| Hi. I can only offer my own anecdotal evidence. I suffered from depression for about 9 years, and I've been past it for about 4 years now. I am not a doctor, so YMMV. Good that you are seeking help. That is the first step. Meds: Take them. I always felt they dulled your emotions so that the highs are not as high and the lows are not as low. That's not ideal, but it's worse than the alternative: not taking the meds. The goal is to not have to take them anymore. Focus: In my experience, meds didn't harm my focus; maybe it even improved, as I wasn't as often caught in the throws of depression. Motivation: You won't get motivation from meds. The meds help you get through each day, they help you feel less of a huge burden on your shoulders. Strategies to implement: Learn about yourself. Learn what makes you happy and what motivates you to do things. Learn what types of things are more likely to get you out of bed in the morning. Include more of those things in your life. Include less of the things that drag you down. Pay attention to how you feel, when, and why. When you're on your way to figuring those things out, wean yourself off of the meds. This takes more effort than it seems; recovery isn't a quick process. Go out and do new things. Don't feel intense pressure to go do everything. As others have stated, this is a journey. Just make a measured effort to do a new thing every so often. Eventually you'll latch on to something that motivates you. |