Hi guys! :)
I have been depressed for over 10 months now. It's kind of a long story but I'll try to make it clear and concise.
about 3 years ago, I started in a new school. The school is very demanding and has a lot of homework, so it takes a lot of mental energy out of me (which also makes me feel physically tired). I didn't realize it, but the schoolwork was really taking a toll on me, and raising my stress levels. Last May, I noticed that I didn't feel quite "right". The best way I can describe it is that I don't feel like "myself", or that things didn't look right. I had this abrubt moment when I realized something was wrong, I didn't know quite what, but it was definitely wrong. So then, the anxiety started. I was always worrying something would happen, particularly that I would die. I guess I figured that if I didn't feel "right", that meant I was going to die. I then began to search for answers. Why was I feeling so unlike myself? I thought something was physically wrong with me, but every doctor I went to see said I was in perfect physical shape. Then I saw my family doctor. She took one look at me and said I was depressed. I thought, "How can you tell from just a glance at me?". I was in disbelief, but over the next few months, I came to terms with the fact that I was depressed. I accepted the idea that I was feeling strangely because I was depressed, not because I had a physical problem. Then, I began to research self help techniques. I wanted to know what I could do to to help myself feel good again. I found that exercise, particulary running, is excellent for people who are depressed. I also discovered eating very healthy foods, drinking tons of water, and taking supplements like Omega 3's, vitamin B's, and vitamin D, are especially good for depression. Sleep is also essential. This is not the entire story, but the main idea of it.
I have used these methods a lot throughout the past 10 months, and I am frustrated to find that I am still not feeling back to my old self. Now I am wondering, what else must I do to help myself feel good again? The exercise has definitely been helping, but it's not making my entire sense of well being return.
Has anybody here recovered from depression that can give me any advice or tips on what I can do? If anyone has comments or something they would like to say, please do. Please let me know if you have any questions, as well.
Thank you!
ps. I have also been having a chest twitch for a few days, and muscle tension on the left and right side of my chest, as well as occasional very dull chest pain (like soreness). The soreness is usually on the left, but is sometimes on the right. It makes me feel even more anxious than normal. I have been having the actual chest soreness since December off and on. I'm guessing my stress manifests in chest tension.