Communicating through Depression

Summary: After a long series on fear, today's post starts a new series on sadness--specifically, depression.

What are the 4 basic emotions? (Click the link to learn!) Hint: Last month's blog series on fear covered one of them, and this new series that starts today covers another one.

Today, we're talking about sadness.

But not just any old sadness; today, we're talking about depression. Have you ever had an experience where you couldn't "shake the blues"? Maybe a loved one died or you lost a beloved pet. Or maybe you just couldn't figure out why you felt so low, but nothing you tried made you happy. Those are tough times. And they only get worse when you do exactly what your brain tells you to do: Curl up in a ball all alone and stay there.

Why would your own brain be so cruel? That's a question I'd like to study further.

I facilitate support group meetings in a neighboring community for people with depression. The stories of isolation and infernal sadness are very moving. And inevitably, those suffering with the disease of depression (including myself, from time to time) believe that it won't pass and they'll never get any better.

Have you ever had this experience? Are you experiencing it now? If you have been depressed, but can now see--and enjoy!--the light of day, tell me how you improved your outlook. Let's figure out together how to best communicate with and around this dreaded disease.

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