One reason to try to be optimistic

[__Inanna__]

I admit I have spent this entire month extremely depressed. I posted my feelings on another board (in part in an effort to try to get some soccer moms to do some research on the dangers of *) and was met with responses telling me it wasn't "normal" to let an election get me THAT depressed and to seek help. Tonight I came across something interesting, which I am going to try to incorporate into my MO, going forward. I do believe those on this board, who haven't drunk from the kool-aid dispenser are more in touch with reality, but I found this article to be interesting. Here's a snip...

"In fact, studies suggest that reality is overrated. People who are the most closely in touch with reality are probably depressed. For example, in one study, depressed people were much more accurate than those who were not currently depressed at estimating the risks of all sorts of disasters befalling them, from plane crashes to their chances of being hit and killed by a bus when crossing the street on any given day. They saw the dangers of life head-on and estimated them accurately. Psychologists call it “depressive realism.” In contrast, nondepressed people are off the mark when asked about the odds of various kinds of negative events-in an optimistic but unrealistic, inaccurate way. When we look at reality stripped bare of the illusions I consider crucial, what we are really seeing is our fundamental helplessness and lack of control in the face of an indifferent universe, our elemental aloneness, our failure to achieve successes that can change the basic parameters of our mortality. And perhaps most importantly, depression and the bald-faced look at reality it provides for us tend to yank us out of our engagement with life, our ability to exist in the moment. Seeing the world this way can even precipitate an existential crisis in which we’re left living in a universe in which none of our actions ultimately matter, in which we’re just going through the motions waiting for it all to end. As psychiatrist Viktor Frankl concluded after surviving the dismal reality of Auschwitz, we must each search for and ultimately construct our own meanings in order to survive. Looking at reality stripped of all of our illusions means being psychically naked, unprotected, and open to despair, depression, even suicide. So despite the emphasis that psychologists and psychiatrists have placed on the importance of “reality testing,” it may be that the illusions involved in optimism are actually more psychologically healthy."

So, I guess I will try to tell myself everything will be ok under Bushco for the next 4 years, while trying to change things, wherever possible. Does this mean maybe I am moving into the acceptance stage? I sure hope so, as I really need to get my house cleaned and not let everything go to hell. No, I won't be participating in the holidays this year, but maybe I can get back to feeling somewhat ok. If anyone is interested in the article, here is a link. I admit, it's probably more of interest to those interested in psychology, than politics.

http://www.grandtimes.com/Become_an_Optimist.html

[freeplessinseattle]

1. related studies have suggested that higher intelligence is correlated

with a greater tendency towards depression. maybe the old saying "ignorance is bliss" is on the mark!

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Old sayings remain popular because they contain of grain of truth

Sometimes that truth - or the reason for the truth - is hard to fathom, but is is usually there.

I wish I were more stupid and out of touch, because I've been feeling pretty crappy of late myowndamnedself.

[knowbody0]

2. i prefer to submit to the despair

and not to deny the depression and sadness. letting go to it becomes exquisite actually, and weeping cleanses you when you release the barriers.
how can we not be sad when our "leaders" are killing innocent people and setting fire to the world, stealing our democracy and dancing on our faces.
be proud of your defiance and inability to go with the flow.
peace and love to the inside of the inside of your heart

[Saffy]

3. Yup. It's true

Optimistic people are generally considered to be less realistic than their pessimistic counterparts.

However, they do tend to live longer, suffer less illness, have more productive lifestyles and healthier inter-personal relationships.

Unfortunately, I'm not one of them.

[NJCher]

4. are you sure that's true?

A few years ago a study came out saying the dour people were the ones who lived the longest.

The rationale went like this: optimistic people tended to put the rosy glasses on things across the board, including situations where they could harm themselves. So in fact they were exposed to more harmful situations than the less optomistic people, who refrained from situations that might put them at risk. The dour people stayed alive precisely because they weren't looking at such circumstances with rose-colored glasses.


Cher

[Arianrhod]

5. As an existentialist,

I've never been strictly optimistic. My current immersion in Paganism allows me to be hopeful by revealing the underlying interconnectedness of all things. But that hope is not a personal one; even if everything works out in the best possible way for the nation as a whole, I might personally be ruined, or even die, as a result of the current situation. I have to consider that as a genuine possibility. I can't imagine not doing so.

Jean-Paul Sartre, whose version of existentialism was not only considered bleak beyond despair, but which is also the most accepted form of the philosophy, was a member of the French Resistance during WWII whose desire for freedom and justice led him to adopt a view of strict humanism and humanitarianism. Seeing the disaster that was reality at the time, he didn't throw up his hands and give up; rather, he pushed forward and made a difference. Is that optimism? I don't know. Maybe it's just survivalism.

It seems to me that the illusionists are the ones who have brought this situation upon us in the first place. . . .

[RevCheesehead]

6. Depression is a real, physical condition.

I know firsthand, and have suffered with it all my life. Medication helps, but there are times when circumstances around me pull me further down into despair.

A qualified professional can help you determine whether you are suffering from depression - and you can get good, non-addictive medication.

If you are feeling upset about the elections, that is perfectly normal, for anyone who sees the direction our country is going. You DO NOT have to "accept it." But you CAN find some proactive ways to respond to what has happened.

Hey, you found DU! Check out some of the other forums. There is one for Mental Health issues. The Lounge can be a great release, if you don't offend too easily. There are many other forums which can bring like-minded people together.

If you're a person of faith, you might try getting more involved in some of your church's missions or community outreach projects. There are also plenty of service organizations which are cying out for help and donations of time. Or go visit some seniors in a nursing home.

But before any of that, take a deep breath, and exhale slowly. Tell yourself "I am not crazy. This is wrong, and I'm not the only person to see that." Then, give yourself a hug. Go ahead, just DU it!

And here's one from me!
:hug:

[OnionPatch]

8. I heard something similar

That the more informed you are, the more depressed you are. I think it's true but you have to tell yourself that all the things that go on in the world are not your fault. There is bad stuff going on around the world every second of our lives and you aren't responsible for it and it will do no one any good to keep feeling down. You should pat yourself on the back for all the good you did, and you did help; even if * won, we have laid the groundwork for the future success of our causes.

I also was quite depressed, as was everyone I know. Tell those people on that board that it IS normal to be depressed over this particular election. I don't know a single Kerry voter who wasn't depressed, several of them, myself included, weren't even able to make it to work on the 3rd it was so bad! And none of them are even DUers (who I consider really hard core.)

Of course those people on that board don't think it's normal, they aren't informed enough to know how bad four more years of * will be. But we've done what we can and keep doing what we can and otherwise we have to try to live our lives, enjoy the good parts and have some happiness, regardless. You are certainly not alone. We other 50-some million have been quite depressed as well. I think it's actually good that so many people were depressed about the results of this election. They should be. Hopefully people who feel this strongly will continue to work for changing things.

[Skittles]

9. in other words, ignorance is bliss

that's why freepers are so happy