Posted by Racer on June 29, 2004, at 13:32:17
In reply to Is it possible to feel happy again?, posted by Emme on June 28, 2004, at 0:07:23
Emme, I couldn't find either of them. I'm very sorry. I will keep looking, but I'm not sure where else to check -- although one sounds like Alexander Pope to my memory, so I may read some of his Essays and see if I can find it there.
They both said about the same thing, though: don't ask if a person is a happy person, ask if that person had a happy life. Again, they don't help me when it's so dark inside me that I can't see any light, but when I'm in that middle state where you're not really *actively* depressed, but you're certainly not satisfied or happy with anything, I can look at that and be reminded that my immediate state is not permanent. Does that make any sense to you? It probably doesn't help much, since I'm Racer and not Pope or someone else with that sort of ability with words, but the idea does help me. It helps me remember that, while today -- this minute -- I may not be *actively* happy, I have had happy moments, and am likely to have more in the future. That it's the overall picture that counts, not the individual brush strokes.
Also, Emme, I think it might be worth taking to your doctor about this, too. I know that some anti-depressants can cause a sort of overall emotional decrease for some people. On Paxil, I couldn't feel pleasure or pain. It was just a total emotional deadening for me, and that's why I finally stopped it. If you're taking a med that is doing something like that for you, changing to another med might help.
Best luck, Emme, and I do hope it gets better for you soon.
poster:Racer
thread:361204
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040626/msgs/361682.html