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Stories to Explain My Life with Depression

by John Folk-Williams 11 Comments

stories of depression

Stories can be an immediate and moving way to learn about someone because they evoke the feelings and experience that factual details never can. When told with honesty and sincerity, a story helps establish a bond of trust because the teller has been willing to open such personal insight to the listener. For me, certain […]

Filed Under: Purpose, Self-Esteem Tagged With: belief, depression, hope, life, meaning

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

Self-Starting When Depressed

by John Folk-Williams 21 Comments

Michelangelo fresco detail

How can you activate yourself to get anything done when you’re depressed? Several readers have asked about this basic need to keep functioning when your mood, mind and body do not want to cooperate. I’ve written before about working when depressed, but it’s not only about work. It’s about self-starting when depressed so that you […]

Filed Under: Self-Help Tagged With: action, hope, symptoms, treatment, work

Doubt is Depression’s Last Stand

by John Folk-Williams 18 Comments

It was one thing to get depression out of my life. It was another to get it out of my memory. Doubt about recovery from depression could linger on and keep playing tricks with the past. Vivid memories of old words and actions while depressed continued to torture and twist through me. They became my […]

Filed Under: Anxiety, Self-Esteem Tagged With: belief, change, depression, fantasy, feelings, hope, life, memory

“A Mind for Life” Ebook Is Now Available

by John Folk-Williams 11 Comments

Recover from Depression Ebook

I’m happy to announce that A Mind for Life, my ebook on recovery from depression, is now available. Unlike many recent books about how to deal with the illness, this one focuses on the inner work of change rather than medical treatments and experience with antidepressants. It may not be for everyone, but it captures […]

Filed Under: Recovery Tagged With: awareness, belief, ebooks, hope, therapy

10 Top Movies about Depression and Bipolar

by John Folk-Williams 5 Comments

Anna Paquin

Posts reviewing movies about depression are consistently among the top pages visited on this site. That fact surprised me, though I suppose it shouldn’t have. For all the insight I gain through reading, I connect instantly with a good dramatic portrayal of someone struggling with emotional pain and dysfunction. It’s encouraging to discover more and […]

Filed Under: Resource Tagged With: grief, hope, love, movies, shame, suicide

Healing and the New Medicine

by John Folk-Williams 10 Comments

Tracy Gaudet on healing and medicine

Just as recent psychotherapies emphasize the healing power of the mind, a new approach to the practice of medicine draws on the inner resilience of each person to participate in recovery. The excellent documentary, The New Medicine, describes this emerging practice as rooted in a rejection of the artificial split between mind and body. As […]

Filed Under: Healing Tagged With: hope, hypnosis, medicine, treatment

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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.

LEARN MORE

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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