Hi everyone,

I have struggled with depression at various points in my life - mainly I think due to social anxiety and isolation during my childhood. I will say that depression for me has been a roller coaster, or maybe just like different waves in the ocean of my life. I was first "diagnosed" with it at age 13 and have probably always lived with it to a certain degree. I've certainly been in a low place over the past few years as so many others have also struggled.

I honestly have stopped trying talk therapy because I didn't find it useful or helpful. That's not to say that talking about it with others isn't helpful, but namely just traditional psychotherapy hasn't seemed to work for me.

I guess you could say I probably have "high functioning depression" as there always seems to be a hole in my heart but I can generally make it through the day and am working to take care of my physical, mental, and emotional health.

Something that has bothered me about talk therapy and the way that depression is talked about is how much of a focus there is on the negative symptoms. Instead, I'm curious about this question:

How do we know that we've recovered from depression? How do we experience this in our bodies and our hearts?

For me, I do remember times of feeling accepted, connected, and joyful. The world seemed colorful and bright. I could roll with the punches easier. Sometimes I even see little glimpses of this in my daily life now. How have you noticed that you've recovered from a depressive state, if you have?