Category Archives: Depression

Tradeoff Decisions – Depression

Depression

A lot of depression often arises from the never ending stream of tradeoff decisions that comes with life. Some people are depressed by the fact that you cannot have everything you want, they are depressed by their limitations.  Others accept the fact that they have limitations but are depressed at the option they are giving up when they make a decision to spend their limited time on one activity (like a movie) and miss out on another (like bowling).

Unfortunately, there exist contradictions within reality which you cannot overcome, and all you can do is come to terms with them.  To come to terms with them:

Overcome Perfectionism to let go the Denial of reality (let go the denial of not being to have all you want) according to the Life Education Curriculum.  Then, now that you accept an imperfect reality, which is the only true reality we share, use the lessons in Self Improvement Part 2: Planning to maximize what you want given your constraints.  As for overcoming the feelings of regret, refocus your attention on the present reality that you are living rather than the imaginary world you are deluding yourself with and appreciate the reality that you have and what you have in that reality.

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For Depression

Depression

This post has been replaced by: Getting Out of Depression

 

  • Tradeoff Decisions – Depression
  • Health Checklist: I Feel Bad What Should I do?
  • Bill Murray on Suicide – Youtube   In this video, Bill Murray recounts how when he was starting out in his career as a comedian he performed so poorly on stage that he walked off the stage depressed and suicidal, and how he ended up being inspired by the painting “The Song of the Lark” to continue living because in that painting there is a woman working in a field and there’s a sunrise behind her.  “Look it there’s a girl who doesn’t have a lot of prospects, but the sun’s coming up anyway. And she’s got another chance at it….it gave me some kind of feeling that I too am a person and can get another chance every day the sun comes up”
  • Dr. Phil’s Thoughts on Depression

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Getting Out of Depression

Depression

Regardless of what kind of depression you have, this advice is universal to all of you:

  1. Get enough sleep.  Lack of sleep results in impaired health and mental health, which in turn causes depression.  See my post on How to Become a Morning Person and Understanding Sleep
  2. Drink enough water.  There is a difference between drinking enough water to survive, and drinking enough water to thrive.  If you are only just surviving, you are probably living and feeling miserably.  Read more about Dehydration by PsychCentral
  3. Get the proper nutrition.  You are what you eat, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Eating the right foods will improve your health and happiness, the wrong foods will reduce health and happiness.  Resources: 6 ways your diet effects your mood, You are what you eat
  4. Exercise enough.  Exercise and Depression by Harvard Medical School says “walking fast for about 35 minutes a day five times a week or 60 minutes a day three times a week had a significant influence on mild to moderate depression symptoms. Walking fast for only 15 minutes a day five times a week or doing stretching exercises three times a week did not help as much. (These exercise lengths were calculated for someone who weighs about 150 pounds. If you weigh more, longer exercise times apply, while the opposite is true if you weigh less than 150 pounds.)”  (More reading: Exercise and Depression – WebMD)  See my Physical Exercise Resources

The theme of the above advice is to Attain Physical Health.  The final pieces of advice I have to offer will vary based on your experience.

  1. Attain Emotional Health.  (See my Life Education Curriculum) Self Awareness, Self Acceptance; Having good Relationships.
  2. Attain Intellectual Health.  Learn things you find interesting, and challenge yourself so that your brain doesn’t decay.  Boredom is never fun; exciting challenges can be fun.
  3. Attain Opinions.  If you only obey others, or only regurgitate other people’s opinions, you are nothing more than a tool or a reflection of other people.  You need to exist, and you exist by having an opinion.  You get an opinion by going outside, and living life: being active and involved in something.  A hobby, organization, career, anything.
  4. Craft your own Life Philosophy, with Logic, Ethics, and Principles.
  5. Hope and Optimism.  It’s hard to believe that the world is going to be a better place because progress is so slow, and the state of the world may appear to be bad at present, but have faith that the future will be bright.  For myself, I want to be a force for good, so even if the future is headed for a decline, I have faith that at least I will exist to improve things.  Try having faith in yourself.

If you achieve all these things and are still depressed, perhaps you should see a doctor.

Alternative resources:

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