PSA

[kyburg]

Dancers have a way of describing pain I find interesting. There is "good" pain and there is "bad" pain.

Good pain is when you're moving in a fashion nature doesn't allow - and your body rebels.

Bad pain is when you actually doing damage and you are breaking something.

I could say much the same about mood.

Being unhappy, cranky, blue, sad...depressed...is just as much a part of life as being happy. You don't need medication to be happy. You need a realistic expectation of a normal life experience. Shit happens. You know when this is.

So there is "good" depression...and "bad" depression. The difference?

"Bad" depression gives you the jitters. Bad depression colors everything. Bad depression makes you stay home in bed. Bad depression makes you sick.

Bad depression is usually caused by an assumption you've made - whether consciously or not, in grave error to reality. You feel the effects of this. It's usually something global and very, very old.

Like - "I'm worthless. I'm garbage. I suck." Wherever or however this came about - whether is it old garbage, learned behaviors or whatnot - these assumptions are in play.

You need to sit down, be very quiet for a bit and think about this very carefully. A pad of paper and a pencil helps. Just write it down and then take a critical look at it.

You'll see very quickly that the assumption is wrong, incomplete or grossly out of line. You'll be able to pick it apart. You'll be able to put the lie to it and be done with it.

But first, you have to figure out what's bugging you. I'm only offering examples. Whatever it is, it is unique to you and you alone - and you have to figure it out for yourself.

Whatever it is, know it is false - the "bad" depression is proof of that.

And if you need to check your work, I'm here.

October is the month for depression and suicide, BTW. Y'all are starting early.

Comments

[wednesday]

October is the month for depression and suicide, BTW. Y'all are starting early.

Yeah, but Samhain ambience starts as soon as the wind gets cold.

[makeitepic.livejournal.com]

Wooord, kyburg. I'm adding this to my memories next time I have an anxiety attack.

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

decent advice, but while I'm not one to say everyone should have medication, some folks do need meds to be happy. Telling people they *should* be able to be happy when they really don't have the ability to keep that state in their brain just depresses folks like I was even more.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

And nobody needs to be "shoulded" all over.

Thank God there are better choices than booze these days.

[inagawayuu.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's not the meds themselves that make you 'happy', they calm the jitters and anxieties that are caused by a chemical imbalance and stablize your system, allowing you to react to situations in a proper manner, and expierience purer emotions.

I'm just coming out of my 'bad' depression phase now that Im on Depakote and Prozac, but I also needed counseling and lots of support from my friends. I didn't just become 'happy' overnight (which is the general myth surrounding those medications). Yeah, I have my occasional setback, but I vent it out on LJ and then I'm all better :P

[exedore.livejournal.com]

October is? Really? It's probably my favourite month out of the year! Of course, we'll see if that holds true when I've got 12 classes, the language barrier, no friends, and the föhn to deal with...

[jadegirl.livejournal.com]

You know, this is the second time today this concept has shown up on my friends list. I'm glad it has, because I needed the reminder, especially of late.

I never could get the hang of October...

[musicalchaos.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, interesting.... I've never really had much of a problem with Fall... In fact it's my favorite time of the year, I'm never more alive than when the leaves are turning... I have several fond memories of visiting apple orchards in my childhood right around the harvest and having fresh spiced apple cider, among other treats, being available... Damn I miss being up north... But either way, my biggest problem comes around Christmas, I've always been incredibly jealous of those people who have large families which get along.... Ours has always been rather dysfunctional, so much so that even if we weren't so spread out we'd have done away with each other by lunch time.... Eh, well, I'd probably better stop rambling, I've got chores to do.

[saintswife.livejournal.com]

What I'm noticing in our humble abode is that because we are both going through birthday's this month there is more introspection concerning our lives and where we are now and what we've done with our time here.

There is a lot of depression on my husband's part because he is turning 30 and it is a milestone for him. Considering the things he has been through this year (job layoff, knee surgery, motorcycle accident with some permanent hand damage) he is probably somewhat justified to be going through a crisis on the emotional side.

I don't know that I could necessarily say I'm a proponent of Dr. Phil - I don't watch his show, listen to his stuff and haven't read his book. I did run across an article recently in which he offered an exercise in which you write down the 10 defining moments of your life, experiences that helped mold you into who you are today; the 7 critical choices you have made; and the 5 pivotal people hwo have influenced you most. This is supposed to help you figure out "who you are".

While I'm not so much interested in the "who I am" aspect of it, I think the exercise might actually be interesting for me to try, just to see what comes up.

I've rambled and made absolutely no sense here, but I'll post anyway - you can delete ifyou like :)

[lokabrenna.livejournal.com]

Just... thank you.

[bigbigtruck.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[bigbigtruck.livejournal.com]

I think most of my assumptions were of the "drama ends and everything is easy once you grow up, right?" variety.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

*laughs*

You don't ever grow up. Trust me on this.

Pill free for now

[forestcats.livejournal.com]

I'm one of the last people I know holding out from any 'Happy Pills', I hold my own against depression and have found delight in recognizing that this too shall pass.