I am not an expert on depression but thought of sharing what I read about its potential benefits.
If you are like me, surprised, then this is an interesting read. I never thought that there are benefits to being depressed. We are not fully aware of it, however, if we learn to harness it, it could help us thrive and be successful.
I tumbled into this blog on WordPress about the benefits of depression which got me to look for similar articles about it. Apparently, there are medical studies that were done to understand this. One of the long articles I found is on Psychcentral written by Kaitlin Vogel. I encourage you to read it as it gives a new perspective on depression. Well, for me that is.
Another one is from a podcast from The Jordan Harbinger show. Here is the transcript for us to read and if you would like to listen instead, there is a link on the webpage too.
I am itemizing here what I could personally relate to and maybe, for you, when you are done reading Kaitlin’s article could also link the benefits to your own life. I am not going to talk about what depression is or how it starts but only talk about its benefits.
So, without further ado, here are some of what we could get from depression.
Being creative
Have you noticed that most of the successful songs, the ones that we all love to listen to, and those that top the Billboard charts and stay for a long time are sad songs? Songs about tragedy, hope, and being hurt are usually what we enjoy listening to. Never mind the beat and tempo. Never mind if it is a dance or a melancholic. When you read through the lyrics, what it usually expresses our pain, struggles, and hope. Of course, not the entire song but within that song is a sense of sadness and loneliness. Sometimes, forgiveness.
I wrote songs. Before. Trying to write one now but difficult. When I read this article, I just realized that during the times I was writing songs, I was in a dark place. Alone in my struggles. Looking for hope. Looking for a way out. I am not saying the songs that I wrote are Billboard-worthy but I was very creative then.
There was also a time when I wrote poems. It is like the words were just coming out of me and the rhymes were so perfect and easy. Same when I was writing songs, this was also the time that I was hoping and wishing. No one was there for me. I was alone with my thoughts.
Knowing this, maybe next time I feel sad and gloomy maybe the best time to be creative.
Laser focus
Not immediately but it will happen. When we feel down, we just don’t feel like doing anything. We become lazy. We just want to cry and get the emotions out of our hearts.
Wanting to be left alone, after some time, will bore us. While anxiety may lead to depression or vice versa, doing nothing will lead us to do something and put our full attention to it.
When I feel to be left alone and reach the stage of boredom, I find myself doing something for hours with my full attention to it. Recently, I wanted to learn how to read a music sheet and play it straight on my guitar. I felt gloomy one day for some reason and I found myself in front of the notes while I had my guitar in my arms. For hours, I played the song on my guitar while reading the music sheet. The result, I was able to teach my choir how to sing the song with just the guitar and the sheets. Without us hearing the song.
Emphatize
Yes. Come to think of it. We can better understand the people around us when we feel sad. Why? Because we can relate better to whatever pain others are going through. Of course, it is also not to be discounted that we do not care when we are troubled or sad. We are just thinking about ourselves during those times. Though, when we see someone in pain, our emotional quotient spikes up.
While we may not be able to do anything during the time we are gloomy, it prevents us from creating conflict. Instead of having a debate with another person about what he or she feels, when we are in the same boat, we are able to put ourselves in their shoes. Instead of giving advice or having an argument, we just understand. We just feel.
Or maybe we are just too tired to initiate a conversation? Maybe we are just worried about ourselves that we just rather agree with the person and just let it be? Maybe. But is that such a bad thing? Most of the time, when people express what they feel, they only need someone to listen. They do not need advice. They just need someone to see it from where they are and just shut up about it. By doing so, we could build a better relationship.
Knowing and harnessing
There are other benefits to being depressed. The articles I had mentioned above look like it all boils down to survival. Being depressed is a symptom or signal that our brains create to tell us something is wrong. While there are different levels of depression, some may lead to death, it is also noteworthy to remember that being gloomy may lead us to do wonderful thing in order to survive.
Being creative can result in finding a solution that is different from what is currently available. Taking a different course, related to survival, could help us thrive in life.
Focus in on a task while we overcome gloominess may lead to a successful outcome. By dedicating our attention and energy to a task, we could create something of quality and effective.
Understanding others without any prejudice or bias could build and strengthen relationships. It has been proven that by putting ourselves in another person’s shoes would help us better understand each other and eventually be effective and helping each other out.
While others may not believe this and do not agree based on their own experiences, there is nothing wrong with harnessing its power. Some would also wallow in the feeling and just resort to hurting themselves. But if we learn the reason behind why we feel depressed and use the energy to gain its benefits then, maybe, we could beat it by seeing it in a different light. In effect, we become better than who we were yesterday.
Leave a Reply