Tuesday, March 3, 2009

The Opposite of Depression

I was listening to NPR on Sunday morning on my way to church.  I only listened for a few minutes, but the host of the show was quoting an author whom she was about to interview.  The author had written a book about his experience with depression and had written that the ‘opposite of depression is not happiness it is vitality.’  And I thought, “yeah! That’s it!  It’s not about being happy, it’s about feeling vitality.”

vi-tal-i-ty
noun
the state of being strong and active; energy
the power giving continuance of life, present in all living things

For such a long time now I’ve just felt like such a slug.  I’ve been so drained of energy and so unwilling to get up and engage in anything.  I haven’t wanted to interact with people.  I’ve felt weak and tired.  Sure, sadness is a component of it, and so is an inability (or maybe unwillingness) to feel joy.  But, really, truly, the depression has taken away my energy and just left me feeling and acting like a lump.

I was so lucky to find a good therapist here.  She is so insightful and has been able to name some very important patterns in my behavior and in my belief structures.  Having clarity about those things have allowed me to make some small changes in the way that I approach the world and it has made such a huge difference in how I feel and act every day.  I can slowly feel my vitality returning.

Posted by julie at 02:42:31
Comments

5 Responses to “The Opposite of Depression”

  1. Anonymous says:
    March 3, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    “Depression” is one of those tricky words that’s used to describe sadness so often that its clinical definition is lost on people. I know exactly what you’re talking about here, and have said in the past when the meds haven’t been doing their job, “It’s not that I want to die, but I’m just tired of living.”

    It’s good that you have a therapist you like. I’ve had a hell of a time finding one under our insurance plan, and seeing someone out of pocket is just not feasible. Hope springs eternal, however.

  2. download says:
    March 12, 2009 at 12:32 pm

    You still write on here! Thanks :)

  3. Daniel Fulton says:
    March 19, 2009 at 3:17 pm

    Julie -
    You bring vitality to all of those who love you, who you love and to everything you do. You have opened up my heart, soul and mind in so many ways. Although you may sense a hayes around you all that know and love you can see and feel your light and vitality. Maybe it is time that you let us give back to you what you have always so generously given to us.
    We are here for you.
    Hang in there!

  4. laptop drivers says:
    April 12, 2009 at 6:24 am

    highly readable and, in part, quite entertaining….the website is certainly worth a visit

  5. Anonymous says:
    April 28, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    Sam, what you say rings true with me. I never wanted to die, just didn’t care about living. There were good days, almost manic, usually followed by a good night’s sleep (rare). Eventually took friend’s advice, saw Doc, took mild dose of lexapro and am on the mend. I think depression is more prevalent than most people realize. It helps a lot knowing you are not alone with something like depression.

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