Strategies that helped you.... - exchange of ideas:

Maybe we can start this? What is your strategy to get out of it all, to survive or to feel better?

As a background - I struggle with all sorts of miseries since I was a child. This is now a long time ago. I went from being homeless and taking drugs to the opposite. I had it all. During all these years I used different strategies (or had to do them by force):
What did not work:
- Long term therapy (two times). Result: zero, but at least it changed me.
- Psychological treatment (several times). Result: zero
- Medication - will only help for a time, but later becomes a problem by itself -> when you want to stop.
- Being institutionalized for a long or short term: Result: double zero.

What did work: The strongest forces to get clean and normal again were - at least for me:
a) Interesting work (stress does not allow me to think too much, helps me to concentrate on other things).
b) Going abroad or physical distance, a new start (I learned a lot, saw a lot - but be careful: it can cause stress and PTSS if you overdo it).
c) Religion (can be positive and negative). For me - it always helped me. Yes, I am a religious person.
d) Ibogaine treatment - changed my life. The shortcut to everything. The hardest thing I ever did - but it helped. Heals carving of the brain (helps for opiates, burn out, depression etc.)
e) Sport - very often it was proven that sport (daily and at least 2 hours, better more) helps to reset the mind. As well it changes physically, you feel well. I did everything on my bike for 3 months and drove from Germany to Spain on bike - it was good. That was, when I stopped smoking and LOST weight.
f) Fasting. I did this now several times and max. up to 95 days. I only lived on fruit-juice (freshly pressed), tea with a little honey, half a maggie cube a day (body needs salt) plus Omega 3 and proteins (drinks). I am not big or fat - but last time I went from 78 KG to 58 KG and felt just great.
g) Bringing order in my life. For me it meant getting my divorce, stopping to lie or hide (only for persons around you!), being open and honest. This is why being alone is not a big problem for me. I have my contacts.
h) A clean and minimalist environment: a clean environment provokes a clean spirit. For me, if my apartment is really clean, smells good - its a refuge I will not give up. Being alone - and? No problem. Only temporary- although long.

What are your strategies? Do you have some out of experience?

I forgot what I was going to say

Good thread! @Survivorist

100% agreed with sport, fitness all that - At least twice a week is my current target (doing fitness at home). That manages to reduce feelings of anxiety by a lot afterwards.
A clean environment is super important to me too! It helps that I have family visits over at my place and appointments with counselors a couple times a week here - That stimulates me keeping the apartment clean.

Investing time in hobbies even if it's something passive like listening to music & reading (comic/manga) books - to get a different input for the brain as opposed to reading negative news/media online for example.

It took a long time to figure out a strategy that is consistent and "healthy" I suppose.
On the mental side of things, I said to myself:
"This OCD, the anxiety, panic attacks - they're actually super predictable now". - This has a major effect on what I can expect from a given day.

It's like I'm building a memory/mental buffer of some sorts to deal with what's happening. Like... Isn't this feeling and the thoughts I'm having right now, sort of logical? I know what to expect by now and I don't have to "brace for impact" all the time anymore. Not sure how to explain, but it's part of what I'm writing below here:

Versus OCD specifically I do exposure exercises, I wrote this a while ago: https://www.suicideforum.com/community/threads/ocd-exposure-therapy-cbt-and-experiences.176744/ It's a life saver... for me.

Oh and gaming, tv shows/movies - books etc are great for escapism! Though it wasn't easy to find a balance in those and how to divide my time efficiently.

Gaming is ok. Gambling is the worst. I did it once a long time ago - never again.

For me things that are good: Sleep and rest, time for myself, the few hobbies I do partake in among them reading, among them astronomy and simply fishing out of the tank here, catch and release perch. My cat looks at me like I am crazy for tossing the food back. LOL Simplicity and order, but I do have a regimented way of viewing so much. Working in IT all my life that can be interesting, but I admit to being totally clueless about smart devices and never had much use for them. I do better with the PC, mid range and mainframe computers because I can mostly figure out the puzzle on fixing or modifying them.

Getting off social media.
1. It's wasting a lot of my time with information overload and making me feel overwhelmed.

2. Staying out of drama, conversations, the slack channels at work. Just sticking to myself with this crowd.

3. Avoiding stores and shopping around this holiday time. Bought groceries ahead of time

4. Opt out of the secret santa thing at work.

5. When ppl ask what I'm doing for the holidays just lying and saying I'm spending it with all my family members. Having a jolly time. It's just easier.

These are just the sub-links from the link in my signature:

Treating Depression - Conventional Treatments

Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, World's Second Largest Medical System

Self-Treatment and Miscellaneous

Specific Info for Insomnia

US, UK, Canadian, and Broader International Resource Links



It's mainly traditional Chinese dietary therapy that I think has helped me the most. It was also the easiest treatment method to implement, which is part of why it's been so effective for me.

Now that i look back at my life, these were the key things:
- Activity in general, whatever it is. I feel like if i have no incentive (however little it is) to do something, i just wont and end up staying at home.
- Physical excercise. Has a big impact on just about everything, self confidence, all sorts of mental things and sleep. I feel like 2 months without regural exercise really messes me up
- Routines. The more you have routines, the less you start debating your own brain if you should or shouldnt do something
- Regular social contact in real life. The less you see people, the more you start to be afraid of social situatuations and the more anxiety you have. Im not sure if theres any cure to social anxiety other than eventually just getting out there and talking to ppl

I think all of these kinda create a feedback loop, neglect one and theres a change the rest will also get worse. The worst time of my life was when i neglected all of these 4 things and im even willing to bet that most people are the same! Back in the day i feel like i got lucky and i was forced to change my lifestyle and it took about a year or two before i started to feel like a normal human again

Now, i know its easy to just state these 4 things that are good for you, so here are the strategies that worked for me:

- get myself in a situation where i will agree to something that i cant back out from and then i will have to do it! Goes for anything. Note that you need to view some unpleasant things as opportunities instead. Having to need to get a job basically saved me.
- make myself more tenacious in everday life, dont get used to too much comfort
- Use opportunities of to Incidental activity get exersice. Walk to work, take stairs, bike everywhere in every weather

Wow, you've done ibogaine treatment? What was that like? Did it cause you to trip? Was it opiates you were hoping to get off of by any chance? I've heard of this, but I didn't think it was an FDA approved treatment, at least not in the USA.

Well IBO is known for a long time - but not in the US. I did it for opiates (substitution) and alcohol (you must be sober prior to treatment). I did it in Spain, in a center that has been here for many years - Harambe detox, near Valencia. During this period you took 1 or 2 pills of Ibo until the effect comes. You cannot move any longer, even turning the head is not possible. Hearing changes, it is like your head is full of light and Ibogaine is talking to you (at least in most of the cases). It is then you see everything you have done wrong, which was not correct - it is like a strong, powerful father punishing you for all you did in showing it clearly to you. This lasts some hours or so.

Then comes the phase to regret. You can only cry for all you did. You will as well have as well (the treatment is in the dark) some pictures rolling in front of your eyes - past, present, some say future (I personally did not believe that). You will have difficulties to sleep and the first 48- 50 hours not at all. Then you MUST take 2 to 3 Valium to sleep for some hours - and start to feel better.

The following days, it will be a little up and down - you often remember the failures, the mistakes and start crying. But otherwise you are so clear and bright in your head like never before. Its like cleaning out all. I had no withdrawal effects - not at all. And Ibogaine will help you make changes in your life. I mean, when you lied - you will tell the truth. Its like a weight on your back until you do this - getting heavier and heavier. The whole treatment is around 4 to 5 days.

I met people there - one had problems in his relation, others took Cocaine, some had depression or burn out some like me.

If you would ask me - I think its one of the best and hardest things I ever did. But attention: In many and most cases you have to do it two or even three times. The feeling will fade away after 6 or 8 weeks, then you continue with Ibogaine powder - so every second day. This is for another 2 months, Then its time to repeat - which I missed.

Does this help? Check YouTube - its full of reports like that. I can only say, it changed my life. Even if I have to struggle again today (because I overdid it work-wise), I can only say, that the success rate of Ibo is something around 80 or 90 %.
You must be healthy - it causes Bradikardia. Check out on their webpage the reports.

You can contact me private on this if you want.

Squirrel - out.

The only strategy that has helped me cope and continue with life was to find something in the future that was important... focus on it and use it as a goal to work towards. when the goal got close, i would work on finding another further in the future... example: each of my children's graduation, then trips and visits, birth of grandbaby, trip with grandbaby to help out the parents... stuff like that.

This is very insperational! and reading all your posts and story i cinda had the feeling that i could end up like you in 20 to 30 years and it made me ponder. (not because of what you went through in life but your feelings in the now) and this spezially helps me because i think you experienced grate many things and tried out so much that i could learn from that and try to make my own life a little bit better from the way you lived and described things, especially:

The therapy thing... my sis has strong depressions, maybe as much as I have them and my suicidal thoughts, though she has made something out of her life. Though she went to therapy and I don't, I think for me it's mostly because I don't want to trust other random people with my problems. In my opinion, talking about them and rewinding and repeating them all the time will only make them fester and get worse. That's also what I think I noticed with my sister so much so that in the end, after she went as far as to talk to me about what happened in the past in our family, the talk went a bit bad, and now we don't message each other anymore at all. That is a deeper and other story I won't indulge here now, but this also made me believe that therapy would never work for me. Medication itself is well and good, but here I saw how it destroyed my dad so much that he needed to stop all medication at some point because it did more harm than good. I myself proudly only take ibu against headaches and very seldom stuff to cure illnesses. But I will try to never overmedicate because of those experiences I saw in others.


This is still what I need and search for in life... I'm very lost... Since the day I wanted to kill myself in my teenage years but didn't, for my father and sister, not for myself, I decided to just live and lost any will of achieving anything. That sadly got ingrained so much into myself that it got really bad... Maybe I'm starting to get better now, but for it to truly change, I would need money and therefore a job that would make my life a better place and that I could love doing. Sadly, I did not find that yet... and it's very hard for me to really search and get my motivation flowing to find that what would fit perfectly...

actually dream about this one quite often... a total reset. Not just in another world XD but here and now. Starting anew, new city, new people, new job, and just a new identity. It could free me from so much. Though I would need to leave behind my girlfriend, friends, living stuff, and family. Though that one is broken as heck already, so nevermind... I don't think I could ever do that though..

thats not mine and never will


Here's the corrected version:
Gladly, I don't need that as I never took any drugs in my life and have no other cravings than my sweet tooth.



I noticed that this is really one of the best things that helps in life! Especially for me, it's swimming. I tried many other types of sports, but nothing ever got even close to the happiness I feel when I'm in the water XD. Also, it's the best sport there is for your body, so I'm glad about that too XD.


I actually tried that, but I have a really weak mentality and started to eat almost right away again. I think for me, I will never really stop eating what I want. I will try to eat healthier and therefore also do more sports to burn off my fat. I'm 105 kg and 190 cm tall, so you wouldn't really call me fat, but I feel fat because I've never had a belly in my life and now I feel like my cheeks are getting chubby. It's not okay.

But this, I would actually love to do and try out as well. I noticed several weeks ago that if I am alone and don't need to cook, I won't, and I'm happy with small meals and one big one every other day. The problem is that I always cook every day for me and my girlfriend, and I always cook too much because I learned to do it that way to have leftovers the next day. But often I then eat most of it the day I make it... It's really bad.

But with fresh food and whatever the body really needs... I don't think I would make it 95 days, I would totally die!! So, respect to you! But I think it could make me feel good as well if I really made it past a week or so... And I could finally lose those 10 kg I am hating myself and my body for.




My strategies for now were actually just to see what happens and come to be, and distract myself from everything bad in my life with books, audiobooks, movies, games, and anything in that aspect. Not that it helped myself in any productive way, but I think it made my depression lessen. I also tried to help people on these social platforms as I found it helped me as well. Though I also noticed that my empathy, which I had a ton of in the past, has changed a lot over time. As it made myself more depressed over time, I started to try to look after myself more than others because the burden of pain I took from others on top of myself got too big in some way.