Ever started to slip out of depression only to slip back into it as soon as you'd started feeling better?

I have lived with depression my whole life. It’s horrendous.

Medication helps me a great deal. I tell my doctors everything I’m going through, and we decide together what to do about what I’m taking.

Meditation is also very good. I’ve been meditating for 30 years, and it has given me great comfort.

Therapy is necessary for me. I highly recommend it. When you start therapy, be very open with the counselor. Being open may seem difficult. Try it a little at a time.

Exercise helps, too. It’s very good for mental health. It’s not just for physical health.

Yes, unless I am dealing with why I am depressed, my depression is likely to recur. Personally, I do not believe in psychotropic meds. I’d only take them if I couldn’t get out of bed, which luckily hasn’t happened.

That’s the revolving door of my life.

I’ve never been medicated. I’m not morally against it, I just lack access, and depression+anxiety+no one actually forcing me to call=no doctor’s appointments.

No, for me getting depressed is like getting a cold in that it will run its course until the next bout. The length of the depression varies. There was one time when I was out of work that I just could not get out from under it. That is when I went into therapy.

I would like to share a wonderful description of depression I heard in a radio interview with Sarah Silverman, who suffered from depression when she was younger. She said that being depressed is like feeling homesick when you are already home.

I’ve never suffered from any chronic depression, but, several bouts of situational depression.
As some of you know, I lost it all in this recession a few years ago and it has been very difficult and remains so.
This last few weeks has been rough. I was gone house sitting for 2 weeks, returned happy and relaxed to my moody housemate here, which brought me down.

I have been used to living alone for years and when she is in this mood she can be emotionally volatile, prone to PMS outbursts, defensive, argumentative and, in general moody. It really can bring me down and piss me off along with the stressors I am already coping with.
She then kisses my ass, gives me gifts and writes me contrite apology notes that she leaves in my bathroom. haha
I am finally, returning to some equilibrium this week.

I am not used to dealing with other peoples emotional issues and inspite of a lot of personal growth work I have done, it is easier said than done trying to detatch from the negative emotions of another that is in close proximity to you. I really need my own space again but am not able to afford it and it really sucks.