Saying depression is all in your head is like saying a brain tumor is all in your head.
we’re depressed mainly bc of trauma, violence, oppression, material insecurity, and lack of control over the work at which we spend most of our lives, but the institutions for whom that system is profitable are like, “actually it’s bc you eat sugar!”
depression is a tough bitch but so are you
The cliché is that creativity and depression go hand-in-hand. Like many clichés, this one is quite true. But creators are not necessarily afflicted with some biological disease or psychological disorder that causes them to experience depression at the alarming rates that we see. They experience depression simply because they are caught up in a struggle to make life seem meaningful to them. People for whom meaning is no problem are less likely to experience depression. But for creators, losses of meaning and doubts about life’s meaningfulness are persistent problems—even the root causes of their depression.“
Eric Maisel, from The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person’s Path through Depression (New World Library, 2007)
“I know you used to be depressed for a long time, and I want to know what your motivation was to change something to not live that way anymore?”
“I think it’s important to have something to do, something to look forward to, and something to love. If you have those three things in place, then…it is not a cure-all for depression…it’s not a cure-all for mental health issues…but it’s a place to hang your hat. It’s something around which you can build your day. It’s a starting off; it’s a foundation, at least…to go from there.”
– Wentworth Miller at German Comic con, 09. 12. 2017.
I would fight for him. I’m not even in his fandom(s?), but his comments on mental health have warmed my shriveled little heart (and are very much in line with current psychological theory and practice).
Something to love doesn’t have to be a person. Maybe your dog is what gets you out of bed in the morning. Something to do doesn’t have to be a job–it just has to give you a structure and a sense of purpose, so if volunteering at the senior center or going to the pool for a lap every day is what does it, great!
And something to look forward to can be as big and nebulous as “a career after college” or it can be as concrete as “that book I want to read is coming out next month.”
me irl
therapist’s online bio: “[X] worked in [African country] as [highly
skilled and useful career] before moving to America with his family and
getting his degree and licensure in psychology”me: that’s so fucking cool
depression:
he’s going to think you’re so fucking pathetic. you ARE so fucking
pathetic. what have you ever accomplished in yourme: YOU SEE, THIS WOULD BE WHY WE’RE MAKING THIS APPOINTMENT
As someone who has dealt with depression for years, I can confirm this is incredibly good advice.
just so you know, daniel harmon is an autistic writer, producer, and voice actor. it’s incredibly important that we don’t erase autistic creators; all of this is also important, but erasure is a huge problem and it’s so so vital for autistic kids to see (mentally ill and multifaceted) autistic adult creators and know that’s what they can grow up to be.
This is truly great advice
Don’t even need to add anything. That’s where you start and build from.
having anxiety and depression at the same time is like
someone keeping you pinned down while another person yells at you about all the things you need to get done
This is so important
My high school teacher said this to me, and it changed everything about how I looked at myself and had me find out I had depression. This is important.
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