Posted by HooWha on March 12, 1999, at 4:02:51
In reply to answer, posted by Something to think about, ......... on March 11, 1999, at 19:42:17
I think there's a little truth to what you say,
but my experience is that when my depression is
under control, I can be like that person, Jeff,
you talk about. It *does* take a choice, but it's
no harder than choosing to go out for a morning jog
on a cold day. A little effort, but not really
a big deal.When the depression is not under control (which
only happens for me by external means;
heavy exercise (which I can no longer do due to
physical probs), sleep deprivation, or meds),
I put forth MASSIVE effort just to function.
And that's all it does. It does nothing to relieve
the depression.When I experienced non-depression for the first
time, it became painfully clear that, for me,
all the positive thinking and mental 'work'
in the world was, by itself [vulgaity warning]
pissing in the wind.No personal animosity meant here. It's the
pervasity (is that a word?) of the idea that
people can just think their way out of a
depression that angers me.When I am not depressed, I HAVE a choice,
whether to see the glass as half full or empty.
When I am depressed, I am not given that that
choice. I can verbalize the words in my head,
write them down, say them outloud (Stewart Smalley,
anyone?) a million times, and all the good in my
outlook and mood that should come from that
simply DOES NOT HAPPEN. (When my depression is
under control (meds) it does make a difference.)Maybe it works for some, but I know that I need
the bio-chemical hardware fixed before I can even
begin to work on the software.
Best wishes,
HooWha
poster:HooWha
thread:3621
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990301/msgs/3630.html