[filipendula]

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?

[Fuzzybear]

Thanks for posting this! It's a good question! Hopefully you'll receive some enllghtening replies. Welcome

[Etcetera1]

Originally Posted by filipendula

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?

Yeah is why I don't go to therapy. They are trying to talk to someone who's more negative than I am. So I can't stand focusing on those negative feelings and thoughts that they automatically try to imagine into me.

Anyways, if you consistently have more energy, more vitality, you can take and deal with the punches again, you are able to think and move faster, think of more positive options and grab opportunities, and you are OK with socialising, then you've recovered a lot already.

If you are in between like you find it still takes energy to get out there and out of your mind and it feels unpleasant and uncomfortable to do so but you do have some motivation to do so and more motivation for it than before and you are not pulled back in deep anymore because you plain dislike being so deep anymore, and you easily have normal desires again then you're already on your way to recovery, I would think

Overall your ability to receive and take in positive energy rather than negative, how much positive energy you are able to take in and absorb, is a good measure of where you are, I think.

BTW where you say, you remember times of feeling accepted, connected, yeah I don't remember if I ever felt that way a lot lol, sometimes but yeah not a lot EVER