While my current belief is that depression is more complex than a straightforward illness, I see no harm in placing it under a medical umbrella, if it can be useful.
So, if you want to consider it an illness, I won’t rush to convince you otherwise!
However,
If you think that depression is an illness, then treat it like one! Continue Reading »
Depression is painful. You feel hurt.
You lead a predictable and guaranteed painful existence. You numb yourself with drugs and sometimes lots of sleep. You wait for the pain to go away.
Before long you build an illusion that your recovery is out of your reach.
Then you build another illusion that if you were meant to recover, your journey out of depression would be clear, fast and totally pain-free.
But…
Have you ever thought that you might be hampering your own recovery and choosing to play it safe instead? ‘Better the devil you know?’
Could it be possible that the pain of your depression is less than the pains you might experience during and after your recovery?
It’s by Christine Kane:
“Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember – the only taste of success some people get is to take a bite out of you.” – Zig Ziglar
Here’s one thing I’m pretty sure of:
I’m pretty sure you don’t want to know “How to Get Over Criticism.”
I’ll bet you’d prefer a guide called: “How to Avoid Criticism and Ensure that Everybody Loves You Unequivocally til the Day You Die.”
Unfortunately, the subtitle would be: “Or How to Have a Totally Boring Life.”
You have been depressed for so long that you are sick and tired of being depressed. You want your life back! You desire to feel happy, confident, successful, valued, connected, interested and interesting. ‘If only I can break the cycle of this depression and set myself free to LIVE the rest of my life!’
The truth is: it’s hard to break free from depression. It’s almost impossible to talk yourself out of it (Would be nice to hear from people who succeeded this way!) It’s also unlikely that a person, who has been crippled by depression, would find strength, discipline and motivation to do and act differently from one particular moment forward.
Why is that?
We all make mistakes throughout our lives. It’s normal. It’s human. If you try to avoid making mistakes, you will run into all kinds of trouble, ranging from indecisiveness and stagnation to severe depression.
Allowing yourself to live fully would inevitably lead to a few mistakes being made by you and that’s ok. Learn from your mistakes and cherish this knowledge. It is yours to help you recognise the same mistakes in advance and to make the right choices in the future.
Don’t beat yourself up, don’t shame or punish yourself when you mess things up. Of course, you will feel many different emotions arising within you when you know that you were responsible. Don’t try to suppress these emotions. They are there for a purpose! Let them flow and run their course.
