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Honestly, having a professional tell me that I was depressed was the turning point in my life. Suddenly the big problem in my life wasn't that I was such a lose

Honestly, having a professional tell me that I was depressed was the turning point in my life. Suddenly the big problem in my life wasn't that I was such a loser, it was that I was inclined to think that I was such a loser. And this new problem was one that I could manage: finding new triggers to my depression and avoiding them; understanding when I'm being unreasonably demanding of myself or others because I've entered an episode; knowing how to help break the negative thought loops that sustain an episode of depression. If you ask how to start a successful business, then I will give you advice on that. If you ask how to stop being a loser, then I will suggest that you are not a loser and you have some depression. In that case, what helped me was getting a diagnosis, reading books on psychological disorders, understanding CBT, and mindfulness meditation/vipassana. And if you are both depressed and wanting to start a successful business, I suggest that the best place to start is in learning how to deal with your illness.

oyvindeh 14y ago
> Suddenly the big problem in my life wasn't that I was such a loser, it was that I was inclined to think that I was such a loser That sounds familiar. I had the same problem, and I know several others who have that problem too. None of them are losers, they just listen too much to their thoughts: "Every day, 95% of us have thoughts with depressive, anxious or obsessive content. So why isn't 95% of us mental patients? The explanation is simple: Everybody has crazy thoughts, but not everybody believes in them."[1] When fully realizing that, things change dramatically. ACT has been very good to me. Let me recommend a book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happiness-Trap-Based-revolutionary-mindfulness-based/dp/184529825X/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happiness-Trap-Based-revolutionary-m... [1] "Tankevirus" by Hanne H. Brorson (unfortunately only available in Norwegian.)

oyvindeh 14y ago

> Suddenly the big problem in my life wasn't that I was such a loser, it was that I was inclined to think that I was such a loser That sounds familiar. I had the same problem, and I know several others who have that problem too. None of them are losers, they just listen too much to their thoughts: "Every day, 95% of us have thoughts with depressive, anxious or obsessive content. So why isn't 95% of us mental patients? The explanation is simple: Everybody has crazy thoughts, but not everybody believes in them."[1] When fully realizing that, things change dramatically. ACT has been very good to me. Let me recommend a book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happiness-Trap-Based-revolutionary-mindfulness-based/dp/184529825X/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happiness-Trap-Based-revolutionary-m... [1] "Tankevirus" by Hanne H. Brorson (unfortunately only available in Norwegian.)