There are two sides to the problem of finding support from friends and loved ones when in the midst of depression. I discussed the risk of encountering prejudice and stigma in this post, but what happens if someone tries to offer support during a severe episode? Can you accept and appreciate it? Can you even […]
Archives for January 2011
Depressed and Waiting for Motivation to Arrive
I always keep a table reserved for motivation when I’m trying to get better, trying to work or trying to do pretty much anything. He’s supposed to be here at my command, but the idiot is always late. While waiting for the no-show, I get distracted by daydreaming, dog walking, snacking, emailing, mulling things over, […]
Sherwin Nuland: From Electroshock to Recovery
Sherwin Nuland is the best-selling author of How We Die: Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter and many other books. As he says in this video, he had never before disclosed the experience behind the spiritual dimensions of his writing until presenting this talk at the TED Conference in 2001. Everyone’s reaction will differ, of course, […]
John’s Recovery Story
A recovery story is a messy thing. It has dozens of beginnings and no final ending. Most of the conflict and drama is internal, and there’s a lot more inaction than action. The lead character hides in the shadows much of the time, so you can’t even see what’s going on. I joined up with […]
Is Your Partner’s Depression Changing You?
Over and over, I find stories online about the transformation of a loving partner, most often a man, into a depressed stranger. I know what that’s about because I have been that stranger. I went through a period of withdrawing emotionally from my wife and blaming her and just about everything else for my problems. […]
Hoping for Your Help with the New Website
I’d like to ask your help in getting the Recover Life from Depression website ready for launching. There are several features I’ll be adding to what you see now, but the structure doesn’t depend on those elements. Before doing any more, though, I’d really appreciate your feedback, in particular, on the organization and usability of […]
Is There a Roadmap for Recovery?
Let’s say you’ve committed yourself to do whatever it might take to recover from depression. But then what? There are many forms of treatment to choose from, chief among them these days are medication and cognitive therapy. There are also other forms of psychotherapy, mindfulness meditation, changes in nutrition, regular physical exercise – and those are just the beginning. They always seemed to me like puzzle pieces. No one of them let me see much, yet I needed a big picture to understand how to fit them together.
