshop??

[@fateimashaikh4069]

You guys are great.

[@effy1219]

Why it took so long for one to get “ oh one day, they suddenly get better, I actually also don’t know how to intervene people don’t have motivation to work out”

[@gaylaaustin7468]

Excellent

[@ziggystardust457]

He looks like Astarion from BG3

[@moonshineonme75013]

12:34

[@gdmnsdgl]

talk about a pertinent topic lol

[@babygonda1226]

Having hot feelings all over

[@dorijoe]

Part of the reason we are depressed is how institutions such as the World Health Organisation operates. Please stop referring to the WHO as a legitimate medical authority.

[@Therika7]

Thanks!