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I've noticed about myself that while I may get tired after a day's work, even become tearful and depressed, I usually sleep well and wake up ready to conquer the world again. I don't suffer from debilitating depression. My enjoyment of life is intact, despite occasional down moments. I'm lucky.
To me, planetary events, politically and environmentally, are the greatest source of depression, particularly the rise of authoritarianism worldwide, and the possible demise of democracy.
au·thor·i·tar·i·an·ism
[ôˌTHäriˈterēənizəm]
NOUN
the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.
lack of concern for the wishes or opinions of others.
I have an adult student, a distinguished econ professor, who was saying something about the U.S. breaking up into sections. Not sure what that was about. And I am very troubled by how animals are treated. I was very upset about this:
This same professor, who is just a few months younger than me (68), and is about to retire, says his students, with the exception of maybe five or six per class, tend to be rude, play on their phones during class, don't show up for exams (he flunks them and they don't care), and don't read his carefully crafted handouts, leaving them in the trash outside the classroom.
Last edited by KaraZetterberg153; 07-26-2018 at 07:55 AM..
I too do not suffer from clinical depression. I am thankful for that.
I have noticed that I seem to feel a sort of dullness, though. I do not look forward to things like I have in the past. But I don’t become angry as easily, either. I do derive pleasure from some things.
I imagine clinical depression would be a living hell, and I sympathize with anyone who suffers with it.
I've noticed about myself that while I may get tired after a day's work, even become tearful and depressed, I usually sleep well and wake up ready to conquer the world again. I don't suffer from debilitating depression. My enjoyment of life is intact, despite occasional down moments. I'm lucky.
To me, planetary events, politically and environmentally, are the greatest source of depression, particularly the rise of authoritarianism worldwide, and the possible demise of democracy.
au·thor·i·tar·i·an·ism
[ôˌTHäriˈterēənizəm]
NOUN
the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.
lack of concern for the wishes or opinions of others.
I have an adult student, a distinguished econ professor, who was saying something about the U.S. breaking up into sections. Not sure what that was about. And I am very troubled by how animals are treated. I was very upset about this:
This same professor, who is just a few months younger than me (68), and is about to retire, says his students, with the exception of maybe five or six per class, tend to be rude, play on their phones during class, don't show up for exams (he flunks them and they don't care), and don't read his carefully crafted handouts, leaving them in the trash outside the classroom.
I became much happier when I stopped reading "news" stories that really have no impact on my circle of reference. The giraffe story would be a prime example of this.
It seems as if you are allowing external stimuli to regulate your moods and emotions. I would take note that so much of the "news" is not actually news but merely salacious or shocking tidbits about rare events that dont actually affect the lives of most people. I believe you really would benefit from severely limiting your intake of current events.
Do you REALLY think our nation is going to break up into sections in the near future? Or even the far future? How is what you are reading actually affecting your everyday life, other than making you tense and depressed? It's not keeping you informed about anything incredibly meaningful.
Try an experiment and stop consuming any "news" for a week. See how much better you feel after 5 days.
I don't have clinical depression and rarely face situational depression. I get down in the dumps now and again, especially as I struggle with chronic back issues, but I snap out of it and focus on what I am grateful for and enjoy life. After having suffered several bouts of serious depression due to circumstances beyond my control I have developed tools to crawl my way out of it, and fall back on them when I feel down in the dumps.
I became much happier when I stopped reading "news" stories that really have no impact on my circle of reference. The giraffe story would be a prime example of this.
It seems as if you are allowing external stimuli to regulate your moods and emotions. I would take note that so much of the "news" is not actually news but merely salacious or shocking tidbits about rare events that dont actually affect the lives of most people. I believe you really would benefit from severely limiting your intake of current events.
Do you REALLY think our nation is going to break up into sections in the near future? Or even the far future? How is what you are reading actually affecting your everyday life, other than making you tense and depressed? It's not keeping you informed about anything incredibly meaningful.
Try an experiment and stop consuming any "news" for a week. See how much better you feel after 5 days.
I know you're right, and I posted a thread about that not too long ago. See:
The break from the news lasted about 10 days. It's just so damn fascinating, better than the movies.
Incidentally, not sure I agree with "It's not keeping you informed about anything incredibly meaningful." That is primarily why I continue following. I don't see how you can say that. It's history happening before your eyes.
Last edited by KaraZetterberg153; 07-26-2018 at 11:05 AM..
I was probably clinically depressed in 2013. I was highly suicidal for several months.
I was fired from a job. Had to take three low paying jobs that year, each paying less than the last. I had no benefits of any kind. My best friend committed suicide.
It really took about a year for things to turn around in any meaningful way.
You didn't list my current source of depression: a squirrel in my living room ceiling that won't go into the trap and that is slowly destroying the ceiling. In there since Monday, the exterminator is going to go nuclear on it this afternoon.
I don't know if what I feel is normal or abnormal, but most times I am a very forward-looking, can-do, level headed person. Maybe once a week or once every two weeks, I'll have a moment where I'm excessively irritable, but I'm smart enough to use that time to separate myself from being short with someone or acting on an impulse. I wait a few minutes, go for a drive, have a coffee, and I'm fine in less than an hour. I feel like those moments I need to separate myself.
The break from the news lasted about 10 days. It's just so damn fascinating, better than the movies.
Incidentally, not sure I agree with "It's not keeping you informed about anything incredibly meaningful." That is primarily why I continue following. I don't see how you can say that. It's history happening before your eyes.
That's my point. Not everything broadcast is actual news or even history. The 24-hour news cycle changed everything to the point that minutiae become updates. You just don't need to know everything that is happening. The world is not worse than it's ever been and in fact is a whole lot better than it's been many times in the past.
You clearly are not engaging a strong enough filter because the giraffe story is a perfect example of something that is upsetting but not actually relevant for you to continue living your life. Your refusal to discern between trivia and history is affecting your well-being.
I think you would be seriously shocked at how much better you feel when you unplug. After that week subscribe only to the Sunday print edition of the NYT. You will be informed without overdosing, which is what is happening to you now.
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