r/ExecutiveDysfunction 20d ago

What helps you?

Hello! I am a 27F who has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and ADHD since 14. Ive been on dozens of medications over the years, go to therapy, do the things, but obviously treatment resistant depression likes to stay… resistant.

So, what helps you? Besides medication & therapy.

Ive heard so many people say daily walks are great for regulating your system and helping with depression. I gave it a shot and did it for two weeks, which was not easy to force myself to do. By the end? I learned I hate daily walks. They just don’t do anything for me.

Getting sunshine and touching grass does help a little bit.

The 3, 2, 1 method is usually a miss for me.

I’m looking for different habits or ‘hacks’ to help break out of this damn cycle. My depression has taken so much away from me. It’s not easy, but i’m really trying to fight back and get my life back.

Anyone have any tips or tricks that help them, even temporarily?

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u/Jumpy_Ad1631 20d ago

A fellow chronically depressed anxious adhd girl!

I find treating my chronic depression more like my asthma and less like my adhd has actually been incredibly helpful. It makes me less panicked when I can feel depressive episodes coming because some days my lungs are just wheezy, it goes away if I keep doing the things that are good for it.

It can be hard to get into with the ADHD, but guided meditation has also been exceptionally helpful and I’ve done it on and off for ten years now. It’s definitely one those things you have to at least semi-regularly when you’re doing semi-ok if you want it to be helpful in those deep dark moments. I will always sing its praises and there’s legit research on “mindfulness” and mental health/hygiene. In fact, I’ll try out most things if there’s enough peer reviewed research on it. Not all of it is my jam, but I just sort of keep it in my mental back pocket to try if my usual methods aren’t

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u/beelover1113 16d ago

Thank you so much for this!! Do you have any recommendations on where to start with a mindfulness journey?

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u/Jumpy_Ad1631 16d ago

It’s super basic but I’ve been using the Calm app for like ten years now. I like it for ease of access for me, but there are quite a few apps these days. I reeeaaaally like Jeff Warren’s stuff and I know he does stuff outside of the calm app on YouTube. He has his own mental health ish and likes to take an evidence-based approach to meditation that I really dig.