Depressed? It May Be Good For You
The Blues - Why Positive Psychology Alone Won't Make You Happy
Aug 10, 2009 Elizabeth Harrington
Depression is not new. And even though it means being unhappy, it can lead to self-knowledge, change and greater happiness in the long run.
A Los Angeles Times article by Erik G. Wilson, "The Miracle of Melancholia," February 17, 2008, quotes the poet John Keats in this regard. In 1819, when he began suffering from symptoms of tuberculosis after seeing his mother and brother, Tom die from it, Keats wrote a letter to his brother, George, asking: “Do you not see how necessary a World of Pains and troubles is to school an Intelligence and make it a Soul?”
In other words, Keats believed melancholia was necessary and transformative, which is very different from the way it's seen now. In positive psychology, a popular new form of psychotherapy, the focus is on making normal people feel happier. The problem is that sometimes people feel unhappy for a reason, and some soul searching and time out may be the answer rather than positive thinking. Also, the increasing reliance on pills as a way to reduce fear, anxiety or depression may be thwarting what is a normal and necessary process.
But (unless it involves clinically diagnosed depression), eliminating the pain of depression may mean a greater loss.
Depression Motivates Change
Change is so frightening, it may mean sticking it out in bad situations, such as staying a in a job or career that’s unchallenging or stressful, a stagnant marriage hanging by a thread, or being unable to move on due to loss or grief. However, depression may be appropriate in some situations, and even a prerequisite to getting beyond them.
Mastering Depression Can Lead to Greater Strength and Accomplishment
No one likes feeling depressed, but there is a payoff at the end. Sadness or depression not only can make victims stronger, but can lead to greater achievements. And the depressed are in good company. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Beethoven and Sir Isaac Newton, all suffered from some form of depression.
Depression is Better Than Chronic Stress
If ignored, depression may end up as long-term stress. A BBC News article by Tom Geoghegan "Is Depression Good for You?" on August 6, 2009, quotes Paul Keedwell, a psychiatrist at Cardiff University, as saying “you might stay in a state of chronic stress until you’re exhausted or dead.” He believes that depression has survived evolution for a reason. And a recent study shows that those who lose their job or are laid off end up better in the long run than those who hold onto their jobs but are constantly afraid of losing them.
Depression May Lead Not Only to New Insight But Greater Happiness
In his article “Averted Vision,” in The New York Times, August 6, 2009, Tim Kreider says that painful experiences may later be remembered, in hindsight, as happy experiences. Why? Because they are the times when we feel fully alive and present. “The fresh heartbreak was, in a sense, like being in a foreign country; everything seemed alien, brilliant and glinting. It was as if I’d been flayed, so that even the air hurt.”
In the same BBC News article, Keedwell similarly found that the value of depression, which he sees as a healthy way of forcing a reassessment of circumstances, is usually realized only after the fact. “I have received e-mails from ex-sufferers saying in retrospect it probably did help them because they changed direction, a new career for example, and as a result they’re more content day-to-day than before the depression.”
Being Depressed Doesn't Mean You Should Stay in Bed All Day and Suffer
While depression can take away the ability to enjoy ordinary pleasures, including eating, sleeping, or being out in the world, there are ways to cope. The quickest way to overcome depression is to stay active and involved. Talking things out with family or friends, and staying in touch provides much needed support. It's possible to find solace in poetry, yoga, or other means of self-reflection that provide a different perspective and may open the mind to new possibilities. The important thing is to keep functioning as much as possible while working through the depression.
Sadness and even depression that's not too severe or prolonged, are a part of life. To be truly happy, it's necessary to experience the full range of human emotion. Depression may be a signal to slow down and perhaps change course in life. Denying depression only makes it worse and can lead to chronic stress. The good news is what comes after, which can mean a better marriage, a better career, or simply greater happiness.
Depression
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Happiness and Positive Psychology
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Conquering Depression
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