Ever wish you would just drop dead?

Awesome post. Life is full of opportunities, if we can just do something to expand our horizons. It's the myopia that the chemical imbalances cause that make us think we are surrounded, and there's "no way out".

 

That is very true. From the age of 5, I was very aware of the fact that I was different to everyone around me. And I was also aware of the fact that I was part of a society that seeked to exclude and shun me for that difference. And the older I got, I only became more and more isolated within and more disillusioned with, that society. There are two major causes for my depression. One is the thing that caused me to be different in the first place, and the other, is living in a society that is generally very hostile to that sort of difference.

GardenGuy's advice seems entirely dependant on you having quite a bit of money, and also being someone without a debilitating physical anomaly. Neither being categories I fit into.

Like I said earlier, there is no one-size-fits-all cure for clinical depression, as there is a myriad of different causes for it. Just because something worked for you, that doesn't mean the same thing will work for everyone with severe depression.

 

I find smoking weed helps with the whole sitting around and dwelling on things...it tends to make things a little easier to deal with so then I can't see any point in dwelling on them anymore. But yeah I personally don't see anything very appealing about masturbation so can't say I've ever attempted that to try and feel less depressed.

 

I've always felt less likely to masturbate when depressed. It always feels like a cheap substitute for working things out somehow. When I'm depressed, almost nothing seems to work,,music,,movies,,tv,,food,,it's like nothing is palatable, because I feel like I'm not worthy, or in the proper place mentally/emotionally to just relax and have fun.

But I am beginning to realize that depression is chemically based, due to a chemical imbalance in the brain, that filters our view of circumstances, and affects how we deal with them. To a depressed person, there seems NO "solution", due to the filtering, the "blindness" that comes on,,the seeming inability to see the sun through the clouds. It always helps to get in touch with people who aren't affected by that blindness, who can offer hope.

Anxiety can blind one, and especially in isolation. I once was very depressed, and visited a church, which I hadn't done in years. I looked around, and saw people I knew, and realized that none of them were depressed or worried like I was, but apparently peaceful and relaxed, even joyful, happy,, and at the same time, many of them had similar circumstances, or worse. So it became apparent to me that it was just me, not the circumstances, but how I saw them and dealt with them, from a position of anxiety.

I was legitimizing my anxiety. I couldn't seem to get released from my own logic, until I saw them. I thought it was reasonable, even responsible, to be concerned about things. But the anxiety was overwhelming. I felt flooded with circumstances beyond my ability. I just wanted it all to go away, whatever it took. It's the emotional pain. It can be worse than the physical, and it's hidden, where no one sees it but you, and you feel as if no one will understand.

People need people. When you learn to open up to the right people, light can come in and dispel the darkness.

 

^Best quote of the thread so far, absolutely true. On the other hand, one may find that this internal disposition impels them to action (or inaction).

True dat. Satya-graha.

* * *
The only thing I tend to disagree with, arthur, is the tendency to assert that any given disposition is pathological and requires fixing...the self-judging tendency can be a very dangerous limit to authenticity, creativity, autonomy, etc.

Although the yogi is no stranger to righteous striving, on the other hand yogis also know that all human experiences exhibit a perfect lawfulness. "You wouldn't judge a bird for not being a tree"...

...Depression, or any subjective experience of suffering, is a sadhana, some people need it, some people self-impose it, some people need to overcome it...

 

I read this whole thread and I feel that some of you are getting the picture, I'll try to explain a bit more.

I don't like society or most people for that matter. I look at things and how they are today and it makes me quite sick. When I go outside for a walk or to just chill and I look at everything that goes on and the people that make it happen I fill with anger and despair. The world is being destoyed by it's own people, mile after mile of shopping malls and big businesses. The people just think it's alright that their home, not their house, the planet is being overrun by these big corporations. They have been dumbed down to just being spoon fed the 'american dream', but I don't want to be a part of it. It's disgusting, foul, putrid and annoying.

I'd rather be a hermit then be well adjusted to this profoundly sick society.

 

This

 

Hi Invisible Soul, I'm Not Sure How To Approach This, But I Am Very

Curious As To Why Society Would Shun You For For A Physical Issue.

There Are People In My Town With Obvious Birth Defects, In Wheelchairs,

On Sticks Or Walking Frames, And Nobody Turns Their Noses Up At Them,

In Fact, It Is Quite The Opposite....

If You Don't Want To Reply Here, Or In A PM, I Totally Understand, And

Will Not Raise The Subject Again....



Cheers Glen.

 

There is a physical limit to the frequency of beating off. It’s not like someone could just stay inside 24/7 constantly beating off.
As far as the amount of energy “spent,” it is negligible, much less than most other activities.

I believe the prohibition you seek to impose is based on pseudo-religious taboo rather than anything IRL.

Ignorant people do ignorant things. If you look closely enough you'll see it is quite common.

 

...

 

Please don't take my advise too literally about getting on a plane to see your "world" disappear. Sure plane travel can be expensive, but there are other ways to travel and once in a while a cheap or free flight can happen for you.

One of my plane flights was a frequent flyer trip paid for by a friend.
I had no money or credit for a rental car. I took a bus and walked everywhere I wanted to go and stayed in youth hostels and also slept on the couches of distant cousins.
I have also driven a very old car across country after working in a warehouse for several months and saving money by living at my parents house.
I have no idea why you would consider having a physical "anomaly" an obstacle to leaving one town for another. Last month I worked on a project with a guy who worked out of a wheel chair. He had no legs, but the war accident did not damage his brain and he was a damned good worker.
I guess it depends on what your limitations and abilities are.
It is easy to take general advise such as I gave and find someone who can't participate in some part of it.

As for depression, my kinfolk's solution was to kill themselves.
That is a solution, but I would consider less drastic ones first.
They each decided that because the medicine did not work for them that no medicine would ever work. Were they right? We will never know.

 

So if society is profoundly sick; it obviously follows that society is sick.

Society needs the medicine.

 

It's not my motive to impose religious structure on anyone. I don't believe in it. I don't know why you chose to "believe" this, except that you've stereotyped me, categorized me, cubbyholed me into an easily dismissable mold of your own choosing.

My comments about masturbation aren't based on religious dictates or beliefs, but based on my own, frequent experience. Maybe my ejaculations are more profound and energy consuming than your own. I can only tell you that when I climax, it is almost always necessary for me to take a nap afterward. But then, I do a lot of "edging" to build up to a greater release.

Actually, I "utilize" masturbation in order to go to sleep more easily, since I have RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome), and can't, at times, get any relief without a good jerking off session. A few tokes on the bong, a few jerks on the schlong, and off to sleep I go,,very handy,,haha.

 

I understand what you're saying, and in fact, at times embrace this myself. I've learned at times to "go with" the depression, sinking deeply into my soul, in a kind of "groaning", in essence, to God.

In fact the apostle Paul mentions this in his letter to the Romans:

(Romans 8:26)

The "groanings" mentioned here are inclusive of both THE Spirit, and our spirit, working together, "groaning" within one's sufferings, not by-passing them.

Also, Jesus states, in Matthew 5:4,,

So, yes, you are right. In some cases just "going with" the suffering, in a deep "groaning" or "mourning", one can find relief. I find that this works most easily with believers, as an unbeliever would have no focus for their mourning, except to express pain, and little relief, since the "salve", the "ointment" of healing is the Spirit, which the unbeliever is unable to experience, due to his/her unbelief. Not knowing the status of the OP, I chose to address something primarily physiological, rather than a spiritual solution.

 

It's your choice. Life is tough, and we don't always get what we want, or have the environment of our own choosing. Dealing with adversity is just another of the realities of life. There's not much escaping that, no matter how you try to engineer your situation.

It becomes apparent to those who have tried and failed, that learning how to adapt, and not "let things get to you" so much seems to be the trick, and the path to real peace. You might say, learning how to "bear with others", and show "forbearance" is actually somewhat liberating, rather than having to simply "grin and bear it". Learning to bear with another's imperfections is fully human, rather than simply demanding a change. (There are those situations where change is to be desired, and a goal to work towards, however long it takes. However, in the mean time, forbearance is needful to live a healthy life, in the face of imperfection.)

Someone once said,,"The human condition tends toward anxiety, but what is required to be fully human is forbearance. The two cannot co-exist. Either you live a life full of forbearance, or you live a life full of anxiety. The expression of forbearance makes a man in the image of God. A focus on anxiety, however, does the reverse. From a position of forbearance, one can be a supply to and a minister to others, ministering love, peace, acceptance, etc. From a position of anxiety, one can only minister more anxiety, confusion, and depression. Anxiety breeds anxiety, where forbearance breeds peace. Anxiety eats you up, from the inside, whereas forbearance equips one to face any challenges that may come."

 

I never said it was an obstacle to that. It's an obstacle for a lot of other things, but not that. I suggested that money was an obstacle for trying to make a new life in a different, better town.

Well, that is of course true. But like I said before, there is no universal cure that is going to work for everyone who has clinical depression. That doesn't only apply to the advice you gave, it applies to any advice given about ways to treat depression. What might work for one person, isn't going to work for some others. Mainly because of two things. One, is there are many different factors and causes that can cause depression, and two, there are different levels of severity for depression.

As someone who has contemplated suicide many times throughout my life, and attempted it in my teenage years, I would never negatively judge anyone who has suicidal thoughts, or who has taken their own lives. Were they right? Well, I guess that is the question, and in the case of most people who kill themselves, nobody can ever really know if they were right to take that course of action or not.

 

Hi. Short answer = NO!

I do hope you go/fare well. x

 

I'm quite often stricken by a sense of meaningless in life

Even when I'm feeling really good, I'll sometimes think

"Great. well done you, *you* feel good. Nevermind all of the suffering in the world, pleasure-seeking is working for you at the moment. Good show"

But non-existence doesn't seem at all more appealing than a listless meaningless existence

 

So, we're either fighting depression, or embracing it. Both ways have sound reason behind them.

However, for one to assume that it is merely a "selfish" thing to be feeling good, to be happy, is wrong. If you are not happy, you cannot be much of a supply to anyone else. Being miserable just because you wish to "identify" with the rest of the world is nonsense.

As the old saying goes,,"Misery seeks company".

Personally, I'd rather spread happiness. The only way to do that is to find out what makes you happy. It's not a superficial quest, but profound.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cGWTAe3M6U"]Happiness Runs - Donovan - YouTube