depressed

[cymbelline]

I am feeling depressed. I can't think of anything that happened that is commensurate to the way I am feeling. So I conclude that I must be depressed. I guess many people, even normal people have felt depressed at some point of time in their life, and it will probably, no definitely go away. I also can't help thinking I'm way too old for this shit.

Comments

Re: sorry, didn't see this reply until now..

[matt_arnold]

I was depressed once. That was at the transition period of my life, in which I was alienated from my home, my workplace, my church, my parents and siblings. Everything in my life was what I had been given by my upbringing and the way I started off my adulthood. It was the wrong fit for me, so I was constantly lonely. My whole body felt achy, fatigued, and dazed. I lost all of those factors and built a more authentic life, and haven't been depressed since.

Martin Seligman says that the formula for happiness is Happiness = S + C + V.

S is for Set point. It's the natural biological baseline that your brain starts from. We each have a different Set point. Mine is fairly steady and upbeat. For others, a certain level of sadness is normal and they work to build higher off of that Set point.

C is for Current Conditions. (That was my problem when I was depressed.) Changing the things that are happening to you from bad to good can help your happiness, but only so far from your Set point.

V is for Voluntary associations. Literally, if you get involved in groups, such as churches or social clubs or charities, you get happier. Research has shown that all over the world, it's these three factors, basically. S, C, and V.

You may enjoy listening to this excellent episode of Changesurfer Radio, one of my favorite podcasts, interviewing Jonathan Haidt about positive psychology. It's fascinating and useful.

Their archive is down for maintenance, so give it time before downloading.

Re: sorry, didn't see this reply until now..

[cymbelline]

So how did you get over being depressed? (maybe you already answered the question above and if so, sorry

Re: sorry, didn't see this reply until now..

[matt_arnold]

I saw a psychiatrist about it for a few months, but he had no help to offer. My doctor put me on Wellbutrin for a while. What really lifted my depression was changing my life to be authentic and have the people in it who I wanted.

A big part of that was joining science fiction conventions, where there was so much intelligence and creativity. So much community, too. That group fit my personality. It was a place to do volunteer work, to get out of the house, to be active, to be part of something, to create wonderful things.

That's how I got over being depressed. Six years later, it's been a change like night and day. Depression is not my brain's emotional "Set point", so it never came back.

Re: sorry, didn't see this reply until now..

[cymbelline]

yeah, I saw a psychiatrist here in new york too but never went back after 2 sessions. If that's what accepting a diagnosis of mental illness and therapy is like I think I'll take my chances on my own.