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Enneagram Type 4 Board Archive Excuses for depression....?Posted by Derf on May 14, 1998 at 00:50:12:
When I was young (in my teen-age years), I used to complain to everybody about being "depressed." I even wrote a long note to a teacher once! And many long notes to my mother that I never sent, about how I wish everything in my life could be different. But then I started reading inspirational books, and attending inspirational seminars. I don't suppose that they had any more effect on me than they did on anyone else - but I learned a valuable lesson there that has become a core belief in me, and has certainly changed my attitude toward depression. I learned that there was NO EXCUSE to be depressed - it's YOUR problem. And moreover, it's under YOUR CONTROL. Since then, I haven't complained about it to anyone. I still brood to myself sometimes when the shadows take over, but eventually... always... I'm able to put it into that perspective. Learning about the Enneagram, and about the reality of being a 4 (the *illusory* reality, I might stress) has completed the cycle. Not only have I learned to confront my depressions, but I've learned to watch my "envious" attitude with a more critical eye. Longing; wishing everything were different; wayward attraction to distant people, places, and things; *depression* - these things are still there, but they're no longer "profound." They no longer "cut to the core" - not for long, at least, as soon as I start to remember the truth I learned. I'm not immune to my personality, but normally, I burn much lighter now.
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