Brilliant, or unbelievably stupid?

[kellinator]

I woke up in the middle of the night and had this thought which is either really insightful or really stupid. I'll let you pick:

[Poll #178636]

Comments

[azurelunatic]

...though figuring out what's making you unhappy when it's supposedly unfocused depression but you know it's not can be a bitch and a half.

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

That's when you LiveJournal about it obsessively until you either have a breakthrough (in June, when I realized exactly how bad my daddy issues were) or you get bored and wander off to do something else...

[azurelunatic]

I say "Waaaaigh!" and go to Darkside, who knows how I wince when he's gotten it right.

[es.livejournal.com]

I shan't answer this one, since the statement seems to be right 'round the middle, rather than either extreme. :) I will say, however, that it's my belief that you shouldn't strive to be happy. Happy and Sad are opposite swings of the pendulum, and striving for either will simply ensure you never find what you're looking for. Try instead for content: happy and sad will come in turn, high spikes and low drops and then back again to the next, but if you've got a solid ground to return to, neither will unbalance.

- ES

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

Kinda like the quote about happiness being a butterfly that will flee if you chase it but if you ignore it it may come and land on your shoulder?

I'm actually in a pretty good place these days. Fairly content, actually...

[es.livejournal.com]

Oh, I didn't assume you're depressed, ma'am. :) I meant 'you' in the generic sense in my previous comment. Your posts of late suggest you are, in fact, fairly content, so no worries.

- ES

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

Yeah. You're a relative newcomer, so you haven't seen the worst of it, but man it feels good to look at my journal and realizing I'm no longer posting "I'm so depressed" three times a day...

Re: depression

[wolfieboy.livejournal.com]

For me, just being able to realize that I'm depressed is most of the battle. It's coming to that first realization that's the real bitch.

Re: depression

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. Though metaphorge and I have often discussed whether I tend to mistake situational depression for chemical depression...

[tenn-crichton.livejournal.com]

That is insightfull, but not truly enlightening. es summed it up pretty well, so I won't rehash anything nor give any of my rambling advice. Balance, baby. Balance.

Anyway, hang in there.

~M

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

Thank you... but oops, I just realized now everyone thinks I'm depressed. I'm actually not right now. I mean, no more so than the usual Kellinator mood swings. That was just my half-awake ramblings... Nonetheless, thank you. :)

[tenn-crichton.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with the normal Kellinator mood swings. Anyway, drop me a line sometime.

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

I said "stupid" by default. I think that "focused depression" is an oxymoron. If you know exactly what is making you depressed, then you are not really depressed, you are upset about something. Depression is an overall feeling of malaise, dread and hopelessness. If you know what is bothering you, then I'd say your feeling is not general.

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

Actually, that makes a whole lot of sense...

[girlvinyl.livejournal.com]

I like the school of depression denial. Just pretend like you're not depressed and do all the things you would do anyway, and it just sort of evaporates.

[sertrel.livejournal.com]

That really is a good method. Depression seems to get worse the more free attention it has available, being idle is a good way to have depression expand to fill every nook and cranny in the mind. Keeping occupied, doing things, getting out is a good way to get rid of depression and malaise.

[mizdandylynn.livejournal.com]

I am still giggling about Kellinator Jones and the Temple of Snark. Girl.. you bring me up.

[snowelf.livejournal.com]

Like others have said, I'd aim for contentment, the happiness will arrive soon enough.

[misanthropist.livejournal.com]

I think it's true, but not insightful because it seems pretty obvious.

[bheansidhe.livejournal.com]

CAVEAT: It's hard to quantify a state of generalized nonspecific morbid dread and existential angst.


Further discussion: ALL depression is a signal from your brain that you are Not Happy About Something. The less focused the signal, though, the greater the chance that what you're Not Happy About is an issue you're afraid of, in denial about, or feel helpless against. Those are the tough ones.