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puppetmakerThis weekend is a Mommy/Daughter weekend. We have a number of things we want to do. Let’s see what we can get done. Peter is at the Long Beach Comic Con so if you are going, say Hi.
In a week Peter turns 60. Cards can be sent to
Box 951
Bayport NY 11705
I would appreciate if you would spread this around.
Now behind the cut something that has been bothering me a lot about public perception brought to us by Big Pharm.
I do love the Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. Musically it is still a mood picker upper for me. Silly I know but I still listen to it to calm down on occasion. It does remind me that whatever has me in such a state is temporary.
Learning various coping methods to deal with depression has saved my life several times.
Probably one of the most profound things that I was told by a friend who has had to deal with the mental issues of her mother, brother, and other sister was that the opposite of a depressive episode is not total happiness but equilibrium.
I have been told by a number of people who have been diagnosed at bi-polar that the mania side of the coin doesn’t mean they are happy or connecting well to the world around them. Impulsive behavior happens. There is a sense of invulnerability. But that can quickly crash into the next depressive episode. Equilibrium is the best things for them so they can deal with the world without the highs and lows.
Recently I have noticed a number of commercials aimed at people who are already taking some form of medication for depression that honestly angry me for the message that they seem to be delivering.
It boils down to “if you are not happy all the time then you might want to add (insert drug name here) to your medication regiment”.
The one that really irks me has a women holding up a paddle with a smiley face drawn on it and she looks totally upset behind the paddle.
From my experience not being depressed does not equate to being happy. Not being depressed means that you can function in life. You can get up in the morning rather than spend an hour convincing yourself or guilt tripping yourself into getting up. You take care of things around the house. You can deal with those things that annoy you and not feel like the world is out to get you and this is another example of it.
After I got the proper medication I discovered that things that I thought were the end of the world didn’t even bother me anymore. It wasn’t that I didn’t get sad at times or mad about what was happening to me but I could cope better with life. I was happy that I could function again. I could get things done and not feel like the world was pressing me down and crushing me.
But always happy? Not happening nor should it.
Somewhere we have gotten this weird idea that if you are not happy all the time, then something is wrong with you. There are books on the subject with more being published every day. Advertising promises you happiness if you purchase what they are selling. Ads tell us if we are not happy then there must be something wrong with us.
Now there is evidence that trying to be happy all the time can lead to depression.
I think we need to replace happy with equilibrium. The ability to just deal with the world is a wonderful thing. We need the happy with the sad or the anger or the fear.
Inside Out had it right and has helped a lot of children deal with both their positive and negative feelings in a healthy manner. Now we just need to get the same message to the adults.
Of course Big Pharm would like it to be in pill form so they can make more money off of our emotions. And that angers me.
I know there are people who need medication to deal with their screwy brain chemistry and they will be on it for the rest of their lives. They need the help to function in the world and there is nothing wrong or terrible about that. But there seem to be a stigma attached to taking drugs for mental health conditions that we really need to eliminate. Taking blood pressure medication or cholesterol control drugs is considered a good thing. So taking care of your mental health should be the same.
I will always be grateful for the medications I took at the time, which allowed me to get from day to day and see that life was worth living. I knew at the beginning that I would only be on the meds for a short time while my brain sorted itself out. Once sorted, I was taken off the drugs and discovered that I could function.
But we were not meant to be happy all the time. Life is a mix of good and bad and we need to react to each situation honestly rather than adding more medication to make us always feel a sensation that is suppose to be happiness.
I am grateful for coping skills that allow me to function.
In a week Peter turns 60. Cards can be sent to
Box 951
Bayport NY 11705
I would appreciate if you would spread this around.
Now behind the cut something that has been bothering me a lot about public perception brought to us by Big Pharm.
I do love the Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. Musically it is still a mood picker upper for me. Silly I know but I still listen to it to calm down on occasion. It does remind me that whatever has me in such a state is temporary.
Learning various coping methods to deal with depression has saved my life several times.
Probably one of the most profound things that I was told by a friend who has had to deal with the mental issues of her mother, brother, and other sister was that the opposite of a depressive episode is not total happiness but equilibrium.
I have been told by a number of people who have been diagnosed at bi-polar that the mania side of the coin doesn’t mean they are happy or connecting well to the world around them. Impulsive behavior happens. There is a sense of invulnerability. But that can quickly crash into the next depressive episode. Equilibrium is the best things for them so they can deal with the world without the highs and lows.
Recently I have noticed a number of commercials aimed at people who are already taking some form of medication for depression that honestly angry me for the message that they seem to be delivering.
It boils down to “if you are not happy all the time then you might want to add (insert drug name here) to your medication regiment”.
The one that really irks me has a women holding up a paddle with a smiley face drawn on it and she looks totally upset behind the paddle.
From my experience not being depressed does not equate to being happy. Not being depressed means that you can function in life. You can get up in the morning rather than spend an hour convincing yourself or guilt tripping yourself into getting up. You take care of things around the house. You can deal with those things that annoy you and not feel like the world is out to get you and this is another example of it.
After I got the proper medication I discovered that things that I thought were the end of the world didn’t even bother me anymore. It wasn’t that I didn’t get sad at times or mad about what was happening to me but I could cope better with life. I was happy that I could function again. I could get things done and not feel like the world was pressing me down and crushing me.
But always happy? Not happening nor should it.
Somewhere we have gotten this weird idea that if you are not happy all the time, then something is wrong with you. There are books on the subject with more being published every day. Advertising promises you happiness if you purchase what they are selling. Ads tell us if we are not happy then there must be something wrong with us.
Now there is evidence that trying to be happy all the time can lead to depression.
I think we need to replace happy with equilibrium. The ability to just deal with the world is a wonderful thing. We need the happy with the sad or the anger or the fear.
Inside Out had it right and has helped a lot of children deal with both their positive and negative feelings in a healthy manner. Now we just need to get the same message to the adults.
Of course Big Pharm would like it to be in pill form so they can make more money off of our emotions. And that angers me.
I know there are people who need medication to deal with their screwy brain chemistry and they will be on it for the rest of their lives. They need the help to function in the world and there is nothing wrong or terrible about that. But there seem to be a stigma attached to taking drugs for mental health conditions that we really need to eliminate. Taking blood pressure medication or cholesterol control drugs is considered a good thing. So taking care of your mental health should be the same.
I will always be grateful for the medications I took at the time, which allowed me to get from day to day and see that life was worth living. I knew at the beginning that I would only be on the meds for a short time while my brain sorted itself out. Once sorted, I was taken off the drugs and discovered that I could function.
But we were not meant to be happy all the time. Life is a mix of good and bad and we need to react to each situation honestly rather than adding more medication to make us always feel a sensation that is suppose to be happiness.
I am grateful for coping skills that allow me to function.
