*Before we start: trigger warning, I will be sharing about my own experience with suicide and what helped me, and the following topics are graphic and could cause sensitivity to some readers*
Hello.
I would like to take the time to say you are strong, and as long as you are fighting, you are winning. You will beat this and I promise you, you will get better and you will see the sun again.
Whenever I am suicidal, I do these 5 tips, and it makes the suicidal thoughts stop and gives me the strength to fight my depression.
If I would have known this years ago, I would not have attempted suicide nearly every day. Because once I learned this, I was able to manage the depression and it made me strong enough to get help and fight the depression. And even now if things ever get dark, I know I can always reach out for help and also use these 5 tips to get me out of the darkness, and it works every time for me.
This will help you, trust me.
Now, I know that depression is a complicated and delicate issue. There isn’t a one size fits all approach and definitely not a substitute for professional or medical advice (see below for guides on how to get professional help.)
But what this will do is recharge your brain and energize your body so you have the strength to fight your depression and get better.
According to my research, depression attacks you in 3 ways:
- It monopolizes and takes over your thoughts until your thoughts become cloudy and self-destructive.
- It literally makes you more thirsty and dehydrated. When you are under stress and going through depression, your brain uses more water as fuel. In effect, you lose water a lot quicker. When you are dehydrated, it becomes EVEN HARDER to fight off the monsters in your head (see my research below in this article) and the cycle continues. Depression is a tricky foe.
- It causes your brain to starve. When you are going through depression or any sort of stress or difficult situation, it puts your body into what is known as “fight-or-flight.” That is a fancy word for saying your body is consuming calories at an alarmingly quick rate, even if you can’t feel it. Depression, stress, and later fight-or-flight can cause all the nutrients you are eating to go straight to your legs and arms and not to your brain. So even if you are eating enough, all the calories you are eating are going to your muscles and not to your head, which can make the depression worse and even lead to violently suicidal thoughts. Which is what I went through before I found this information which saved my life.
So I created these 5 steps to combat depression.
The monsters in your head won’t seem so dark when you are healthy and strong enough to fight them. I have used this in the darkest of times and it makes the suicidal thoughts less, it makes my head more clear, and it gives me strength and courage to fight my depression. And it works.
I’m honored to share this advice with you.
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These are temporary tips that helped me make my suicidal thoughts go away in 3 hours or less but should not be a substitute for professional or medical help. And if this is an emergency, please call the suicide hotline or 911. If you are dealing with a mental illness or medical condition, here are the resources on how to get help:
- Step 1 is to: see a medical professional. This is a doctor who can take a blood test and tell you if you have any medical conditions that either have the same symptoms of depression, or make your depression worse, and then they can treat it medically.
- Step 2 is to visit a mental health professional, such as a psychologist. It really helps to talk to someone. And I have guides on this website to help you find someone who is right for you.
And please, if this is an emergency, call 911.
The suicide hotline:
Call 1-800-273-8255
Available 24 hours
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
There is also a line that you can TEXT! 🙂
Or TEXT 741741 from anywhere in the USA to text with a trained Crisis Counselor
https://www.crisistextline.org/
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The 5 tips that help give me strength to fight depression, in 3 hours or less.
I like to call them the 5 R’s.
1) Refocus
Refocus- Get your mind on something else to prevent a dangerous downward spiral. You can revisit the situation later (see step 2) but right now, you need to get your mind on ANYTHING ELSE besides what is worrying you, because it is not safe for you to be thinking about that right now. Watch tv, surf the web, chat with someone, go for a walk, listen to music, ANYTHING to get your mind off of it. Something fun, even daydreaming is a good solution.
2) Reevaluate
Reevaluate- Tell yourself that you will reassess or reevaluate the situation at another time, after you are stronger (after you have completed the last three steps: Rehydrate, Replenish, and Rest), which, in a couple of hours, you will feel better and have enough physical strength and mental clarity to reevaluate the situation. Set a specific time and date, such as, “I’ll think about this tomorrow afternoon when I feel better.” Or, “I don’t have to think about this today, I’ll reevaluate it next Monday.”
3) Rehydrate
Rehydrate- Drink an entire glass of water RIGHT NOW. Not tea, coffee, soda, or anything alcoholic because those drinks remove water from your body. Just plain water. If you are suicidal, there is a high chance you are dehydrated. I learned this after 5 years of almost choking myself to death in a panic, (sorry to get graphic but I want people who resonate with this to know exactly what I’m talking about so they know how to fix it.) I learned that my brain was so thirsty for water, it would make me panic. Sort of like how if you hold your breath too long in a pool and you claw your way to the surface, that’s how desperate your brain gets for water. It will make your self-harming tendencies twice as strong. Do you feel like you want to choke yourself out or hang yourself? Or like you are so stressed you can’t breathe? You are probably dehydrated and it’s making your mental state way worse. After I drank water, this goes away in about 15 minutes when you drink a large glass.
4) Replenish
Replenish- If you only take one tip from this blog, I want you to take this tip. When something is going bad in your life, or if you are depressed, or stressed, or if you forget to eat, or even if it’s just been a bad week, your body is using more calories than it usually would because: stress, whether physical or mental, uses up a TON of calories, which leaves your brain STARVING. You need to replenish those stores of nutrients if you want your moods to get better. This is also a possible reason that antidepressants don’t always work, even if the person has the correct prescription. I am not arguing with the evidence on whether antidepressants work or not, there is evidence that it is a good solution for some people. What I am saying is, you could have the most perfect prescription that would help you precisely balance your serotonin and dopamine levels, but your brain will never feel happy until you replenish the glucose and lipid levels that have been depleted. (That’s a fancy way to say that your brain needs to completely replenish the glucose (carbohydrate) and fat stores before it will let you be happy ever again, no matter which prescription you are on.) Because your brain runs of fuel and if it’s not getting food as fuel, it will stop running smoothly and panic. It’s like a car.
If I would have known this years ago, I would not have attempted suicide nearly every day. Because once I learned this, I was able to manage the depression and my moods.
Here is how to do it.
I call it a Reset Feast. You have to DOUBLE the amount of protein, fat, and carbs that you would get on a normal basis, and eat it right before bed. That’s it. It will help your brain get all the nutrition it needs so you can have the strength to face whatever is bothering you. It sounds hard but it’s not. I’ve even posted pictures to help guide you!
Here is what you need:
Two plates and a cup.
Have a double serving of protein (Half of first plate).
Have a double serving of green leafy vegetables (Half of first plate).
An entire plate of carbs, any type of carbs.
Two tablespoons of Extra Virgin olive oil.
One glass of soda or juice.
Pictures on how to set up a Reset Feast:
Here is how to set up your two plates
Here is a common Reset Feast I cook for myself. It’s 2 veggie patties, a Caesar salad, some pizza, a slice of cheesecake, two tablespoons of olive oil, and a cup of soda.
Here’s one from a Chinese Buffet. I’ve got fish and shrimp for protein, steamed veggies, soda, and rice/noodles/and crab rangoon for the carb.
Wait…why am I doing this?
I’ll go down the list of why you need and tell you WHY you need each thing:
Have a double serving of protein (Half of first plate). Protein helps build cells and muscles, and more importantly it helps your food to digest slowly so you don’t get a blood sugar spike from eating carbs (I’ll explain about carbs later).
Protein can include: soy, tofu, veggie burger, chicken, a chicken patty, a grilled chicken breast, ham, turkey, any type of lunch meat, bacon, a burger, hamburger meat, a steak, fish, shrimp, any sort of sea food, any source of vegetarian protein, or any source of meat.
Have a double serving of green, leafy vegetables (Half of first plate). Vegetables provide much-needed vitamins and minerals. They also provide fiber and help your food to digest slowly so you don’t get a blood sugar spike.
Vegetables can include lettuce, spinach, collard greens, asparagus, brussels sprouts, green peppers, green beans, or anything similar. Honestly any green, leafy vegetable will work, the point of vegetables is to get vitamins and fiber, so pick what you like best 🙂
An entire plate of carbs, any type of carbs. If you are undergoing depression, your brain is starving for carbs because your brain and body run on glucose, which is found in carbohydrates. So you need to BINGE on carbs to get your brain back to a normal level of glucose because if you are stressed or depressed, there is a good chance your brain is lacking glucose (carbs).
Carbs can include: potatoes: french fries/tater tots/chips/sweet potatoes, rice, beans, noodles, pasta, crackers, Chex Mix, pretzels, cereal, cookies, any dessert or snack food really. Pick what you like best 🙂
If you are on a low-carb diet or Ketogenic diet, please enter your email in the link below to get my PDF, there will be more information on how to do this while on a low-carb or Ketogenic diet in the PDF here.
Two tablespoons of Extra Virgin olive oil. Your brain is made of 30% fat. When you feed it a healthy fat such as olive oil, your brain gets really happy. You have to pour the olive oil on your food, such as on your protein or your vegetables. If your brain is low on good fats, you will feel the good effects of eating this immediately.
Sources of healthy fat you can choose if you don’t want to use Extra Virgin olive oil: 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, an avocado, fish oil, a half cup of nuts.
One glass of soda or juice. This is the exact same reason why you need to eat a plate of carbs. “If you are undergoing depression, your brain is starving for carbs because your brain and body run on glucose, which is found in carbohydrates. So you need to BINGE on carbs to get your brain back to a normal level of glucose because if you are stressed or depressed, there is a good chance your brain is lacking glucose (carbs).” Soda or juice is a very refined source of sugar, which means the glucose will get to your brain quickly. This isn’t an every-day thing, but it is essential to start feeling better sooner if you need to have a Reset Feast.
And sometimes you can’t eat the entire meal in once sitting, just eat as much as you can and make sure to balance it (for example, eat protein, vegetables, and carbs in equal amounts instead of only eating carbs.)
This will make you sleepy so do this at night right before bed. 🙂
Another note: this isn’t supposed to be an everyday sort of diet, it is only for when times get tough and you feel weak from fighting the depression. So, eating this many carbs everyday wouldn’t be wise, but it will help once in a while if you need to do the 5 steps if you are feeling really depressed. Kind of like how you would jump-start a car if the battery went down in order to get it running again.
I have a guide on how to eat healthy on a daily basis here. This will help you become healthier and happier as well 🙂
5) Rest
Rest- The last tip is to rest. It’s best if you scheduled your Reset Feast right before bed, and you can get a good night’s sleep (and trust me you will wake up in the morning feeling happier providing you got enough water and nutrients the day before.) If you are not able to get a good night’s sleep, don’t worry! <3 Naps help too. Basically any amount of sleep and rest you can get is going to help you feel better. Even closing your eyes and relaxing for a while even if you can’t fall asleep will help calm you down. Ideally, at least 6-8 hours a night is good, but do your best 🙂 If you need help with how to fall asleep faster, please visit my other blog post at: https://www.amindworthfightingfor.com/2018/04/18/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sleep-how-to-fall-asleep-fast-and-wake-up-feeling-good/
If you have questions feel free to email me. I’m super chill and want to help. I answer every email I receive.
amindworthfightingfor (at) gmail.com
Questions:
-Will I get fat on this Reset Binge?
No. I’ve been working on this solution for two years and have tested it multiple times, I haven’t gained weight from it (I also exercise in moderation so that helps.) This is an occasional thing, so it’s not likely to put on the pounds. Plus, honestly, I would rather have you healthy and happy than one pound lighter and sad. There’s no use being attractive if you feel like killing yourself honestly.
-What if I have no appetite and can’t force myself to eat?
That is very common, especially when undergoing stress or depression. The best solution for this is to drink more water a few hours before eating and your appetite should come back. When you lose your appetite, it can often be due to dehydration.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, I understand it can be difficult to consume food, because I also struggled with an eating disorder. The best tip I have is to watch a fun TV show or movie when you eat to get your mind off of it and do your best to eat as much as you can 🙂 Even eating a little bit of food is better than eating nothing at all (and stay tuned, I’ll be posting some more articles on overcoming eating disorders soon.)
-I felt a little bit better but I still feel down. Why?
Try it again. It is very likely that you were in such a calorie deficit that your body needs one or more Reset Feasts and more hydration to feel better again. The best advice I could give you is to drink a ton of water the next day and eat a lot more. Also, as I said earlier, depression is a complicated mental and physical thing, so be sure to check out the professional resources (links at the beginning of the article), they can help a lot. I want you to get better. You can do this <3
What do I do if I’m on a low-carb diet?
If you are on a low-carb diet or Ketogenic diet, please enter your email in the link below to get my PDF, there will be more information on how to do this while on a low-carb or Ketogenic diet in the PDF here. (Link is also at the bottom of the page.)
What else can I do to become happier on a daily basis?
I’m glad you asked. There are a bunch of articles on this blog to help you with that, which I wrote specifically for people like you and me. And I am proud to introduce (drumroll please…) my new PDF with my best guide on how to be happy long-term. See the details below:
Did you know that your daily habits such as diet, sleep, and even self-confidence can make a tremendous effect on how happy you feel? Do you want my best tips on how to be happy long-term?
Please enter your email here to get my FREE PDF, “The Ultimate Guide to Happiness: How to Improve your Life!”
This is more of a long-term guide on daily things you can do to improve your self-confidence, keep your thoughts positive, and have health and energy every day.
With much love,
Hannah M.