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Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

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Re: Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

#11

Post by rdouble »

smhelp wrote: post #10
pedalpete wrote: post #2

Travelling alone can be depressing. Don't just run from your current lifestyle, add something to it. Travel with a purpose. Stuff like 'Homes for humanity' and many other travel related charities can be quite expensive. But you can travel and work. Not travel and hack, just work. I'm not sure what is near Atlanta, and what's available. But you already have fairly nice weather. No matter where you go, $2000 isn't goin…

Running from my current lifestyle is sort of what I am trying to do. I really can't think of anything else in the short term that would help, though I am open to suggestions. I did look into non-profits, but they want you to work for free, pay them application fees for stuff, which really sucks, if they had been nicer, I would have offered to re:design their website, but I really didn't want to offer any webwork upfr…

You don't need any background to work at a ski resort unless you want to teach lessons. Another idea is working at a national park. I worked at glacier national park after my freshman year of college.

Re: Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

#12

Post by smhelp »

dbs wrote: post #8

As someone who successfully overcome depression, I would humbly suggest to read "letters from a stoic" by Seneca. After that you may think twice before taking some time off as a way of fighting you depression. You can also try to travel to places where people's living conditions are way below those you generally get in the US (instead of going to the beach and do nothing for a while). Guaranteed to change your perspe…

Thanks for the book recommendation. I don't want to come across as arrogant, but my childhood till 13 years old was spent in moderate poverty in another country, so I really know what living in a slum feels like. When I think about what little I remember from those days, it makes my cringe because I do realize how lucky I am to be where I am, but then the motivation is short lived. What else if at all helped you overcome depression ?

Re: Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

#13

Post by sarahmccrum »

Try listening to any of the materials here - www.oceen.com. Even if they are not exactly on the topic of depression they will all help. There's always something free on the home page. They will help you 'do nothing' in a constructive way that makes you feel better.

At first the effect will probably be short-lived - a little burst of energy and motivation. If you listen to one of them every day this will build up and become more stable.

Depression is essentially lack of energy/motivation. As soon as you get a bit more fuel into your system you feel less depressed. It's caused by many things which are not your fault in any way, but you do have the ability to overcome it.

We plan to make a series of materials (on the same site) specifically for depression, so let me know if you'd like to be a guinea pig.

Re: Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

#14

Post by follower »

pedalpete wrote: post #2

Travelling alone can be depressing. Don't just run from your current lifestyle, add something to it. Travel with a purpose. Stuff like 'Homes for humanity' and many other travel related charities can be quite expensive. But you can travel and work. Not travel and hack, just work. I'm not sure what is near Atlanta, and what's available. But you already have fairly nice weather. No matter where you go, $2000 isn't goin…

> Travelling alone can be depressing.

It can be. It can also be awesome. I recommend staying in hostels as a way to save money and meet people.

Re: Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

#15

Post by whichdan »

Have you considered "getting away" somewhere else in Georgia? Find a town with a lot of trails/hiking/parks, rent a cheap room, eat well, and spend some time alone with nature, a few books, and headphones.

CouchSurfing - http://www.couchsurfing.org/ - could also be an option.

Re: Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

#16

Post by thiagofm »

Don't you feel like working on something with me? (anything stupid would do). I think I'm well versed in programming(I'm heavy now on node.js). I can teach you a little bit of it if you want to and maybe build something we can be proud of.

Also, I live in Brazil and I wouldn't mind you to come here. But if I were you, I wouldn't LOL!

Get in contact: thiagown at gmail dot com

I'm frequently on irc in freenode as Horofox (#startups, #node.js and other channels)

Re: Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

#17

Post by mesuvash »

Watch these videos

http://bit.ly/ehfTc3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc http://bit.ly/eNZPda

I do it whenever i lack motivation. It helps me a lot, I hope it will help you in same way.

And you if you really think you want to take a break, Come to Nepal, Its a nice place to be. However its landlocked so you wont find beaches.

Re: Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

#18

Post by pitdesi »

Do you speak Spanish? Costa Rica should be high on your list - you can get cheap flights from Atlanta to San Jose and live decently for ~$25-35/day when there. It's a great place to explore - There are volcanoes and beaches.

If interested in staying on a private island and doing some work, consider http://www.cocovivo.com/ It's run by a friend of mine. He would probably host you for really cheap and would like someone there taking care of the place anyway. It's in Bocas Del Toro in northern Panama - you can get most of the way there using public transportation.

Re: Ask HN: I am a depressed student, looking to travel + just be, please advice.

#19

Post by morganwatch »

Sorry to hear about the weight on your chest.

I overcame my own depression years ago but I help others when I can. Elvis said, "I believe the key to happiness is: someone to love, something to do and something to look forward to." I'm not a big Elvis fan but if you agree with the quote, then what is missing from your life? That's a good place to start.

For books, I'd recommend reading Epictetus' Discourses, he was raised a slave and became a great teacher, Way of The Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.

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