So, you’re depressed. What’s next? We all experience depression for many reasons, and there are plenty of situations that are in and of themselves depressing — such as conflicts, difficulties, injustice, illness, loss, and upheaval. These things should evoke some depression. In the face of troubles, something in us should drop, lose energy, and experience a sense of despair or hopelessness every now and then. To … Read More
Situational depression arises when some aspect of your life is unworkable or dysfunctional; this emotion stops you for a vital reason, and there are many ways to support yourself when depression is present. Depression has a vital message for you When we looked at the gifts of sadness, I wrote about what I call the emotional attribution mistake that I see with many emotions — which is … Read More
See Ingenious Stagnation: Understanding Depression for specific help with depression. When suicides are in the news, people tend to talk more about depression. Medical and psychological researchers (and news outlets) focus a great deal of attention on depression, and it seems that every week brings a new story about what does and doesn’t work for depression. This is great; it’s a positive movement that is helping … Read More
There are a number of saddening stories out this week on a topic close to my heart: Depression. Some drug companies are giving up on antidepressant research, many natural cures are not working, and yet another doctor has clambered onto the anti-medication soapbox. Sigh. I have early-onset double depression (major depression and dysthymia), and I can tell you that antidepressants are certainly helpful, and that the … Read More
Emotional hygiene is an idea I developed about seven years ago (the phrase is not original to me, though) when I was dealing with depression and one of my best friends was dealing with anxiety. As it turns out, the two states aren’t very compatible! My friend and I had been very close and emotionally in sync for many years, and we were very used to … Read More