Depression Support Chat Topics

Thank you Candc, now I can be prepared for the chat. Thank you for doing such a wonderful job as our moderator.

Thank you leomama for your welcome back.

Tonight's chat made me remember this and I wanted to share it.

The Fable of the Bridge — who are you responsible for?



When I was in the training for my Life Coach certification, I heard this one tale that really left an impression on me. It’s called The Fable of the Bridge and I share it with you now.

The fable begins with a man wrestling with his own thoughts about his future and what choices he wants to make about his life.

After much contemplation, he achieves great clarity and is excited about the vision he can see for his life. He starts off on the journey to his future.
He must travel to another town where an amazing opportunity has presented itself but he must get there by the next morning or the opportunity will pass.
He travels many hours, each step getting more excited about the life he is creating. As the full moon rises, he is alone in his thoughts as he starts crossing a bridge.

The man sees out of the corner of his eye a stranger coming towards him. He thinks the man approaching is putting his hand out to greet him. However, the stranger has the end of a rope in his hand with the other end wound around his waist.

The stranger asks the man to hold the end of the rope. Although perplexed, the man complies.

The stranger asks the man to hold on tight with two hands and then promptly jumps off the bridge toward the swift running deep river below. “Hold on!” the stranger cries.

The free-falling body hurtled the distance of the rope’s length, and from the bridge the man abruptly felt the pull. He held tight despite being almost pulled over the side of the bridge.

Peering down at the stranger who was close to oblivion, the man yelled, “What are you trying to do?”

“Just hold tight,” said the other.

The man tried to haul the stranger in but he could not. He could not get enough leverage. His strength was almost perfectly counterbalanced by the other man’s weight.

“Why did you do this?” the man called out. “Remember,” said the other, “if you let go, I will be lost.”

“But I cannot pull you up,” the man cried. “Just hold on. I need you,” the stranger yells.

The man looked around for help, but no one was near. The man holds on for a while, and then calls, “Please, I cannot hold you. Please climb up.”

“I am your responsibility,” said the other. “Well, I did not ask for it,” the man said. The stranger cried, “If you let go, I am lost.”

The man tried to invent solutions, like tying the rope to the bridge, but could not find any that would work.

Fearing that his arms could not hold out much longer, he tied the rope around his waist.

He thought if he just waited long enough, someone was bound to come and help pull the stranger up. He waited many hours, but no one came.

“Why did you do this?” he asked again. “Don’t you see what you have done? What possible purpose could you have had in mind?”

“Just remember,” said the other, “my life is in your hands.”

Time passed and a decision needed to be made. The man could not hold on much longer.

A thought occurred to him. If the stranger hauled himself up and he kept the end steady and pulled a bit, together they could get the stranger back to safety.
But the other wasn’t interested.

“You mean you won’t help? But I told you I cannot pull you up myself, and I don’t think I can hang on much longer either.” “You must try,” the other shouted back in tears. “If you fail, I die.”

More time passed and finally, the point of decision arrived. The man said to the other, “Listen to me. I will not accept the position of choice for your life, only for my own; the position of choice for your own life, I hereby give back to you.”

“What do you mean?” the other asked, afraid.

“I mean, simply, it’s up to you. You decide which way this ends. I will help you if you help yourself.”

“You cannot mean what you say,” the other shrieked. “You would not be so selfish. I am your responsibility. What could be so important that you would let someone die? Do not do this to me.”

The man stated again, “I will not stand here and hold this rope. If you want to live, you must start moving now, and I will help you. Please, start now.”

He waited a few minutes, but there was no change in the tension of the rope. “I accept your choice,” the man said, at last, and freed his hands.

By the late Rabbi Edwin Friedman

Nina,
thank you for sharing that story. It is a mysterious story. I guess it took a lot for the man crossing the bridge to stop being a people pleaser.

This week there is an exciting and different way to approach treatments for Depression. ""Behavioural activation is an 'outside in' treatment that focuses on helping people with depression to change the way they act. The treatment helps people make the link between their behaviour and their mood. Therapists help people to seek out and experience more positive situations in their lives. The treatment also helps people deal with difficult situations and helps them find alternatives to unhelpful habitual behaviours,""
Behavioral Activation is Effective, Less Expensive Therapy for Depression | Psych Central News

You are invited to attend the Depression Support Chat on Thursday at 9PM EDT where we will begin to think of a new option of changing behavior to change our moods.

I hope to see you there.

News Sitings: FYI While scouring Psych Central for articles I saw this one that makes a link between the human genome and depression
http://psychcentral.com/news/2016/08...on/108013.html

Ty candc read both articles on my phone and will print them out for the chat. I appreciate the research you do for the chat. It sets the gold standards for online chats.

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Likewise I appreciate your keen participation in the chats

for those wondering what Behavioral Activation is, here is a link to a scholarly paper, full of words.

Behavioural activation for depression | BJPsych Advances

essentially, the paper says, BA was originally a component of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. it can also be practiced alone:

"Behavioural activation is grounded in learning theory and contextual functionalism. It is not about scheduling pleasant or satisfying events (as in the first stage of cognitive therapy). It does not focus on an internal cause of depression such as thoughts, inner conflicts or serotonergic dysfunction. The focus is on the whole event and variables that may influence the occurrence of unhelpful responses – both overt behaviour and cognitive processes."

hope this helps to clarify new terms~
Gus

Okay let us see the connection between what we eat and depression. 10 Ways to Cultivate Good Gut Bacteria and Reduce Depression 10 Ways to Cultivate Good Gut Bacteria and Reduce Depression | World of Psychology

Come on down to Depression Support Chat Thursday 9PM EDT . Hope to see you there.

Hi everyone. It is almost Thursday - time for announcement of the Depression Support Chat topic for Thursday 9PM EDT chat. This week we discuss the article Are These 5 Myths about Emotions Holding You Back? | World of Psychology

So hope to see you there.

How to get out of bed even when you are depressed. Sounds like a good topic to me. How to Get Out of Bed When You?re Depressed | World of Psychology

Thursday night at 9PM EDT hope to see you at the Depression Support Chat. Come on down even if you have to drag yourself out of bed. Eating permitted during chat. Just do not spill on your keyboard

I actually had that problem this morning and it was my medication , yoga and service commitment that got me out of bed. Thank you for this.

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leomama glad you found this article practical!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone. It is almost Thursday and I am trying to find something interesting for chat. I came across this article on In Depth Living With Depression. It is long so make not finish in one night.
In-Depth: Living with Depression | Psych Central

Hope to see you in Depression Support Chat Thursday at 9PM EDT.

Thanks Candc!

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Hey snarky. ty.

Read it and will be there.

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Hi Leo,
Thank you for your post. See you in chat

Did you turn in 2 paintings today? Congratulations!

CANDC

Yesterday! Thank you reception is next Tuesday night .

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Well as I always say better late than REALLY late. Okay so sorry! The long weekend and family matters kept me from announcing Depression Chat until now. So you are getting 9 hours advance notice, hope that does not cause you inconvenience

So we are always talking about ourselves, what about the other people we encounter with depression? Tonight we talk about that in Depression Support Chat Thursday at 9PM EDT.
9 Best Ways to Support Someone with Depression | World of Psychology

Hope to see you there. BTW when I treat others right then I feel better too. There is something in this for you also.

Well we have done many different kinds of How to cope with depression and those have been helpful. Now let's take a look at mistakes someone can make in coping with their depression. Only let's not limit it to what the author says, let's see if we can share our own mistakes coping with depression that may help others avoid the same pitfall.

Here is the jumping off point article 5 Mistakes People Make When Managing Their Depression | World of Psychology

Hope to see you Thursday 9PM EDT in the Depression Support Chat Room.

We often think of depression and think of all the pain and suffering we have gone through. "What are the Good Things that come about by depression?"
10 Good Things About Depression | World of Psychology

It opens up the door to see that even though life handed us a tragic time in our lives, it also handed us potential benefits we may have already experienced but have not yet recognized.

Join us for an interesting and different discussion on another side of depression rarely looked at. Thursday, 9PM EDT Depression Support Room.

This week in depression support chat we are trying a revised format.

The first 15-20 minutes will be dedicated to an intro and checkin so most people can at least tell a little about how their week was. Once we get to 8:15 or shortly there after we will move on to the topic.

Even if you only find one thing out of this list of 20 suggestions, you could benefit.

Hope to see you on Thursday night at 9PM EDT in the Depression Support Chat Room.

I have some family challenges that are making it difficult for me to do my normal routines. This will affect my hosting Anxiety and Depression Chat for at least one week so Oct 7th and 8th chats are cancelled, and may be cancelled for longer. I will post a notice when I return or have more details.

Some people have expressed interest in having chat meet while I am away, so keep eyes on Anxiety and Depression forum for announcements and details.

I hope things get better, Candc.

I have been thinking recently about the physical symptoms of Depression. I will post on that in the Depression forum and see if anyone wants to chat in a "Depression Check In" on Thursday (if I'm around myself).

THanks for all your service, Candc.

Seesaw