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This is so sad, yet also heart warming. It takes clarity of mind to discuss depression in an obituary. Most people will not mention it so openly as a cause of

This is so sad, yet also heart warming. It takes clarity of mind to discuss depression in an obituary. Most people will not mention it so openly as a cause of death, but it is common and accounted for 2.2% of deaths in 2014 (42,773) [1]. We don't have a clear solution that works for everyone. We suggest staying active, or visiting doctors who may or may not prescribe anti-depressants. A powerful one I don't often hear suggested is meditation. The book Mindfulness in Plain English [2] is a good introduction. We can all benefit from pushing pause on our train of thoughts once in awhile. [1] http://www.save.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=705D5DF4-055B-F1EC-3F66462866FCB4E6 http://www.save.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_... [2] http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html

tudorw 11y ago
If you're not familiar with Existential Depression it's worth reading a little about it, I can certainly relate to many aspects discussed here, http://sengifted.org/archives/articles/existential-depression-in-gifted-individual http://sengifted.org/archives/articles/existential-depressio...
- studentrob 11y ago
  > If we must die, if we construct our own world, and if each of us is ultimately alone, then what meaning does life have? Whoa. That definition sounds like super depression. The reason I suggest meditation is because it gives you a focus on the "now". That is, by practicing thinking about one thing, your breath, you enhance your ability to focus on whatever is in front of you. When our heart races, as in animals, it's because something appears that we did not see approaching. The solution is not to anticipate everything; rather, it is to accept what is happening and adjust to it. No amount of thinking can give you the perfect foresight to know precisely when a tiger will approach. You just need to see it and move. That requires intense awareness of your surroundings. Awareness and focus are enhanced by meditation, exercise, hobbies, studying, work, etc. What this article calls "superficial day-to-day aspects of life", I would call "now". Now is equally important to other things, if not more important. Growing up I would often think of other things while doing superficial day-to-day things like folding laundry. I'd make a mental list of other things I needed to do. If someone came in while I was doing laundry, I could not give them my full attention because my mind was trying to memorize something else. This article argues that gifted children in particular need support and "touch" from parents. I'd add that we could all also benefit from increased awareness. Meditation can help with that.
  - tudorw 11y ago
    +1 for meditation

tudorw 11y ago

If you're not familiar with Existential Depression it's worth reading a little about it, I can certainly relate to many aspects discussed here, http://sengifted.org/archives/articles/existential-depression-in-gifted-individual http://sengifted.org/archives/articles/existential-depressio...

studentrob 11y ago
> If we must die, if we construct our own world, and if each of us is ultimately alone, then what meaning does life have? Whoa. That definition sounds like super depression. The reason I suggest meditation is because it gives you a focus on the "now". That is, by practicing thinking about one thing, your breath, you enhance your ability to focus on whatever is in front of you. When our heart races, as in animals, it's because something appears that we did not see approaching. The solution is not to anticipate everything; rather, it is to accept what is happening and adjust to it. No amount of thinking can give you the perfect foresight to know precisely when a tiger will approach. You just need to see it and move. That requires intense awareness of your surroundings. Awareness and focus are enhanced by meditation, exercise, hobbies, studying, work, etc. What this article calls "superficial day-to-day aspects of life", I would call "now". Now is equally important to other things, if not more important. Growing up I would often think of other things while doing superficial day-to-day things like folding laundry. I'd make a mental list of other things I needed to do. If someone came in while I was doing laundry, I could not give them my full attention because my mind was trying to memorize something else. This article argues that gifted children in particular need support and "touch" from parents. I'd add that we could all also benefit from increased awareness. Meditation can help with that.
- tudorw 11y ago
  +1 for meditation