Depression | HelpStopMe

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Depression is such an ever present part of my life. I wish it wasn't and I'll probably never get used to the ups and downs that come with it. As you may know I've spent the past two years taking anti-depressants, triggered by a really low point while I was studying at university. The pills were a blessing during a time in need and made me balanced and... normal. Of course there were days where I wasn't balanced in the slightest but the majority of the time it just made life feel a heck of a lot easier.
While I think the pills helped me I want to stress that I tried so many things before I resorted to taking anti-depressants and I think pills should be seen as a last resort. I even turned them down the first time the doctor recommended them to me because I wanted to look for other methods of support. But, in the end, it was affecting my ability to look after Orlaith too much so I took the decision to try them out.
I've been wanting to come off the anti-depressants for a while and get used to dealing with stuff on my own without pumping myself with hormone balancing drugs. For some reason the doctor wouldn't lower my dose so after 4 months of trying, and feeling like I was totally ready, I decided to just stop taking the pills. In retrospect I should have started halving the pills myself instead of just stopping cold turkey.
Well, it's been two weeks since I stopped and it's been tough. In fact it's been a total emotional roller coaster and I doubt it's anywhere near over. So, one of the reasons I never got back to this space after I announced I was taking a 'short' break was because of that.
One supportive course I had the opportunity to try recently is called HelpStopMe Ltd. which is an online course using videos to help you, first, understand depression, then it helps you look at the ways in which it affects you and to discover your triggers, then it takes steps to give you different methods to deal with these triggers.
The great thing about having an online course is that if you have a connection to the internet and a set of head phones you can watch the videos pretty much anywhere. I found it really helpful to have a notebook and pen on me while I was watching to make notes about anything I found interesting or helpful to me. Finding a quiet space where you can focus on the video without any distractions and getting comfy before watching is perfect to avoid distractions.
Of course I am fully aware that not everyone has money to invest in online material to help them feel better. And there is so much free online material which can be accessed to help people who suffer with depression. Below are a couple of resources (mostly free) that are worth checking out:
-Headspace App: I love this app. I teaches you to take 10 minutes out of your day, every day to unwind. The first course on this app is called Take 10 and is free with a 10 minute audio guiding you through each day's session.

-Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are: Amy Cuddy fascinated me with this Ted Talk.
-Depression Alliance which is all about connecting people and not feeling like you're alone.
-Hector And The Search For Happiness by François Lelord: This book is so cute and tells a really (really) simple story of a psychiatrist who goes on a journey to find out what makes people happy. It's written by a real psychiatrist and teaches you a really simple lesson about happiness.

-HelpStopMe Ltd.: The online course I mentioned above which is a similar concept to face to face therapy sessions.

I was given free access to the HelpStopMe course. All opinions are my own and I was not paid for my review.