Comment by chefandy
1 year ago
That’s weirdly reductive. The point isn’t to feel persistently happy—happiness is fleeting— it's to not feel hopeless and inconsolably miserable. I’m chemically prone to depression— diagnoses and everything— and even at my most depressed I’ll still feel moments of happiness. It’s the pervasive lack of hope, vitality, and the ability to see what’s good in your life that’s dangerous. Feeling grateful might not be a silver bullet for being in this mental state, but trying to more objectively view your situation in context and recognizing the good parts is an important part of grounding yourself when your perspective is skewed by depression.
An addendum: not sure if you were speaking figuratively, but an inner voice constantly preoccupied with potential catastrophe (even at a small scale, like minor social embarrassment) is a pretty strong indicator of an anxiety problem, which is eminently treatable. Even for people that chafe at the prospect of medication and traditional talk therapy, CBT specialists can help you implement some practical mental tools in only a few visits without protracted emotional history explorations or anything resembling them. The technique has proven to get quick, meaningful results for everything from combat PTSD to ADHD to depression and beyond, and can be a fast path to achieving good mental hygiene. Anyone reading this who’s curious about their own anxiety level should find an online questionnaire by a reputable, specialized mental health organization (i.e. not buzzfeed, et al, a pharmaceutical company, or someone trying to sell you therapy) and be honest in your answers. You shouldn’t need to create a login or divulge any identifying information.