On the occasion of 'World Mental Health Day' on October 4th- |
||
|
The Healthiness of Depression |
||
It may seem absurd, but if we try to understand depression in-depth, we will find that Depression actually is a healthy phenomenon. For any growth to occur, a proportionate amount of our “old self” must be given up. It is inevitable part of development. This process of giving up, to attain something which is higher/better than before is very painful, which causes depression. In other words, depression is the feeling associated with giving up something loved- or at least something that is a part of ourselves and familiar. Since mentally healthy human beings must grow, and since giving up or loss of the old self is an integral part of the process of mental and spiritual growth, depression is normal and basically healthy phenomenon. It becomes abnormal or unhealthy only when something interferes with the giving-up process, with the result that the depression is prolonged and cannot be resolved by completion of the process. Often, even the people suffering from depression are not able to understand this growth process. They seek help to get rid of the symptoms, rather than facilitate this process. They desire to be “the way |
they used to be”, but the veryfact that they are depressed means the growth / giving up process has already begun and they can no longer be the way they used to be. But the unconscious knows. It is precisely because the unconscious in its wisdom knows that “the way things used to be” is no longer tenable or constructive that the process of growing and giving up has begun on an unconscious level and depression is experienced.
Since, people suffering from depression are not yet consciously willing or ready to recognize that the “old self” and “the way things used to be” are outdated, they are not aware that their depression |
is signaling that major change is required for successful and evolutionary adaptation. The fact that the unconscious is one step ahead of the conscious may seem strange to lay readers; it is, however, a fact that applies not only in this specific instance but so generally that it is a basic principal of mental functioning. We have been hearing of the “mid-life crisis”. Actually, this is but one of the many “crisis,” or critical stages of development in life. What makes crisis of these transition periods in the life cycle – that is, problematic and painful – is that in successfully working our way through them we must give up cherished notions and old ways of doing and looking at things. Many people are either unwilling or unable to suffer the pain of giving up the outgrown which needs to be forsaken. Consequently they cling, often forever, to their old patterns of thinking and behaving, thus failing to negotiate any crisis, to truly grow up, and to experience the joyful sense of rebirth that accompanies the successful transition into greater maturity. (Excerpts taken from the book 'The Road Less Travelled' by Dr M. Scott Peck.) |
|
||
Every Success Story Is Also |
||
Failure is the Highway to Success. The more mistakes we make, more opportunities we have to learn. |
||
|
Let me share a famous life history with you. This was a man who failed in business at the age of 21; was defeated in a legislative race at age 22; failed again in business at age 24; had his sweetheart die when he was aged 26; had a nervous breakdown at age 27; lost a congressional race at age 34; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 47; lost a senatorial race at age 49; and was elected president of the United States at age 52. This man was Abraham Lincoln. Can we call Lincoln a failure? He could have quit, hung his head in shame, and gone back to his law practice. But to Lincoln, defeat was a detour, not a dead end. ***** |
One day a partially deaf four-year-old child came home with a note in his pocket from his teacher, "Your Tommy is too stupid to learn, get him out of the school." His mother read the note and answered, "My Tommy is not too stupid to learn, I will teach him myself." And that Tommy grew up to be the great Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison had only three months of schooling. All success stories are stories of great failures. The only difference is that every time they failed, they bounced back. This is called failing forward - you learn and move forward. (Excerpts taken from the book 'You Can Win' by Shiv Khera.) |
|
|
||
|
| Editor's Note |
|
Dear Readers, A study attributed to Harvard University found that when a person gets a job or promotion, 85% of the time, it is because of his attitude and only 15% of the time it is because of his intelligence and knowledge. The foundation of success, regardless of our chosen field, is attitude. If attitude is such a critical factor in success, should not we examine our attitude towards life and ask how it will affect our goals? This issue brings a beautiful article on the healthy aspect of depression as also success stories to inspire us. Happy Reading! - Team Alive
|
|
|||||||
| Alive Archives | |||||||
Forpast issues of ALIVE please click here>>>
.
|
|||||||
| Team Alive | |||||||
|
Poonam Golani |
You
receive this newsletter because you may have registered your name
with us. |
|
© Copy Right by Oasis Self
Leadership Education for Community Development, Vadodara, Gujarat,
India. |