kmk- my friends are still my friends, they are a big help in my recovery, laugh with me and at me, cry when I dont, and lots of encouraging interactions. I can count my true friends on my hands. Acquaintances, people I knew - yep but I don’t have time for their drama and chaos. I even had workmates who wanted to come to ICU and one or two had the audacity to call and try to ask my NOD (Nurse of the Day) information, when the Secretary said HIPPA. I can honestly and emphatically report the staff at Wake Forest Baptist Neuro ICU were all well trained professionals besides the fact they saved my life for 26 days 
Moltrub you are very right about these strategies to manage depression. I would suggest people check out flylady.com She has a way of managing housework in a positive way and it helped me out to get out of my funk when we first moved to Hawaii. I have a hard time saying goodbye and adapting to different locales. At least my house was clean as I slowly became accustomed to being a stay at home wife. I eventually got involved in activities like hula,painting and eventually did go back to work for a short while
until an anuerysm put me out of work then followed by a severe car accident(not my fault) that finished my career as a doctor. Going back to the routines I had established through the flylady website made it mmore easy for me to return to regular basic activities of daily living.
Theresa - too many drunk drivers have changed too many lives. But I am so grateful to you! I went over and took a look at flylady.net and I signed up for the emails. Saw the address was just in Brevard which is a nice drive from where I live. I might get to see her in action…I do easily get overwhelmed when things get chaotic and though I do the slice of pie technique, there are times I don’t know what to do. Her entries are really positive, just what we needed! Thank you!
We moved from HA to CA. Both my sister and oldest brother could hula. I still enjoy poi to this day thanks to some man who fed me at Tripler.
Morning ladies, following your messages. Very positive, going to check out that web site. Doctor ?, I’m a nurse, surgical . We are strong women we will come back strong no matter how long it takes. A step at a time
Here’s the link to Theresa’s suggested site: http://flylady.net
She also has YouTube videos that are very inspiring. Again thank you Theresa, wonderful resource!
Good news Pat! Spell check works on my iPad on this site. And thanks for the suggestion on YouTube, I’ll have to check it out!
Great ! Thanks for your thoughts!
I also have ME (think you call it CFIDS over there) and at the rehab clinic that was offered not long after I first got ill we were made aware of ANTs - autonomous negative thoughts. Tthese are the thoughts that get in before you can stop them, and are pulling you down unnecessarily. We were told to continually be on the look out for ANTs and whenever we came across one, to SQUISH it!
It is, as you say, a daily training exercise if you want to keep positive in the face of uncertainty and multiple symptoms- which for me are continually putting life into a whole different place from where it was back 5 years ago. But I make sure I have my best squishing sneakers on at all times these days, and don't let the little creepy-crawlies anywhere near!
Great suggestion malalatete!
Well...how about organic, dark, dark chocolate...that in 80+% cacao...
Moltroub said:
Thought of another thing - limit alcohol and marijuana use. Both are stimulants and depressants. Why would we think a depressant could help us get out of depression?!
There was actually a clinical trial here in the UK at (I think) Newcastle University/Hospital which examined the impact of chocolate in people with ME/CFS (CFIDS). I think from memory it showed that people had a measured improvement in their well-being when given doses of 80% chocolate three times a day (duh.... you don't say!). I have looked and looked for the requests for candidates for a follow up study....so far no luck!
Moltroub and All here...
For some time, I have addressed the limbic system...and it some times being called the "emotion brain"...
have discussed the different structures, like the hippocampus, thalamus; the hypothalamus which connects to our pituitary... the sphenoid bone, the cavernous sinus...and more terms/structures.
Then, a particular record of mine used the term "medial temporal lobe"...
Yesterday, while searching for other data, I learned that our "medial temporal lobe"...is the limbic system...same...and which is also called the "emotion brain"...
Can only suggest you may want to research the limbic and/or the medial temporal...to help develop questions to ask your doctors...re: causes, potential causes of depression... and, of course, the healing, and variances of which structures may be affected...
Pat tell me it ain’t so…I love dark chocolate and am allowed it for my heart. But your correct it’s a stimulant which will turn around on you. I also like dark chocolate and a good beer or nice glass of wine. Perhaps everything in moderation?
Malalatete - as much as Pat is the good conscience on a shoulder…I’m going to say if you ever find the study, give them my name! I recall doing a caffeine study on 250 - 300 university students with a group. That study included chocolate…There was a significant percentage that reacted opposite to what was expected. Now looking back it could have been that those other students were ADHD, as likely as they may have been using some type of speed or amphetamines to keep up with studies and extra curricular activities. I think we ruled out a percentage of falsification on reporting as that was embedded in the study.
Pat - again you bring us some wisdom…to understand the whys and how’s of our brain gives us knowledge, a platform to take a stand and understanding why some of us may need to be on medication, why exercise and healthy diet helps, all the behaviors work back to the way our brain sends messages to its different parts.
Moltroub...I suggested the 2 oz...I do not check or weight mine...As a child, I would not stand in-line for Santa...until after my mom let me get the dark chocolate from the candy shop in the same big department store...I was quite young when setting my priorities...
Moltroub said:
Pat tell me it ain't so...I love dark chocolate and am allowed it for my heart. But your correct it's a stimulant which will turn around on you. I also like dark chocolate and a good beer or nice glass of wine. Perhaps everything in moderation?
Malalatete - as much as Pat is the good conscience on a shoulder...I'm going to say if you ever find the study, give them my name! I recall doing a caffeine study on 250 - 300 university students with a group. That study included chocolate...There was a significant percentage that reacted opposite to what was expected. Now looking back it could have been that those other students were ADHD, as likely as they may have been using some type of speed or amphetamines to keep up with studies and extra curricular activities. I think we ruled out a percentage of falsification on reporting as that was embedded in the study.