Some Thoughts on Depression
I don't believe that depression is something that simply comes on, and I don't believe that it is a medical condition. I think it is a mental state in which you stop seeing the good things in your life. It is as if you lose the ability to see good in anything, and you're only able to see the bad. When all you can see is the bad, things don't look very good, and this is when you become depressed. When this happens, you begin to give up and lose hope. You stop thinking about your future and how your current actions will affect what comes next. All you can do is focus on how bad you think things are, and how wrong everything in your life seems to you. When all of this happens, it's not a wonder you stop seeing how lucky you really are. Even though there are many people in this world who are much worse off than you are, you can't see that when you enter into a depressed state of mind. It's not a wonder that you start to forget just how many people love you and care about you. You don't realize how many people start to worry when they see you in such a state of mind. You're hardly ever as badly off as you think you are, but how are you supposed to understand or believe that when you're there?
What I personally have difficulty understanding, though, is what exactly brings it on. What can make a person who is loved and cared about by many blind to everything good in their life? What causes someone to stop seeing the good in their life? What causes a person to become depressed? I don't know how to answer these questions, because, frankly, I don't understand what can cause these things to happen. One answer to these questions that has been passed around focuses the blame on a person's body, and says that it's caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. I have a very difficult time believing this, but it's one thing that I've heard. As I stated above, I don't think it's a medical condition. I know I don't really understand the workings of the brain, I don't think anyone really does, but I think there's a lot more going on up there than chemical and nerves and reactions and stuff. I think there's a lot more to people than that, and so I reject the theory that depression is caused by chemical imbalances. I do believe, however, that one cause of depression can be related to the body. For example, I believe that when you are sick, you are more likely to become depressed; however, I would also have to say that you are more likely to become sick when you are depressed. It's difficult to say what comes first, but in my opinion it probably varies. There is also an important thing called stress which is often involved. When a person is under a lot of stress, that person is more likely to become sick or depressed or both. There is a lot that goes into each of them, and I'm not sure how often any of them works entirely by itself. Whatever the case, I don't know that anyone can answer the question as to what causes depression and so with any certainty.
I don't expect anyone will ever find an answer, simply because I don't believe that it is a medical condition that we can simply search for a certain virus or bacteria that causes it. The reason for this, is that depression is not a physical or a medical condition, it's a state of mind. It's a mental, emotional, and spiritual condition of your entire being. I believe that it involves a lot more than just your physical being, or your body, because it encompasses every aspect of you. It's something you feel, something you live, and it's something you experience. It involves the people around you, your environment, and everything that you come into contact with.
You take in an awful lot every day of your life. Each experience, each conversation, each face you see, each sound you hear, each and every thing that you come into contact with throughout a day. It all adds up to your day, it all blends together, the good balances out the bad, and your life continues. Some things matter more than others, but ultimately everything adds up and contributes to how you feel, your mood. All of this, everything, is what goes into making us who we are and shaping us. It all influences us, and we think about and consider all of this. Much of it is done subconsciously, but some part of us is affected by most of what goes on around us. Sometimes, though, we think too much about what's going on around us, and that's when we start to put things together in combinations that don't really make sense. We start thinking about what could have happened or what might happen, and we start considering what would happen or how we'd feel if something did or had happened. Somehow we start living these things in our mind, we start experiencing these things, and they affect us. Although we know none of it has happened, we can't help but think about it, and we start feeling how we would have felt if it had happened or how we would feel if it did. I believe this is one way in which people become depressed.
There is an awful lot that can be said on this topic, but I'm tired, and I have said more than I planned on saying to begin with. If you have an opinion that you would like to share with me, or if you disagree with anything that I have said, I'd be interested in hearing from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email.
Oh, and don't worry, I'm not depressed.
Peace,
Justin
What I personally have difficulty understanding, though, is what exactly brings it on. What can make a person who is loved and cared about by many blind to everything good in their life? What causes someone to stop seeing the good in their life? What causes a person to become depressed? I don't know how to answer these questions, because, frankly, I don't understand what can cause these things to happen. One answer to these questions that has been passed around focuses the blame on a person's body, and says that it's caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. I have a very difficult time believing this, but it's one thing that I've heard. As I stated above, I don't think it's a medical condition. I know I don't really understand the workings of the brain, I don't think anyone really does, but I think there's a lot more going on up there than chemical and nerves and reactions and stuff. I think there's a lot more to people than that, and so I reject the theory that depression is caused by chemical imbalances. I do believe, however, that one cause of depression can be related to the body. For example, I believe that when you are sick, you are more likely to become depressed; however, I would also have to say that you are more likely to become sick when you are depressed. It's difficult to say what comes first, but in my opinion it probably varies. There is also an important thing called stress which is often involved. When a person is under a lot of stress, that person is more likely to become sick or depressed or both. There is a lot that goes into each of them, and I'm not sure how often any of them works entirely by itself. Whatever the case, I don't know that anyone can answer the question as to what causes depression and so with any certainty.
I don't expect anyone will ever find an answer, simply because I don't believe that it is a medical condition that we can simply search for a certain virus or bacteria that causes it. The reason for this, is that depression is not a physical or a medical condition, it's a state of mind. It's a mental, emotional, and spiritual condition of your entire being. I believe that it involves a lot more than just your physical being, or your body, because it encompasses every aspect of you. It's something you feel, something you live, and it's something you experience. It involves the people around you, your environment, and everything that you come into contact with.
You take in an awful lot every day of your life. Each experience, each conversation, each face you see, each sound you hear, each and every thing that you come into contact with throughout a day. It all adds up to your day, it all blends together, the good balances out the bad, and your life continues. Some things matter more than others, but ultimately everything adds up and contributes to how you feel, your mood. All of this, everything, is what goes into making us who we are and shaping us. It all influences us, and we think about and consider all of this. Much of it is done subconsciously, but some part of us is affected by most of what goes on around us. Sometimes, though, we think too much about what's going on around us, and that's when we start to put things together in combinations that don't really make sense. We start thinking about what could have happened or what might happen, and we start considering what would happen or how we'd feel if something did or had happened. Somehow we start living these things in our mind, we start experiencing these things, and they affect us. Although we know none of it has happened, we can't help but think about it, and we start feeling how we would have felt if it had happened or how we would feel if it did. I believe this is one way in which people become depressed.
There is an awful lot that can be said on this topic, but I'm tired, and I have said more than I planned on saying to begin with. If you have an opinion that you would like to share with me, or if you disagree with anything that I have said, I'd be interested in hearing from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email.
Oh, and don't worry, I'm not depressed.
Peace,
Justin
posted by Jw at 10:21 PM
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