Better Living through Pharmaceuticals!

As a person who has dealt with, suffered through, battled, succumbed to, and been highly medicated for depression for many years, this is a tongue-in-cheek phrase that my husband and I use to describe life with said depression.

(yes, I know, you are all shocked that the Goddess, as lovely and witty as she is, has this problem. See, pharmaceuticals. I'm tellin' ya. And a bit of therapy.)

Anyway, I was listening to an audiobook today, Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now, by Gordon Livingston, and he had some very interesting thoughts on depression.

This is what he would tell his patients: "The good news is we have medications that will help with your depression. The bad news is that medication will not make you happy. Happiness isn't simply the absence of despair. It is an affirmative state in which our lives have both meaning and pleasure." People need to look at the way they are living with an eye to change.

He said that a lot of times we expect changes to occur through medications, therapy etc. but don't change the way we are living. We have the same uneventful, boring, sad existence.

We are what we do! . . . . When all is said and done, more is said than done.

He was talking about how many times we get burned or hurt by people who say they will do one thing but don't follow through, actions speak louder than words type of thing.

If we don't change our actions, we can't expect our lives to change.

He said that every person needs three things:

• something to do
• someone to love
• something to look forward to

If we don't have those things in our lives, how can we expect to get better.

This list of three things reminded me of a list that Gordon B. Hinckley* gave when talking about what every new convert to the church needs.

• A friend in the Church to whom you can constantly turn.
• An assignment. Activity is the genius of this Church.
• To be constantly "nourished by the good word of God"

It is really so true that in life we need to feel a purpose, have things to love and look forward to. I wonder if this is why I have so many hobbies and interests instead of just picking one and sticking with it.

There are so many great things in life to learn and do. I have so many ideas and interests that I would love to follow. My main problem now is lack of time to do them.

Anyway, this is something I have been thinking over today and I just wanted to share these thoughts.

*Gordon B. Hinckley is the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons.

Tags: depression, medication, therapy, happiness, Mormons, Domestic Goddess, blog