A quick reminder that under the heavy robe of genocide, war, climate crisis, societal turmoil and every day life all of us are consciously and/or unconsciously feeling the weight.
That form of despair I surely relate to… In my case I’ve lost a sense of identity. Not feeling engaged nor happy … new uncomfortable feelings of anxiety and roiling sadness. I know it is ok to feel grief but I don’t have anywhere to put it. Feeling helpless where at all other times in my life I was a change agent … even in failure I was heard. This… this… is just energy sucking.
Being clinically depressed since childhood, I can relate to depression/anxiety. I currently medicate with sertraline, buspirone and gabapentin which is working well.
But what human being with a soul cannot help being depressed witnessing what the world has become?
I am definitely not suffering from what you refer to as Acedia. I need to feel productive and never hide from the events affecting our earth. My biggest problem is that of being an empath; I absorb sorrow like a sponge. It’s resulted in three suicide attempts.
My secret weapon is an old Motown song by Stevie Wonder called “A Place in the Sun”. I suggest others give it a listen.
I’m touched by your comments here. As a semi-retired therapist I suffer from vicarious PTSD and the medications you mention are in my little daily pill box. For decades I helped others and when I retired all the walls came down and I actually moved through depression quickly into Acedia. Luckily a wise man saw that and re-involved me in life. As I’ve mentioned I’m also a recognized ‘medicine man’ of the Lakota people. That ‘gift’ comes out of being overly empathic. Empathy being a gift and a curse. Empathy MUST be recognized as this double edged sword … . When teaching I learned that many of the suicidal kids were empaths who didn’t know what to do with the pain. Their OWN life was fine… but the pain they felt from being in this world was too much. The Indigenous people teach a medicine person how NOT to take in the pain of the world but to recognize it and transform it. My training as a therapist only taught me to stuff it away. My guess is YOU are a gift to the world and I’m happy you failed in your suicide attempts. So happy you found your song and Stevie Wonder’s. We have work to do in this life… hard as it has become. We have work to do. Please take care. Much affection tom
That form of despair I surely relate to… In my case I’ve lost a sense of identity. Not feeling engaged nor happy … new uncomfortable feelings of anxiety and roiling sadness. I know it is ok to feel grief but I don’t have anywhere to put it. Feeling helpless where at all other times in my life I was a change agent … even in failure I was heard. This… this… is just energy sucking.
How about wanting to not care because one's heart is so full of grief?
Being clinically depressed since childhood, I can relate to depression/anxiety. I currently medicate with sertraline, buspirone and gabapentin which is working well.
But what human being with a soul cannot help being depressed witnessing what the world has become?
I am definitely not suffering from what you refer to as Acedia. I need to feel productive and never hide from the events affecting our earth. My biggest problem is that of being an empath; I absorb sorrow like a sponge. It’s resulted in three suicide attempts.
My secret weapon is an old Motown song by Stevie Wonder called “A Place in the Sun”. I suggest others give it a listen.
I’m touched by your comments here. As a semi-retired therapist I suffer from vicarious PTSD and the medications you mention are in my little daily pill box. For decades I helped others and when I retired all the walls came down and I actually moved through depression quickly into Acedia. Luckily a wise man saw that and re-involved me in life. As I’ve mentioned I’m also a recognized ‘medicine man’ of the Lakota people. That ‘gift’ comes out of being overly empathic. Empathy being a gift and a curse. Empathy MUST be recognized as this double edged sword … . When teaching I learned that many of the suicidal kids were empaths who didn’t know what to do with the pain. Their OWN life was fine… but the pain they felt from being in this world was too much. The Indigenous people teach a medicine person how NOT to take in the pain of the world but to recognize it and transform it. My training as a therapist only taught me to stuff it away. My guess is YOU are a gift to the world and I’m happy you failed in your suicide attempts. So happy you found your song and Stevie Wonder’s. We have work to do in this life… hard as it has become. We have work to do. Please take care. Much affection tom
Wonderfully helpful.