I havent taken antidepressants but I took a lot of yoga classes which really helped me. Im not into Eastern religion but I do strongly believe in God and I joined some groups at church. For me staying active was key to my recovering. I moved out of state so I am looking for a new church in my area. I also think support from other women is beneficial. Also, I try not to dwell on who my ex is all the time. It feels as if he has a hold on me when I do that. I thank God for the lessons I learned and try to live in gratitude... also, reading helped me.
Things do get better in time, I promise :)

I started antidepressants (SSRIs) for about a week, then had a really bad reaction to them. I'm restarting them again though because my stress is too high. I got PTSD from my experience though.

Yoga and lavender aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is something I have never tried, but I am going to definitely give that a shot. I did boxing and weightlifting, They were great stress relievers! I felt like one tough cookie after a workout. But I think I over did it because I got too muscular in my shoulders and arms, also my pants don't fit around my thighs anymore!!
I want to try Pilates after the New Year, has anyone done Pilates?

This is going to sound a little hippie-ish but whenever I thought I was going to lose it, my therapist told me to go outside and put my feet in the dirt, it really grounded me, I would take deep breaths, I felt great afterwards! It is obviously cold right now but, when you get a chance try it.

I have done pilates and I like it. I like yoga better. I feel strong and elongated and the breathing helps get you centered. Whenever I feel like I am wrapped up in his crazy making I stop and take some deep breaths. I try to remember what is important. And shift my attention make on what matters. And I think Im a total hippy at heart....minus the weed, and the lack of showering and eating pure organic food and...well you get my drift.

I am horrible at typing... shift my attention BACK, i meant.

Thanks EyesOpened! I have heard aroma therapy works, and I have tried diffusers too. I tried some of what you listed, like the Bergamot. I bought these blends of herbal tea from the drugstore in hopes of drinking it to calm me down enough to be able to sleep at night. I tried a bunch, but none of them worked enough to completely calm me down. I'm still out on the lookout for other remedies because now I have been diagnosed with migraines with aura officially (I knew I had them before, but I was never officially diagnosed). Now I have triptans for my migraines and they interact with SSRIs so I have to try and find an alternative if I can.

I tried Zoloft and it actually heightened my sensitivity and emotional pain. I was crying uncontrollably and could not get out of bed....and it wasn't even that bad to begin with. So I stopped. I have been reading a lot of self help books on inner strength and doing a lot of meditation and it has been helping a lot.

betrayed,

I usually don't like taking prescription drugs regularly, so tried natural remedies for a while per my former therapist's recommendation. It is called "Sam-e". She also recommended "St. John's Wort", but I never tried that one.
But my depression gradually got worse and finally my doctor put me on prescription Rx. I took Lexapro, Zoloft, Effexor and towards the end I was on Pristiq. Now I have been off of any medication for almost a year. I was also suffering from very bad case of insomnia (I still do), so the doc put me on all kinds of sleeping pills...Melatonin to Trazodone.
I know people react to Rx differently, but I'd not recommend Effexor or Pristiq. I was on them for a little over a year. The withdrawal side effects were just pure hell. Horrible horrible withdrawal symptoms........