Suicide /depression suggestions

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There seem a decent amount of posts on the forum about suicide and deep depression.

I was hoping this post could be a place where everyone shares ideas of some things they do when they get really depressed..things that help them feel better. The thought being that when we get to such a point, the more ideas the better..and maybe something that helps one person will help another too.

I'll start..

Some of my best and safest memories were spending the night at a friend's house. She always had a humidifier on.

So, i get cancel all obligations (call in sick to work, etc) and lay in bed, snuggled under heavy blankets. I set up the humidifier so it blows mist on my face while i read stacks of old comic books.

Though getting out of bed is the last thing i want to do when really depressed, when i'm really down, i try to force myself to go outside - even just slowly walking for a few blocks. It's hard to push myself to do and it doesn't fix things, but it does always make things feel a sliver better. And, i can tell a difference between the days i make myself do this and the days i don't.

it helps me if i do whatever it takes to get a good night's sleep. sometimes being alone is good. other times, the support of a close friend helps.

Assuming a fetal typeish position in the shower. Hunched down, not on my side or anything. Just feeling the warmth flow around me and watch the water flow down the drain.

Getting bundled up really tight while in bed, feeling as though I've returned to the womb or something. It's just serenity. It makes sleeping alone a lot easier.

Listening to a good song of course.

Exercise helps a lot. So does good music, sunlight, hot tea, watching something on tv that is happy, reading something happy, playing videogames.

I haven't yet tried to commit suicide. I've thought about it many, many times. Here's what stops me:

1. Death is permanent, and I don't believe in God. I don't like the idea of ceasing to exist. I just want a new life, and to be happy. The idea of ceasing to exist is terrifying to me, actually.

2. It's easy to try to commit suicide and fail. Depending on the method, the results could be horrible. Permanent brain damage, spinal cord injuries, organ failure, disfigurements. Resulting in an even more miserable life with less control of one's own destiny.

3. I still have a whole lot of things I want to do before I die. Most of my childhood dreams are now impossible to achieve, but I'm not going to let my life be a total waste of time and effort. I'm going to try to at least get some things that I want before I go. I never get what I want, and I'm too stubborn to give up before I do.

4. Dead bodies are disgusting. And I don't want to be one. Or have someone have to deal with mine.

Music helps, especially with a rhythmic best.
Cleaning house makes me feel better about the space I live in.
Doing something creative like arts and crafts.
Walking in the woods or a park.
Sorting through my favorite things (books, shells, seeds, pretty rocks)--they are my sensory stimulators

I have comfort objects that I spend time with.

It's sometimes very hard to leave that comfort zone and move back to the real world, so I bring some comfort objects with me. I keep them in my pocket, out of sight.

Even when things are bad out in the world, I do know that at some point, I can go back to the comfort zone.

Something I've found really helpful is to do something to help another person. It makes me feel less useless, and it forces me out of my own head, at least for a little while.

That's a good suggestion I think that would probably make me feel better, too.

I would help out other people.....then, afterwards, I would indulge in something I'm really interested in.

Related to helping someone else, i read a post once by some guy that was on the verge of killing himself. He was an adult who moved back in with his parents, no job, etc. He decided to focus every day on helping others..simple things like if someone needed something from the store, he'd go..if someone was doing the laundry, he'd help out..if a relative was builing a fence, he'd spend his days building.

He said the combination of being active, plus focusing outward, really helped him get out of his head all the time and in the end, his depression began to dissolve.

I've never tried this, but i remembered it because it sounded like something that really might work when in a deep state. Doubly so as, for me, when in such a state, my tendency is to be even more withdrawn and reclusive (if there is such a thing as more so for me)..which has the unintended side effect of there being little around to distract me from my mind's spiral

I always say "come out of yourself!" to myself when I feel depressed. I'd probably say that to other people, too.

Depression is frequently caused by people ruminating, people withdrawing into themselves, I find. I know it's that way with me.

I do this too.
At first, it just happened and i found myself tucked down in the shower; but then i started doing it intentionally some times. I try to shut my mind off by focusing All attention on the moving water, the sparkle when the light hits it, and the feeling of warmth.

What I do to cheer myself up is to listen to my favorite songs, play video games, play with my cats, watch funny videos on YouTube, and talk to and snuggle with my husband.

It really makes me sad to see so many posts from people considering suicide or with deep depression. Especially from some of the really young people. There is only so much a person can do to help online.

I find it really frustrating, because I wonder if these people are telling family or getting the help they need.