Does persistent sadness ever go away ?
Does persistent sadness ever leaves us ? Is it possible to feel happy ever again ?
I have been depressed since many years but it was manageable that time. Now I feel like I cant take it anymore. Medications, exercise, therapy nothing works. I feel like I am back to square one. Dont know if I will be able to overcome this .
Could you take up a new hobby - anything you've wanted to do like singing or painting?
@Creamyyy
I tried , but after some days I lost interest. How to do anything without interest
@NotFound20 i understand well what you mean with that, when depressed it feels like there's no point in doing pretty much anything. i know my words won't probably have much of an effect but i hope you won't give up on it and possibly look for the help you need to overcome it. We listeners are here for you if you need it and i hope you will manage to get through it and find out that life can also be awesome :)
You will. Trust me. Keep up the fight and continue to see your doctors
You will get there. Trust me. Exercise, walk, medication, counseling or anything positive. You will get there. I promise
@CDK1972
It always sounds so nice but where is the guarantee that it will get better?
@NotFound20 We can't let sadness win now, can we. Yes it is strong, but we can't let it win.
We have to fight it. We have to use all our means. We may have to startover everyday and we will. But we wont let it have the last laughter.
There is immense strength in happiness too, we forget. Even small things around us can give us sparks of happiness. These small sparks will be the source of our energy and we will continue to fight and eventually, win.
@DonaldDraper
I dont know how to explain but the thing is nothing makes me happy anymore. I keep trying various things but in the end I just find everything meaningless .
@NotFound20 I understand. It's a difficult phase, yes. But you got this ❤
@NotFound20 Hello friend. Yes, the sadness can become far less persistent, it just takes work. I have been where you are now, and it's not a good place to be. Practice self-care and don't give up!
@MindfulnessOwl
I am trying and I dont know how much longer I’ll be able to take it. I am just so tired now.
You are stronger than you know. It is really exhausting sometimes. What kinds of things do you do to rest?@NotFound20
@NotFound20
I'm so sorry that you're feeling so low. Depression is tough. It can be really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you're struggling with depression. It sounds like you're really suffering right now, and ty can share in 7 Cups about your troubles if you want to talk about it.
It's not uncommon for people to feel like they're back at square one after making progress, and that's okay. It's a normal part of the process. Just know that you're not alone.
Can you tell us a bit more about what's been going on lately that you might think made things feel so overwhelming?
Thats the thing. There is nothing overwhelming happening currently. Just living my normal life and yet I still feel everything to be meaningless. There are no triggers to cause any overwhelming feelings .
@NotFound20
Hi, NotFound!
Depression creates a feeling that nothing has any special value, it's all the same, etc.
Sometimes we also have high expectations that there should be something special to give meaning to our lives, like falling in love, having children, being passionate about a hobby, or a religious belief, for example.
Can you do without "meaning" and live a life of contentment instead, of having enough and appreciating small things?
I wrote a post about living a fulfilling life without happiness. I hope you find it interesting. It is here: https://www.7cups.com/forum/depression/DepressionSupportSessionsSummaries_535/BeyondHappinessFulfillingandRealisticAlternativestoHappinessastheUltimatePurposeinLife_301046/
I also was very inspired by the book "Beyond Happiness" by Ezra Bayda. You can find it here: https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/beyond.pdf or buy it from an online second-hand seller. There is a great audiobook version too.
I look forward to your comments.
All the best!
Marcelo.
The answer is that yes it can get better. But the path isn't linear and it is really hard to see where you are going even when you are trying really, really hard.
What kinds of things are you doing to rest and care for yourself?@NotFound20
@NotFound20
From my personal experience with depression, there is always some sort of compulsive thought pattern (anxiety induced) that leads to depressive thoughts and feelings again. This is often on a subconscious level, and comes out when we begin to doubt our existence. After all, depression is often referred to as an absence of emotion, or a self-erasure.
Well, I don't know how to feel 'happy' per se, but I at least know how to not feel unhappy. We have to focus on what we're doing and keep at it. We can depend on emotional support from family and friends and romantic partners, but we ultimately have to make the decision about what we want to feel. When I'm genuinely unhappy (which does happen), I go for a run, play sports, or do other exercise. This sublimates the unhappiness towards something physical.
Another thing I think is worth doing: writing what we feel depressed about, and then writing about what would potentially help with that. This is also a form of compartmentalization. We derive meaning from a sense of structure, which is kind of like a subjective feeling of 'getting somewhere'. You may have to retrace your steps, but the first place to go is your emotional state. How can you calm down? How can you comfort yourself? How can you put that burdensome feeling away?
Only then can you start focusing on what to do.
@NotFound20Does
I'm sorry you've been feeling depressed lately. As a person with depression I know time like this can be extra hard. I want to give you a quick and simple answer. Yes, you will be happy again. I understand finding the right strategy to overcome depression can be hard. I believe in your strength to overcome and push through this, you can and will feel happy again. Depression is a very complex mental condition and I find that being patient with myself during these times are best. We at 7cups are here to listen and if you would like to talk to one of our listeners at anytime we are here to support you!
@NotFound20
Hi there NotFound20!
I understand how everything feels so meaningless and it adds to lack of energy.
You are welcome here and we accept you also if you are not experiencing positive emotions at the moment. I think there is no fast or easy solution to that, yet I would hope that knowing that we care for you (the little we can) will be something that will allow you to at least open up and text when you feel low.
Hope to see you around soon 💙
@NotFound20
It sounds like you are feeling depressed and sad and you are worried that will not go away. Im sorry to hear you feel this way How long have you been feeling this way?