Let me just preface this post with this statement... I know I have no real problems. I'm not sick, no one in my life is sick or dying. I love what I am doing and feel fulfilled professionally. This has been making me feel even worse because I know there are people out there with real, serious problems.
With that being said, I am now immersing myself in all things happy. I am probably about half way through this book, and although he has some valid points (which I will get to in a few sentences) it is a very technical book. Buyer beware...there is a lot of talk about the brain and neurochemicals and all that sort of stuff. Some of it is over my head, but I get the gist of it.
One of the things that he talks about is the fact that bouts of mild depression (or prolonged bad moods) are actually quite common and normal. He talks about how the state of our emotions can be compared to a boat in the ocean. The waves fluctuate and the boat is in constant motion from the top of the wave to the bottom of the wave.
"I believe that it may be normal, healthy, and even productive to experience mild to moderate depression from time to time as part of a variable emotional spectrum, either as an appropriate response to situations or as a way of turning inward and mentally chewing over some problems to find solutions. I still value my occasional periods of depressed mood as sources of intuitive knowledge, inspiration, and creative energy, and when I come out of them, I feel more vital and am more productive. I have found strategies to help me get through them, and I'm much relieved that I no longer get stuck in them." -Dr. Weil
I happen to be at the bottom of the wave right now. So I keep telling myself peaks and valleys are normal. I'm just in a valley right now, which has happened to me before and I've come out of quite successfully.
What do you do to get yourself out of a funk? I'm looking for some creative suggestions.
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