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Sunday, October 04, 2009 thescret asks

Q: How do I focus on life, information, goals, happiness,and stop tricking my brain into depression?

I guess my question is a product of how I think and perceive things to be. I recently spoke with my old therapist from a couple years back and he said I am having trouble emotionally inside and that I have to get help. I said hmmm ok I'll get help. I called up a few local psychologist and psychiatrist and realized that all I was doing was bitching about every single negative detail throughout my entire life over the phone before they would even sit down with me. I couldn't believe how out of touch with reality I was. That's just me though, always looking for a fast solution. 

 

I lack confidence and when I do have confidence it's an act to strictly to get through the day. The truth is I am unconfiident and I honsetly don't know why. I feel cursed. think too much and lack focus! and when i say this I mean I literally have my brain trained just to get by, or get through the day. I don't know if i care too much or don't care at all!!

 

 I like people and i like being productive. I love my friends and family and am greatful for everything i have everyday, but I find ways to make life so difficut and """"uncomfortable""" I don't know how to stop sometimes. It seems intentional.

 

Anyways as I am starting out on direction towards a new career I figure i need to be as happy and focused as possible to get the ball moving forward.

 

As i'm studying online for a state insurance exam to start working I came across a blog and found that someone had mentioned to someone else that you have to watch the movie secret. I watched the first 20 minutes on youtube and became completley hooked. I can't help but believe in it. i started researching outside it and rented the full movie. I can't get my mind off of some of the things they address. After two years of seeing a psychologist with questionabel results i can't help but believe that mastering this will really help a depressed indidividual see the whole picture. I've tried applying it to my life and  have failed in some ways but I believe I can master it and start succeeding. The problems is I am not focused on what i should be doing and that's passing the state boards. Anyways to make a long strory short I am writing this info about me when i should be studying for teh boards, and this is after an unusual,uncomfortable,miserable,boring,night drinking with friends i have known my entire life and care deeply for. How the hell do i let this be the case?? The way i look at it now is last night was just another worst night of my life and I just let it be what it was. What i always do is eventually forget every single thing that happend that night. People will talk about things I was apart of all the time and I honestly pretend to remember but I forget because I don't remeber much. I just want to be happy confident and fun.

 

Anyways I want to learn to refocus and make sence of my life. I understand this is drawn out and difficult for you as a reader to understand and digest but if you are some kind of an expert and see a pattern here I would like to have a happy life. To be honest I can't think of anytime in my life that I was truly happy and that's probably because I rarely felt confident, good, focused, and accomplished. In fact all I want to do is feel that. all i do is ask how? All the ever happends is nothing... i have accomplished nothing I feel good about and i cant think of anything that I really want to do. I rarely finish anything. Heeeellp please if you have advice. It would be greatly appreciated.

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Answers (2)
10/ 4/09 12:26pm

Hi, there.  I'm not an "expert" except in managing depression and having lived to be 60, but my first thought was why you think you are "tricking" yourself into depression?  I don't think that's really possible.  It's brain chemistry.  Maybe you need a new psychologist - I think if you told one everything you wrote here, they would understand.  Sometimes a particularly therapist will not be the right one and then it's time to move on, but when you find the right one, stick with it; it's not just about mental tricks, like you can trick yourself into feeling happy.  Maybe you're having trouble focusing because of the depression, or maybe you have ADHD, I don't know.  It's possible you might need medication and a good psychologist should be able to tell you if you should see a psychiatrist - otherwise, find one yourself and get evaluated.  Not being able to finish things is probably a symptom of what's going on with you, but maybe you could write down a plan of how you're going to get help, set a deadline, and then use the help you get to follow through.

 

I'm glad you are reaching out here, it's an indication that you're in a place to start doing something constructive to help yourself.  Good luck with finding some help and let us know how it goes.  There are a lot of people on this site who can understand where you're coming from, so feel free to write again.

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10/ 4/09 12:49pm

Hi Judy, thanks for taking the time to share your peace of mind. Logically I don't understand how anyone could waste time trying to figure out if they have ADHD or depression, or both. Mental health is a state of mind, in my mind. i just don't understand how people go around diagnosing peoples problems on a whime? 

 

Lets just say for instace a doctor is 92% sure I have ADHD and that it's lack of focus that is causing me to be depressed. In reality though, i am depressed and it's depression causing that lack of focus. Well the fact that he wasn't 100% sure just caused me hunderds of dollars, hours, and days being treated for something I didnt have.

 

Actually if you really what to put it into perspective there are thousands of other diagnoses that could fit into that 8% category. In my mind depression is a state of mind, until someone convinces me otehrwise. Thank you for your post I appreciate your thoughts.

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10/ 4/09 11:16pm

It would seem to me that whether or not you have ADHD, you'd still be depressed so the treatment would be for depression, at least in regard to medication.  Mental health is not an exact science so there is always the chance of getting misdiagnosed, but with no diagnosis, you can't do anything about it.  I don't quite get your statement about depression being a state of mind.  Do you mean, a state of mind that we have conscious control over?  That might be true some of the time, but I don't know why you would choose to be depressed if you have control over it.  It often involves brain chemistry, which can cause the thought processes that cause depression.  Anyway, I don't mean to argue, just wondering why, if you want to be happy and improve your focus, you're quibbling about an 8% chance of being misdiagnosed and not wanting to take the time to be evaluated to see if some kind of treatment would help, regardless of the cause.

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11/ 8/09 5:26pm

If you like the secret, read the 'Conversation with God' books (it's not religious or preachy at all, but it will change your life).

 

I feel the same as you, and I did a year of therapy, it helped unearth some issues while it was happening, but now I still feel like sometimes I start to slip back into depression when nothing inspires me anymore (i feel like that at the moment after moving overseas). Sometimes everything just gets overwhelming.

 

Don't know the answer but I'm trying to exercise by going for walks, that seems to help with stress and anxiety. I will also try meditation, to calm my mind as it all stems from stress and my inability to properly deal with it. I think depression might be a symptom of that.

 

I'm not a fan of meds for long term, they can get you out of a slump initially (which is great) but for me they made me manic after taking them for a few months.

 

You sound like an indigo too (if you believe in that kinda stuff)... check out www.sunfell.com (the indigo files section) see if that rings true for you.

 

Smile

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By thescret— Last Modified: 12/06/10, First Published: 10/04/09