Does art help with your depression?

[Anonymous No.3768533]

I'm so fucking depressed I want to die. Lately, I've been trying to draw more and maybe it's helping a bit? I've been wanting to use the pain i'm experiencing and pour it in into my artwork.

[Anonymous No.3768536]

art is giving me more depression

[Anonymous No.3768537]

>>3768533
The only thing I know is that if I don't draw/paint/keep pushing I'll eventually get depressed.

[Anonymous No.3768539]

Well, I don't have depression.

>>3768533
But you should honestly start exercising if you don't already - exercise is very effective for improving mood, depression and anxiety, in fact it's been found as effective as antidepressants. [1][2]


[1] http://articles.latimes.com/2000/oct/01/news/mn-29539
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobiological_effects_of_physical_exercise

[Anonymous No.3768544]

>>3768533
yes. and it's not really "art" that helps. It's ANY scents of external structure. Like from when I was 18-28, I was just depressed. I woke up and wasted time and felt like a faggot. I had no porpoise to swim after. I had no rock to push up the hill.

The reality is that humans thrive in comfort and continuity and behaviorally just do what they feel like they're supposed to be doing.

If you spend like 8 hours a day sitting around shitposting and actin like a faggot and your functionally aren't producing anything, you're as far from "making it" as you'll ever be.

It can never be stressed enough how much things like "habit" and "routine" determine our behavior. Like I almost think that it's probably more effective to tell people to just change the basic aspects of their lifestyle and hope that their cognition is influenced by their behavior. If you want to "get good" the first steps need to be training yourself to do things that "good" people do.

And maybe I'm an uppity example. I built the last 2 years, and the next 6 years, around creating an external structure that rejects suicide. Everything I've done since Dec 24, 2016 has been an active gleeful act of spite against the person that was planning to die then. I can't die before the race is over. I can't die with unfinished paintings, and I now have 320 unfinished paintings. Lotta work gotta get did before the void takes me.

>I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain. One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmozGmGoJuw

[Anonymous No.3768614]

>>3768544
You know I find you obnoxious and retarded most of the time but now and then you can make good posts
Keep it up, fag

[Anonymous No.3768617]

>>3768533
Sometimes when I'm depressed I do some quick art for the (you)s, it makes me feel a little better.

[Anonymous No.3768637]

>>3768533
I've had a shit life full of trauma but being bad at art is what makes me feel suicidal.

[Anonymous No.3768647]

>>3768637
Well, if you kill yourself you'll certainly be bad at art forever.

[Anonymous No.3768697]

>>3768533
Hell no, in fact it fucked me up even harder

[Anonymous No.3768702]

>>3768533
For me it helps momentarily when I’m drawing, it also seems to fuel and motivate me to draw more. I wouldn’t say it helps though, at least not in a tangible way

[Anonymous No.3768828]

>>3768533
It gave me something to pursue, so yeah.
But what eventually saved my life was an episode so miserable it forced me to book a session with a psychiatrist who, on the third try, prescribed me the meds that helped. From there I started supplementing vitamin D, sleeping properly and got back motivation to work out. Not jacking off thrice a day helps, too.
Don't give up on yourself just yet, anon. Just don't be stubborn, ask for help like a mature person.

>>3768539
Exercise is vital, but only as a second step. You're expecting motivation to lift from a person who doesn't even have motivation to live.

[Anonymous No.3768838]

>>3768533
You will become more depressed because you will not like anything about your draws

[Anonymous No.3769340]

>>3768544
the drunk rambling about behaviorism in the middle needs editing but the last bit gave me feels.

[Anonymous No.3769357]

I want to KMS either way, just fro different reasons.
- not doing art : aaaah I'm not doing anything with my life I'm so jealous of people doing art aaah
- doing art : aaaah this is too hard I'm too old I'm retarded I can't do anything right aaaah

Hellish vicious circle

[Anonymous No.3769747]

>>3768533
>>>/c/25105

[Anonymous No.3769752]

>>3768533
Lovely girl where did you pull her from?

[Anonymous No.3770157]

>>3768533
Drawing always helped me distract myself from my most turbulent emotions. It won't fix anything by itself, but it's a coping method.
I also liked the feeling of being able to control something. Like, I can't unfuck some parts of my life, but I can dictate everything that happens on the page. I hope you find value in that too.

[Anonymous No.3770187]

>>3768533
If you expect anything to be a quick fix for depression you are only asking for more depression. People for some unknown reason expect life to be blissful 24/7 and it's not. Realistically life is unfair and in general sucks. Accepting that is a good fist step to reducing depression and you can start moving on.

[Anonymous No.3770211]

>>3768828
Not that anon, but literally any form of exertion, down to just walking around the block can lift mood.

Diet can also help, lean meats, colorful fruits/vegetable, cutting back on starches. You genuinely feel better in my personal experience. That and a regular nights sleep (yeah at the same time every night, even weekends, circadian rhythms suck). Aim for somewhere between 8:00pm -12:00am and between 7.5 to 9 hours. or try siesta sleep, don't do any of that polyphasic shit though, it's unsustainable and will probably agitate your already fragile state of mind.

It's not the end all be all though. Most likely the problems you have will still be there even with a better lifestyle. With those three fundamentals down though you may find the "floor" of your mood significantly rises, which will allow you to seek out solutions to your particular problems/neurosis.

[Anonymous No.3770809]

>>3768544
woke af. lit dude

[Anonymous No.3772401]

Nope.
I take meds for that and they help with the art too.

Stop making stupid posts and excuses and go see a doctor.

[Anonymous No.3772404]

>>3768533
>t. attention whore

[Anonymous No.3772417]

>>3768533
Art has never done anything for depression for me and I've been an artist all my life, as well as had depression for MOST of my life. I'm about to give you the most unpopular advice you could possibly give on 4chan: Believe in Jesus. No lie.

Becoming born again and following the Bible the best I can pretty much cured my depression and I had it BAD. I'll give you more advice cause I know a lot about this.

1. Avoid things that make you sad or anxious. Sounds simple but it is in fact very important. Don't listen to depressing music, don't watch depressing or anxiety inducing tv shows. What you're trying to do is affect your thoughts and what you take in through your senses MATTER. Take all steps to reduce your depressive thoughts.

2. Depressing CIRCUMSTANCES. This is often the main culprit of depression. Abusive parents, abusive friends, whatever or whoever in your life is an obstacle for you, is bullying you, hurting you, etc. if at all possible find someone who is loving and supportive and hang out with THEM as much as humanly possible. If that's an aunt, or close relative, or whatever. I would stay away from other kids cause kids usually have terrible ideas.

3. Stay away from depressants. Alcohol, benzodiazapines, etc. etc. unless you're addicted and need these things or else you'll have horrible withdrawal. In that case, SLOWLY taper off your depressant drugs, research the CRAP out of it, and do it very slowly. If you CAN'T stop taking a benzo because you have a serious medical issue like seizures, just keep your dose normal and do #4.

4. Journal what you're doing and thinking when you feel sad. You may feel sad exactly 1 hour after taking a certain medication, then you'll KNOW its the medication. By journalling you can find the SOURCE of your depression, and by finding the source, you can more easily find a solution.

I hope this all helps. God Bless, and you'll make it!

[Anonymous No.3772423]

>>3768544
+1 for sisyphus reference. And I said that BEFORE reading your >blah I actually read the myth of sisyphus when I was.. early 20s or maybe a teen. Camus. But yah, routine definitely helps, even IF your routine is shitposting, what's important is sleep and wake up times, eating, body stuff. Tiny bit of exercise like walking. A bit of social interaction with someone who is not a tard/abusive, even if its just your mom. And like you said, some kind of goal that gives you hope. Also the advice in >>3772417 if I can advertise for myself.

[Anonymous No.3772428]

Yeah, mostly because i don't care about the quality of my drawing, i just mindlessly sketch random stuff and i find it relaxing

[Anonymous No.3772448]

>>3768533
It's hard for me to even pick up a pencil when i'm depressed.

[Anonymous No.3773450]

>>3772417
Ignore this guy he is giving bad one size fits all advice. You need to find your own way of dealing with mental illness & using medication could be one of them.

[Anonymous No.3773537]

>>3768533
Not really, not being as good as other people my age makes me feel even worse sometimes.
Right now I'm in this middle ground in which I dont study or grind but I just draw everyday whatever I can and try to finish it, it doesnt make me happy or sad but it keeps me busy.
Then if I like it I post it (or not) and I move on to another thing.

[Anonymous No.3773793]

>>3773450
Staying away from drugs that cause depression is bad advice how? It said stay away from depressants, not stay away from all medication. You're advice to 'ignore' all of that is potentially way more dangerous.

[Anonymous No.3773881]

>>3768533
no

[Anonymous No.3773887]

>>3773450
Your advice is fucking terrible.

[Anonymous No.3773893]

>>3773450
No, ignore THIS guy. It's true medication COULD be a way of dealing with mental illness. But you asked about dealing with DEPRESSION specifically. Not taking depressants is GOOD advice.

And if you don't NEED /anti/-depressants then not taking them is a a good idea too. Because when you take an anti depressant they give you anxiety which often leads you to be put on anti-anxiety pills I.E. benzodiapapines, I.E. >>3772417 was giving you experienced advice which you could easily check by asking an adult who is sane and has experience with depression.