Has anything good come from your depression?

I know my depression has lead me to be stronger. Yeah when I was having problems with it I didnt believe it could ever help, but since its been gone I can see what ive been through and that things to come shouldnt be harder.

 

It helped my discover my invisible saboteur, and now i have the means to deal with it

 

It has made me stronger and able to understand others that I was not able to before...It has changed my view of life in good ways and bad ways. It is hard because my depression is so much do to situations in my life but I try to use what I have learned and give it back here on SF ..it gives my sadness meaning that it otherwise might not have.

 

Yes, I think so. I think I've gained a lot of valuable insight into myself. I've figured out what I value and what I need. I've changed my life goals significantly since it started, and I think I'm heading to where I should be now... Only problem is getting there.

 

YES! Same as what AOEU says above about insight and introspection.

Also, it has led me to this site, where I have met some of the most intelligent kind, and caring people I've ever known! :grouphug:

 

I understand people more. I used to be so young and stupid, I'd just follow anyone but now I can read people like a book. I know when someone doubts me for a second. I hate it but at the same time it's so helpful...

 

Right now i can't say anything good came out of it but I am hoping that when I make it to the other side that I come out a stronger person and have learned something from all I am going through.

 

I feel like I see the world more clearly. There's layers of depth and feeling to everything that I was unaware of before. And it's caused me to reconsider what's truly important in my life.

 

I think it has. I think a small part of me deep down thinks that if I lose this depression my sight of things will get hazy and I will be misled. I think it's gotten me to see things for what they are. Not what they should be.

 

Best joke for this day :lol!:

 

Made me stronger in some areas, weaker in others....I'm divided on the question so..

 

NO!!!!

 

I don’t think as many people mean yes, as said it. The likeliness that something good happened solely due to depression is, I find, unlikely. However; if you have been depressed for a significant amount of time, chances are something good happened while you were depressed, not because you were depressed.
For instance, my being depressed caused me to do drugs. Now that I quit, this, in turn, helped me deprive myself of most trivial emotions. I rarely panic, even at times when the situation calls for it, I rarely get mad, and I wouldn’t sad I’m as sad anymore. I’m more apathetic, which in my view, enables me to think rationally through most situations others have difficulty with. Do I hold depression responsible for this? Yes. Would I say it is better that it happened? No. If my ability to think logically has made me a less miserable person, that’s great. But had it not been for depression in the first place, there would be no reason for me to take such measures in order to free myself from that displeasure.

Just my take on the situation

 

This is bitter sweet. There is an advantage and a disadvantage to everything.

On the one hand, depression of the kind we have is agonizing. It makes life so much harder and so much of life zings right past me.

On the other hand, I have drawn conclusions that I would not have otherwise drawn. I have also found an inner strength I didn't know was there.

I am glad I have the desire and basic education skills needed to research and ponder the why of things. When I speak to others, they say I have helped them, of which I am awed. Especially since there have been so many vicious "normies" in the world who have said some of the most brutal things to me that add to my feeling worthless.

By being completely broken down by this disease, I turned to the God I had studied about for many years. I had always believed in him, and I had prayed, but I never really turned to him. When I threw myself on his mercy, I was amazed by how he carried me through some crushing experiences and protected me from the "normie" agencies and people, and the vicious people, and from homelessness. He is now very personal to me and it's natural for me to interact with him on a deeper level every day.

I'm still hurting. I think about the Apostle Paul, who had prayed to God to remove the "thorn in his side" and God told Paul that his grace (salvation) was sufficient. That is why I go to the doctor for treatment. I don't ascribe to "God will heal all" when God specifically says his grace is sufficient to the Apostle Paul. I'm not better that the Apostle Paul which means God's grace is sufficient for me too.

Much of the ailments in life people have, come from affluence. We have too much. We chose the wrong things such as food, the amount or rest we get. Some things are out of our hands as in we don't know what companies put in our food. These kinds of things that are not the best for us and we end up with the natural and logical consequences, individually and as a society.

Wow, I sure got off on a ramble.

One of my daughters use to say to me, "Why do you always talk about God?" I told her this was the best thing in my life and I would want my family and friends to know the best information I have when they have problems.

Anyway, SF is my family and I'm glad to have all of you in my life.

 

Yes, without it I would never have been in therapy, and been diagnosed Borderline and generally anxious. And never treated.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depressive_realism

Has anyone heard of this? It's basically the idea that depressed people view the world more clearly and with less bias than people without depression. I think this is probably true in some cases, false in others- but without a doubt, I have become far more aware of the true nature of existence since I became noticeably depressed.

But I wonder: which one is the cause, and which is the effect?

 

While I never heard of depressive realism I always felt I could see life more clearly than most of the people around me. Im guessing it could be because I truely look at life not just find the things I want with it and ignore what Id prefer not to know. Ignorance is bliss and thats the truth.

Things like stopping drug addiction that you went to because of depression werent what I meant I was talking about some of the things other people said like seeing everything more clearly and finding inner strength.

 

I read the Wiki article on depressive realism and the information is too vague. I did take notice of the following sentence.

Candide's own conclusion on the subject can be summed up in his utterance that "Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable."

I going to have to remember this one the next time someone tries to cram optimism down my throat.

 

You're joking, right?

 

I love how the poll is completely tied. :rofl:

Anywho, like everyone else has said, it has also given me a greater understanding of how life really is. But at the same time, I would rather be some naive person than feel this pain.