UKC

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2219763695016035&set=a.14599662...

...and often the BEEB and press keep us chocker with bad news to depress us to the point where we think there can be  no opposition.

Haven't clicked the link - I don't if it's to facebook - but if the general atmosphere of bad news that's inevitably, and rightly (this stuff does matter), being reported is getting to you, try this.

There are two things in life you can change, just two, that's all.  They're what you think and what you do.  So to get your mind back on track, ignore all the news outlets including all social media; right now, they're not for you.  Look at other things instead.  Be curious about them; learn something new, be inspired to try something different.  Photography's often good for this, look at photos, pick a couple of different ones and work towards capturing something inspired by them.  Then grab your camera or your phone and go for a walk.  Don't rush, there's no hurry, just be you amongst nature for a while.  Listen, taste the air, feel the ground under your feet, be still and just let things be for a while.  Then be curious about what's around you, the patterns of the leaves, reflections, the sky.  Take a shot or two, then move slowly on to another spot and do the same, be you, there amongst it all.  Breathe . . .

All the bad stuff in the world will still be there, but now you're a bit more grounded you can hopefully see it from an appropriate distance.  It shouldn't affect what you think, nor should it affect what you do.  You're better than all that bad stuff.

T. 

You're not wrong there, Bear!

My mind has been poisoned by the political shit I've read and got involved in on UKC (I'm not joking)
I've GOT to leave this place.

Or just leave it be, unread.  This place is better as a broad church. That doesn't mean you have to argue your point, or even participate. Just walk away from the stuff that annoys you. There's a lot of traffic on this site and traffic always makes a noise; you don't have to argue with the drivers or pay any attention to them parping their horns.

T.

It's a facebook meme saying ' You don't struggle with depression, you struggle with the reality we live in'. 

It's not any old meme, it's attributed to Keanu Reeves.

Anyway, I'm not sure Keanu has it exactly right about clinical depression. 

I'm not sure either,  I think it risks prompting people to not think healthily and decide they don't want to try taking pills, because they'd be changing themselves to fit in with a society which goes against how things should be. A hippy friend has more or less posted along those lines on facebook. I tried to give a different point of view, along the lines of taking an experiential approach to mental health rather than a philosophical one, but I'm not too sure it got through. I hope she doesn't remain glum and vaguely dysfunctional indefinitely. 

There should be a meme on Facebook telling people to get off Facebook.  

I stopped using it about 8-years ago . 

Personally I think it's evil.  Zuckerberg is the devil. 

( Ok maybe not the devil , one of his little wizard minions) 

Sending nice thoughts your way.  

Tws

Make your own News each day, from what goes on in the lives of the birds outside where you live

Bear, you have posted something similar before in a thread were a guy wasn't enjoying his climbing (sure it was you).

I screen shotted it at the time as i found it incredibly useful, i cant bloody find it now, any chance you know which thread I'm talking about?

That's good of you to say DenzelLN, and I'm pleased that what I've written has been helpful.  I've had a quick look through my posts but can't find it.  Any idea how long ago that might have been?  It would help reducing the field of search.

T.

Could be ages ago! 

I will have another look.

Unlike Keanu Reeves, I can't tell you what the truth is, but I can take a view on depression. I think there's a whole mix of things that we call 'depression' from a mental illness that's best treated with drugs, to something that I'd call 'misery' or 'shit life syndrome' and a big mixture in between.

When I think it's best viewed as a mental illness is when looked at objectively, the facts of the matter just aren't that bad and the person's emotional experience of their situation seems from outside to be inappropriate. I've met plenty of people who have loads of talent and opportunity that others would kill for, they're not trapped into any bad situation, they have people who love them (and there's no practical barriers to meeting more): their future is bright, and yet, they feel worthless and want to kill themselves. 

On the other hand, I've met people who've made a massive pig's breakfast of their life, they've got every reason to feel terrible because they're trapped in an awful situation and they don't appear to possess the wherewithal to turn things around. As far as I'm concerned it's a moot point as to whether this is 'their fault' or not - it's the way it is. They might be 'depressed' by a medical definition, but really the problem is that their life has gone to shit and that makes them feel bad.

Of course these are two extremes on a scale - often what's termed 'depression' is an interplay of externally and internally generated misery. And how's best to try to mitigate that misery is going to depend enormously on what's causing it. It certainly isn't simply in the control of the depressed person to 'think  positively' or 'take action to improve their situation' - if it was that easy, they'd just have done it ages ago.

If I was to try to finish the sentence "Truth is, you don't struggle with depression..." I'd say, "well maybe you do, but if actually it's shit life syndrome, then calling it depression probably isn't very helpful...but if it is basically a mental illness then you'd probably be best using medications and CBT...either way, accept any help going that's likely to lead to improvement of your mental state". Which probably wouldn't fly as an internet meme, especially as I'm not a Hollywood actor with pretensions of philosophical wisdom.

Well .......bye!