More Depression Treatment
My own cure had its genesis by looking at depression in the big picture. When it first started on Earth, if you will. So let’s step into the classroom for a moment…
Before the modern era, there was very little depression (or stress too, for that matter). At least as we know it. Sure, people were sad, worried, angry, hurt, or plain terrified of being killed by Vikings. But there isn’t much record of people being chronically depressed. People had different words for things, then. But even so…
At least, there wasn’t an epidemic of depression, as there is today.
Why is this? Societal class, customs, traditions, religion, strugles against poverty and strict societal rules all provided a solid framework to channel our nervous energies.
To put it simply, there was little time for many people to be depressed – and if we did feel “lost” – there were accepted ways of dealing with it, to pull us back on track. The Church was one. The right way of being a husband, child, or wife was another.
For better or worse, today we have a multitude of different “tracks” we can choose from. We have a smorgasbord of choices – different opinions, religions, and lifestyles. We can choose none of the old belief systems, or pick and choose from many. We can exist idly (lots of time, but very little money) or greedily (little time, but chasing large salaries). We might even have doubts about which of these we should aim for.
Choice is great, right? Well, for some people, increased choice also come with a cost.
Depression thrives when we have little focus or direction in our lives. In the affluent modern West, our mind can become especially directionless, rudderless, or full of double guessing and doubt.
Without the structures of old, we are lost and often feel weird, unfulfilled, and unsure. And depressed.
What, then, should we do?
The easiest thing for us to do is to give back to ourselves some sense of goals and directions. Like it or not, today it is up to ourselves to get the backbone we need.
In short – we have to save ourselves.
Here’s an exercise, which might help:
Write down what you want to achieve in life. Rethink, reconsider, and just look at this list often. Treat it like the important document that it is.
Whilst this sounds extremely simple, I have found it can be a key thing for many depressive people. Whenever you are lost, try simply thinking about what you really want in life. It might just be half way to solving your depression.
