What are some ways to get out of depression?

[Anonymous]

[Sonorous]

I'm not a professional so take all of this with a grain of salt. And also sorry if this is all a mess. I have a hard time piecing together my thoughts.

I like what Jordan Peterson said in this quote:

“It isn’t precisely that people will fight for what they believe. They will fight, instead, to maintain the match between what they believe, what they expect, and what they desire.”

We all create subjective maps of reality. Our maps are nowhere near the full objective truth of reality, but we have come to understand certain truths involved in our survival enough to survive & thrive as a species. That being said, our maps are lacking in a lot of ways. And you can test this by simply looking at something and pondering the complexity of it & realizing there's a lot of things you don't know about it. And there's even a lot of things that you don't know that you don't know about it! And there are even many things that we think we know well, but we don't really know them as well as we thought we did!

[Sonorous]

That last one usually bugs us the most. Because when part of our subjective map of reality (aka expectations & desires) aren't being met, it disrupts the connection that we have with certain beliefs (what defines our place in our subjective map of reality), making them unstable & bringing a heavy sense of futility to our actions. Which causes us to ask ourselves, "What's the point in fighting for what I believe in only to have my expectations & desires not be met?" At this point, our map is no longer seen as a good source to rely on since many elements aren't as known as we thought they were. And that has many overwhelming implications because of the complexity of the universe. Making us even more overwhelmed. And if the beliefs were very dear to us, the hopelessness could easily make us skip the many more important levels of analysis (in terms of thriving as a being) & go straight for existential dread. Followed up with sadness & depression.

Even though it's not usually an easy or pleasurable thing. From this point on, if we feel like something isn't working out like we hoped it would (aka our expectations, desires & especially beliefs aren't being met), and we want to improve our situation, we must be willing to update our subjective map of reality when confronted with new information and new experiences. And if we aren't getting those two, then we might just need a helpful change in routine.

[Sonorous]

But I think that the best specific approaches would take into account why the person is depressed & to what degree. In order to help people mentally get out of their depression, I think it would be most effective to meet them on their level & play their game in environments they're comfortable in. And by any (ethical & legal) means, slowly & subtly show them evidence for why their certain presuppositions of the nature of reality could be wrong or misaligned. And if that doesn't work as motivating them to purposefully embody more meaning themselves, then sometimes a person needs a leap of faith. So the steps they'd need to take would involve willpower. Like jumpstarting a car. It won't be comfortable for the car, but it could be constructive/helpful if done in time.

And when I say "by any means," I mean not only the mental, but by physical means. We're all living creatures, so I think there are some good universal approaches we can take. Like taking care of our bodies just as much as our minds. Even if it's outside your beliefs &/or values, think of what could be more helpful than harmful to you and do it. But whatever it is, I definitely recommend starting small & slowly progressing in a strategic way in order to not cause accidental suffering. I personally don't feel as depressed when I have well-tailored stretching, workout, eating, sleeping, & cleaning routines.

[Sonorous]

Other physical means could be more involved with the social aspect of life & someone's "character." They could discover where they lie regarding their temperamental traits & take certain strategic maneuvers to aid them. For instance, since I'm more disagreeable, doing nice things for people can help lift my depression. Since I'm high in conscientiousness but low in orderliness, being organized & clean can help. Since I'm high in neuroticism, I could stop surrounding myself with non-constructive ways of thought & action.

The list goes on & on. But I think these should be seen as surface-level tips. Things that could temporarily et you back on track. But if you really wanna decrease the likelihood of overall depression, you've gotta go deeper. Like I said before, into our perceptions of reality.

[Asker]

Wow , blew my mind with your knowledge. Not to be a creep or make you feel uncomfortable with this comment but if I knew you in person I’d probably have a huge crush on you just by the way you express yourself. Thank you for opening my mind up. I agree with what you said, go after the complex things in our life (small or big) will help us get back up and progress slowly. For example, my depression isn’t about my physicality or anything like that it’s more about my future (like you predicted) and not meeting the requirements I had made for myself when I was younger. I was about 15 telling myself that by the time I’m 20 (the age I am now) I’d be this person i imagined myself As and clearly, im not even close to being anything like her. I have accomplished a few goals sure, but the biggest ones I had set up for myself is what is making me feel like how I feel now.

[Asker]

Thank you for your reply! 🙏🏻

[Sonorous]

Thanks, I have Jordan Peterson to thank for explaining a lot of these perspectives! And nah, it doesn't make me uncomfortable. My vulnerabilities & controversial viewpoints on many matters would probably make you lose the crush in a heartbeat anyway. 🤣 All it takes is a scroll through my opinions.

But as for your depression, do you believe that it's possible to meet those former goals? And if so, do you believe that it is highly practical? Def let me know your situation specifically so that I can give you the most accurate views from my perspective. 👌 I'm in the dark rn

[Asker]

I’d privately message you about it but the app says I’m not on a xper level yet. Something like that.

[Asker]

Bahahaha 🤣 @ what you said about the crush thing

[Sonorous]

Oh that just means that you've gotta acquire more points by asking & answering questions. But if you type anything on here, nobody can use it against you since you're anon.

[Asker]

Do you have another type of social media platform? I’d feel more comfortable if I shared it privately. Or try messaging me on here maybe that will work.

[Sonorous]

I'll have to remember my information but I've got discord? Oh and I can't see anyones profile when they're anon. And I'd have to be able to see your profile in order for gag to allow communication that way

[Asker]

I don’t have discord I’m sorry. But I commented on one of your posts! It’s about the family member thing.

[Sonorous]

It says this when I try to message you



gag is weird so you'll have to go into your settings and change it to allow anyone to messae you without following you

[Asker]

Okay I took it off private you can message me now

[Sonorous]

🤣 it still says it. I think you've gotta uncheck the second box from the top " Allow messages only from people I follow" under the "Privacy Settings" section

[Asker]

Okay there. Sheeeeshh 😂

[exitseven]

I tried to gain control over the part of my life that was making me sad. I did feel better for a while until the pandemic screwed it all up.

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO

[doopayo]

I usually just try to do something to make myself happy again

[Asker]

Like hobbies? well, I do enjoy painting and writing music. But i don’t know Im still trying to figure out what works for me. Thank you so much for your reply ♥️ keep your head up love 💖✨

[Luckycharms12]

Sleeping and eating right work out. Taking to friends and family. In some cases meds

[Asker]

I work out but sometimes I don’t have the energy to do it. And I avoid eating loads of junk food. I don’t necessarily have friends that I can trust that easily with my private issues and my family is supportive but I still don’t know how to get myself out of it.

[bean2k21]

Avoid reality at all costs.

[Asker]

What do you mean by that?

[Ironic_Method]

If there was a cure all it wouldn't be such a devastating state.

[Vigors]

It's not possible. We are eternally cursed.

[Asker]

I’m sure there are ways to get out of it we just haven’t cracked the code yet. It’s different for everyone. I wish you happiness 💖

[Vigors]

I don't want happiness