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Recover Life from Depression

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Forgiveness and Escape from Depression

by John Folk-Williams 8 Comments

Forgiveness

As many know it, forgiveness is a feeling that can’t be forced, one that often comes after a long inner struggle. I’ve lived with the need for many forms of forgiveness, and each has been important in my recovery from depression. I’ve felt the need to acknowledge hurt that I’ve caused and to ask for […]

Filed Under: Recovery, Relationship Tagged With: Anger, depression, family, forgiveness, loss

Do You Have to Lower Your Expectations of Life to Recover?

by John Folk-Williams 15 Comments

hope for recovery

I’ve often mentioned how crucial it has been to my recovery that I made basic changes in my work and way of living as a whole. Did I have to give up on hope and lower expectations of life in order to get better? My answer is No. But if you had asked me before […]

Filed Under: Healing, Recovery Tagged With: change, depression, hope, life, well-being

Depression Diagnosis – 2: What Does It Mean to You?

by John Folk-Williams 6 Comments

Once you have a depression diagnosis, what does it mean to you? I’ve heard a lot of reactions, ranging from a feeling of comfort to dismay to a shrug of the shoulders.

A diagnosis is simply a name given to a set of symptoms, but it’s usually wrapped inside a number of messages, whether spoken or implied. Your response could depend on a specific message that’s delivered with the diagnosis. Given the authority of psychiatrists and other physicians, it’s easy to confuse the two.

Filed Under: Psychiatric Treatment Tagged With: diagnosis, disease, hope, medication, message, neurotransmitters, symptoms

Depression Diagnosis – 1: The Person or the Disorder?

by John Folk-Williams 8 Comments

Depression diagnosis 1

A depression diagnosis usually marks a turning point in your experience of the illness. Up to that point, you may have downplayed the seriousness of mood problems, or you may have been less aware of feelings and focused instead on pain or insomnia or some other physical symptom.

When things get so bad that you can’t lead the life you’re used to, then you know you need help but may still have no idea what the cause is. So you head for the doctor’s office – whether it’s your primary care physician or a psychiatrist – and hope they’ll be able to tell you what’s wrong and do something about it.

Filed Under: Psychiatric Treatment Tagged With: diagnosis, DSM, psychiatry, symptoms

Updating Storied Mind

by John Folk-Williams Leave a Comment

Updating Storied Mind

This is just a short note to let you know that after ten years I have to update Storied Mind. That means a lot of changes: a new theme and background images, removing some features and generally simplifying things on the back end. All that reflects the demands of advancing WordPress technology and the massive […]

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: change, smartphone, Storied Mind, WordPress

Mindfulness as Self-Help for Anxiety

by John Folk-Williams 4 Comments

There’s nothing like extreme anxiety to make you feel like you’re falling apart. Using a few basics of mindfulness as self-help may be a way to pull yourself back together. The all-embracing anxiety I’m talking about comes close to panic. It’s an explosion of fear that hits everything. Certain situations can set it off, or […]

Filed Under: Anxiety, Mindfulness, Self-Help Tagged With: fear

Can Depression Make Us Better People?

by John Folk-Williams 26 Comments

Conversation on Depression

Depression can collapse your life the way an earthquake can take down a city. So how could this same depression make us better people? Tom Wootton takes the idea farther than anyone else with his belief that depression can be a beautiful part of your life. Most of us haven’t imagined such a possibility but […]

Filed Under: Recovery Tagged With: depression, empathy, learning

6 Dimensions of Psychological Well-Being

by John Folk-Williams 14 Comments

psychological well-being

Recovery should aim at restoring psychological well-being as well as ending the symptoms of depression. Naturally, you get into treatment to stop the pain of those symptoms. It’s a huge achievement if the treatment works, and you can keep depression from ruining your life. But so many people relapse after initially getting better that full […]

Filed Under: Healing, Psychotherapy, Recovery Tagged With: personal growth, psychology, self, symptoms, well-being

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Surviving Depression Together Now Available at Major Retailers

Surviving Depression Together


Surviving Depression Together

"John, this is a ... much needed resource. Thanks for writing it!"

- Therese Borchard, author of Beyond Blue


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A Mind for Life Ebook Now Available at Major Retailers

A Mind for Life: From Depression to Living Well

A Mind for Life Ebook

The inner work of getting your life back from depression. This ebook is now available in most common ebook formats at major retailers.

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Living Depressed

Depression affects emotions, mental abilities, self-concept, behavior, relationships and the entire body. These core posts describe the full range of symptoms affecting daily life. Read More.

Choices in Healing

Hoping for recovery gives you a motive but not a method for getting there. This section has posts about therapies and healing methods you can work with either on your own or with professional guidance. Read more.

Living Well

If you've learned how to manage your depression, you'll want a fulfilling life rather than one dominated by fear that the illness might return. In this section, you'll find posts about how to work toward that goal. Read More

Relationships in Crisis

One of the hardest challenges of living with depression is holding onto your closest relationships. This section features posts on how to help a relationship survive. Read More.

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