“It always gets better” is mostly just a polite reply and means “I have no idea how else to help you other than a meaningless platitude.” Depression is a challenge, if that’s what you’re dealing with. I deal with it and have been asking myself the same question for quite a while. Things getting better depends on your ability to hold and maintain a positive outlook, and therein lies the challenge. Instead of saying “things will get better”, perhaps we should remind one another that “Its up to you to improve the circumstances of your life.” I don’t mean this in a negative way, please don’t take it that way, but in my experience dealing with severe depression and anxiety I’ve found this to be my only truth – my perception on life and it’s circumstances determines if and when things “get better.” They don’t just get better by themselves, you know? It’s how we process things and make choices that determines any improvement. Clear as mud, right? Keep fighting the difficult fight.
“Things getting better depends on your ability to hold and maintain a positive outlook, and therein lies the challenge.”
This. I think the answer to “when does it get better” is “it gets better all the time” but the problem is keeping it that way. Those of us who have had a lifetime of depression have trained ourselves to see the worst. So that means even if we have a good day, we’re constantly on the lookout for something that will ruin it.
For example, no matter how rotten your day is right now, I bet you’ve had worse. So today is “better” if we can only see it that way, but no.
I don’t know how to break the pattern. It probably takes a long time and effort to re-train our minds. But if alcoholics & drug users can beat their addiction, theoretically so can a depressed person.
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“It always gets better” is mostly just a polite reply and means “I have no idea how else to help you other than a meaningless platitude.” Depression is a challenge, if that’s what you’re dealing with. I deal with it and have been asking myself the same question for quite a while. Things getting better depends on your ability to hold and maintain a positive outlook, and therein lies the challenge. Instead of saying “things will get better”, perhaps we should remind one another that “Its up to you to improve the circumstances of your life.” I don’t mean this in a negative way, please don’t take it that way, but in my experience dealing with severe depression and anxiety I’ve found this to be my only truth – my perception on life and it’s circumstances determines if and when things “get better.” They don’t just get better by themselves, you know? It’s how we process things and make choices that determines any improvement. Clear as mud, right? Keep fighting the difficult fight.
“Things getting better depends on your ability to hold and maintain a positive outlook, and therein lies the challenge.”
This. I think the answer to “when does it get better” is “it gets better all the time” but the problem is keeping it that way. Those of us who have had a lifetime of depression have trained ourselves to see the worst. So that means even if we have a good day, we’re constantly on the lookout for something that will ruin it.
For example, no matter how rotten your day is right now, I bet you’ve had worse. So today is “better” if we can only see it that way, but no.
I don’t know how to break the pattern. It probably takes a long time and effort to re-train our minds. But if alcoholics & drug users can beat their addiction, theoretically so can a depressed person.