For the most part, I enjoy my life as it is. I’m quite content to stay home, play with my dogs, work on the computer, read through my extensive mystery library and relax in my peaceful garden or at a local park.

It wasn’t always that way, and there are times of late when loneliness sets in. This surprises me because since my recovery from depression, I’m usually quite content to be alone – to have time for myself with no “responsibilities” and no one demanding to know my every move. Where in the past I dreaded being alone, today I truly enjoy being able to do what I want, when I want and in whatever way I want.

To some, this is seen as a selfish, perhaps even a self-centered, approach but that’s not necessarily true. Being in charge is a powerful feeling, but it doesn’t mean being isolated from others and not acknowledging them and enjoying time with them. The key is to find a happy medium and the secret to personal contentment.

I was married once, many years ago, and in general, I enjoyed being married. Differences in life goals led to an early divorce. Recently, I’ve caught myself thinking about my ex-husband – a very rare occurrence for the past 30 years. It just happened one day, out of the blue, that I wondered where he was, how he was doing and how my life might have been different had we stayed together. You can imagine how surprised I was to catch myself wishing we were together now.

Fortunately, this feeling is short lived as I get on with my life and “come to my senses”, you might say.

There was a time some 30 years ago when I would have become extremely depressed and overwhelmingly lonely to the point of wanting to end it all. It was because I was alone and feeling worthless. My psychiatrist saved me from what was looking like a dim future.

His comments led to a major turning point in my life. I’ll never forget those words of wisdom. He told me that I didn’t like myself much and that I relied far too heavily on others for my own happiness. Having never had many friends, I told him this was the problem, but he quickly assured me that having just one good friend is often more than many people enjoy. Suddenly, I felt fortunate rather than lacking.

After that exchange, I began taking a much closer look at what I needed to do to change and recover from my depression and loneliness. I looked at what would make me happy and what made me happy in the past.

The first step was to boost my own self esteem. At first, I was unsure how to do that because I didn’t know why I didn’t like myself. He put me on the right track by suggesting I get involved in things I enjoy.

I reevaluated what I was good at. Fortunately, I still have my public school records and a review soon brought instant realization. My best subjects were spelling and literature. Well, I’ve always enjoyed art, writing in particular, so I took a quick trip to the local high school. I knew what would make me happy, at least in the short term.

For the next 12 weeks, I took two writing courses that involved reading books on my favorite topics – archaeology and mythology. It was amazing to experience the inner uplifting when my lessons repeatedly came back with high marks and praise. This affected me immensely because I actually did very poorly in school overall.

Since that introduction into boosting my self-esteem, I’ve learned a great deal about myself and how talented I truly am. The more I realized, the farther I went. And the more I put myself into a learning state, the more skills I perfected, from computer literacy to photography.

Today, depression is rare, and loneliness rarer. I’ve learned to enjoy being with myself and what things give me instant satisfaction. Whenever depression sneaks in, I need only to busy myself with the activities that reenforce my abilities and the wonderful feeling of having accomplished them.

Loneliness and depression do not have to take over your life. If you can identify what made you happy in the past, what are your in born talents, and what will make you feel good about yourself and who you are, take immediate steps to build on those talents. You might surprise yourself when, one day, you realize how confident and self-assured you feel.

Researchers have mixed opinions about Vitamin B and its affects on depression. While some claim that taking Vitamin B-12 has been shown to have no effect on people suffering from depression and anxiety, others have made the link between a lack of Vitamin B with anxiety, depression and insomnia.

If your Vitamin B-12 level is just a little bit low, you might not have any symptoms, but if it’s considerably low, you can experience depression and other conditions.
For instance, some people with low vitamin B-12 also have high levels a certain amino acid in the blood. If you have a high level of the amino acid, homocysteine, as well as low Vitamin B-12, you might be at higher risk of developing heart disease and stroke.

So what is Vitamin B-12?

Vitamin B-12 is an important vitamin that is mainly found in meat and dairy products. It helps make red blood cells and keeps your nervous system working properly.

True vegetarians who avoid meat and dairy products are at risk for low vitamin B-12. Most people with low vitamin B-12 levels generally have trouble absorbing vitamin B-12 from their stomach or small intestines.

There are several things that can cause problems absorbing Vitamin B-12, including people with pernicious anemia that can destroy cells in the stomach that helps absorb the vitamin. Another contributor is the excessive long-term use of heartburn and ulcer medications.

As well, lack of magnesium and insufficient intake of Vitamin B and Calcium can contribute to anxiety, depression and insomnia.

To combat these shortfalls, make sure you add to your diet foods that are rich in these substances such as wholegrain cereals, leafy-green vegetables and low fat diary products. Fresh, unprocessed foods are best.

Avoid nicotine, caffeine, salt, and artificial additives such as preservatives as these trigger the adrenal glands which is one of the main stress chemicals.

Vitamin B6 as a Contributor

People who consume large amounts of alcohol can be at risk of Vitamin B6 deficiency, generally because they tend to have a low intake and poor metabolism of this vitamin.

People who are under-nourished and who have poor diets will also have a Vitamin B6 deficiency. While severe Vitamin B6 deficiency is relatively rare, the symptoms include irritability, depression and confusion.

Once again, researchers are in conflict. While some believe there is evidence to suggest that Vitamin B-6 deficiency may lead to depression, clinical trials have not provided evidence that an increase in vitamin B-6 is effective in the treatment of depression.

As a layperson who has experienced great improvement with regular supplements of a Vitamin B complex, I can assert that they do, in fact, have a positive effect on depression, anxiety and overall well-being.

I question the tests that do not detail the length of the studies done. In my case, the supplements were taken for an extended period of time before the improvement was noticeable. It took approximately 2-3 months of All-B and Calcium (high-level Stress Formula vitamins) before I began to feel better. Consequently, I wonder whether their tests were given adequate time since they seem to have been conducted over several weeks, not months.

Keep in mind, too, that all people are different. They have different variables that contribute to their depression and anxiety. For some, it’s an inherited trait and is locked into their genes. For others, it’s contributable to other general health issues. In still others, it’s about lifestyle, how they feel about themselves, and what problems they have to deal with. Also, other medications can affect how your body reacts both to events and to how vitamins and minerals are absorbed and used.

Clearly, no one answer will benefit everyone. That’s why it’s important to understand yourself and your own condition.

The important thing is that we all can be helped. Vitamin B is a relatively safe vitamin to take. Plus there are other steps that are proven beneficial that you can take to relieve your condition.