I used to have some really ugly depressions. Some lasted months, some lasted years, & like you, I over-thought it & tried to find some hidden meaning or value to my suffering. Here's the trick I've learned that seems to be working - just accept the depression when it hits. Don't try to apply meaning to it or derive any purpose from it - just let it be. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in a story regarding the depression, or think to yourself that it could "last forever" - nothing like that. Just acknowledge that it is there & modify your behavior or daily activities as needed, & give it room to pass.
It sounds rudimentary, but that technique has been very useful for me.
Looking for and admitting when we are happy is hard work. Personally, I believe you have to train yourself to find happiness. I didn’t discover what to look for until I was an adult. So I am conducting my own experiment. I’m teaching Jordis to find her happy place. It doesn’t work all the time but occasionally I can see the cogs turning when she tries. Maybe she’ll have a better chance and not go down the depression paths I have.
Think too much? Friend, by these posts of yours I am allowed to find new perspectives on my emotions and physical condition, which are related, that I may have never noticed before. I don't like that you are suffering, but can certainly relate to it and actually find new perspectives on my own suffering as a result of reading what you write. Thank you so much for writing such things down. Trust that you are helping at least one person, okay? There's always good in that, even though *you* may not feel any better
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Adding to that: listening to Brindle may help.Kudos, and right back at you. The lady is indeed wise. I've found the best advice is often of the type that I am unwilling to hear, unwilling to even consider. Not just from brindle, but also from other choice friends. (Long story on those
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Maybe it's easy for me to think this because I don't personally have to deal with depression. It just seems to me that this kind of thinking encourages people to use depression as an excuse to avoid things they may really be able to do. Using depression as a way to determine which goals are unreachable could really limit a person's growth and opportunities.
It just seems to me that this kind of thinking encourages people to use depression as an excuse to avoid things they may really be able to do.It can, and it has
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It sounds rudimentary, but that technique has been very useful for me.
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So I am conducting my own experiment. I’m teaching Jordis to find her happy place. It doesn’t work all the time but occasionally I can see the cogs turning when she tries. Maybe she’ll have a better chance and not go down the depression paths I have.
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Please forgive my eternal optimism:)
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