Happiness and depression

[Claude]

Is it weird for someone to have many positive things going on in their life and still be depressed at the same time? Personally, I feel like my life is headed in the right direction. On the positive side I just recently graduated high school with honours, got early acceptance and an 8000 dollar scholarship into University, got my karate black belt and am making pretty good gains in my newest hobby, Powerlifting. However, I am still depressed because I really only have 1 friend and while all of my other acquaintances are out partying and having a good time, I am usually to shy and quiet to join them. In short, I have no social life and it bugs me. So I just take my frustrations out on the weight rack, or on the boxing bag, or on the treadmill and tell myself that it will all pay off one day. In short, is my non-existent social life good grounds for depression even with all the other good things happening right now?

 

[Warlock]

You can become depressed for absolutely no reason at all. Not all depression is situational, even though most people who are ignorant on the subject think it is, it isn't.

 

[Claude]

Thanks for the information Warlock. I never new it could happen for no reason at all. However, I do believe that when I'm depressed its because I'm thinking about the social emptiness of my life. The main way I deal with it is just to repress my emotions and conceal them year around. Does anybody else do this just to stop themselves from going mad?

 

[Warlock]

My brain forces me into fantasy land in self defense. Its a mechanism that I can't control. I can't handle reality, so I spend all day daydreaming.

 

[Claude]

I spend a lot of time fantasizing and thinking about whether my life would be better or not with more friends. I never traditionally had too many friends, but I find 1 (that I don't even see that often anymore) just isn't enough. Another thing that I find I wrestle with in my mind is whether or not I'm meant to be alone. I've already had all of high school to meet new people and make new friends, but it just hasn't worked out for the most part. All of my life I've always had only 1 or 2 (at most 3) good friends who have eventually left me because they moved away. As you can imagine, being alone all the time leaves me feeling pretty depressed, but I don't let depression control my entire life, nor my shyness. I work hard at everything that I do and to me at least, that seems to make up for my poor social state.

 

[LittleMissScareAll]

yeah, I think so...I think my paranoia is what kills me most. nothing bad is really going on in my life right now...well not TOO bad...so far...for now...I expect things to go horribly wrong at any time, though...good things DO NOT happen to people like me...or at least when they do, they never last long. EVER. And I think that's partly the reason for this--but lately, the past week or so I've just felt like crying all the time. So I have been crying pretty much every day. Again. I thought maybe I could be happy but I guess I was right all along...I never will be completely happy because I'm too paranoid that something's going to ruin my life again.

 

[euphoria13]

Is it weird for someone to have many positive things going on in their life and still be depressed at the same time?

Not at all. Depression can be independent of events in our lives. I can get depressed for no reason at all or I can get depressed by some small, unrelated thing that triggers me into a deep depression.

 

[Anonymous]

I think some of us were predisposed from the beginning to be alone and depressed. Should we even try to be happy? The depressed thoughts just come back ever time, and usually with more fire than the last time. In my mind, I think I would like to have a friend, but I don't know, I don't see it happening. I think the fantasy world that we aspire to live in, will be what saves us from doing something revengeful in this dark world.

 

[aguppylife]

Then I'm casted as guest. Everything that could go wrong, just did.

 

[renegade]

In short, is my non-existent social life good grounds for depression even with all the other good things happening right now?

Yes, it is. Imagine if your social life was great and furfilling. Imagine you were the most outgoing person with lots and lots of friends. But you sucked at school and as much as you have tried, you neved succeded to graduate. That thing alone could have sent you into a depression as well.

Not rarely small things can cause serious depression. Of course, social life isn't a small thing, but may appear to others that have it as a small part of life...and for those who don't have it, it is the most important thing.

I thing lack of social life caused by SP is the main cause of depression among people of this forum, you can have all the things you want, if you don't have a social life then you got a preety good reason to be depressed.

But that doesn't mean you have to stay that way. Try to enjoy all the other things, do the stuff you like, enjoy your every achievement. Sports should be a hobby, not a thing you do to release anger (of course you can beat the crap out of everybody else at martial arts to do that, one of the reasons i joined this sport was just this :twisted: ).

In short, you have reasons to be depressed and you have reasons to be happy, so try not to think so much at your social life, and when you do and there is no escape, distract yourself by doing something you like. :wink: