Charles Darwin coined the idea that emotional tension, anxiety and and manic states are triggers for “head symptoms.”  Of the many named ailments he noted “fits” brought on by “excitements,” “flurries” leading to an “uncomfortable palpitation of the heart” and “air fatigues” that triggered his “head symptoms.”  His symptoms have been attributed to everything from lactose intolerance to Chagas disease — Darwin himself was most troubled by his recurring mental problems. His depression left him “not able to do anything one day out of three,” choking on his “bitter mortification.” He despaired of the weakness of mind that ran in his family.
“Pain or suffering of any kind,” he wrote, “if long continued, causes depression and lessens the power of action, yet it is well adapted to make a creature guard itself against any great or sudden evil.” And so sorrow was explained away, because pleasure was not enough. Sometimes, Darwin wrote, it is the sadness that informs as it “leads an animal to pursue that course of action which is most beneficial.” The darkness was a kind of light.
Obsessed with our pain, we will retreat from everything. We will stop eating, unless we start eating too much. Sex will lose its appeal; sleep will become a frustrating pursuit. We will always be tired, even though we will do less and less. We will think a lot about death.
See the whole article for more information.
NYT “Depression’s Upsiide by Jonah Lehrer

What to do then, about depression…

I found the article very informative.  There is way more information than anyone will ever care to research, but it’s a great write up.
One way I’ve found to make progress with depression is stumbling onto great social media content that makes me smile.
See a odd couple is the best thing.  
http://boredomtherapy.com/cat-and-lynx-friends/

This post was last modified on January 21, 2015 - learn more.

Jarod Thornton

"I love working on WordPress development!"

© 2024 bemis3lf - Jarod Thornton Studio