The One You Feed - Mini Ep 8- The Role of Willpower and Anger in Depression

Episode Date: September 27, 2014

This week Eric responds to a follow on Twitter.I posted a tweet the other day that said:"The best way out of depression is to hate it and not let yourself get used to it"I got this response from a follower:"NOT TRUE - you cannot will yourself out of incorrect wiring in the brain. Watch the platitudes!"In this episode I discuss the role of anger, will and resolve in dealing with depression.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Not true. You cannot will yourself out of incorrect wiring in the brain. Watch the platitudes. So this kind of got me thinking about, well, what did I mean by that phrase? And what is the role of will in getting better from depression? And I also am not a fan of platitudes. I first got this idea about the best way out of depression is to hate it and not a fan of platitudes. I first got this idea about the best way out of depression is to hate it and not let yourself get used to it from Andrew Solomon's book, The Noonday Demon. And he said something to that effect. And I then thought a little bit back on, you know, how I've dealt with depression over the years. Also, Jonathan Rottenberg's an upcoming guest. His book is called The Depths, and in it he says,

a depressed person who still has the ability to get bent out of shape is more likely to recover. In that same book, he also talks about something called emotional context insensitivity, which is something that a lot of depressed people have, which basically means that regardless of the stimulus, positive or negative, we tend to react just about the same. The conventional wisdom is that depressed people are more likely to cry. So if you saw something sad, a depressed person would be more likely to cry. But the truth is not really. A depressed person's emotional range shrinks so dramatically that it doesn't really matter what is coming at us. We sort of feel the same. And so this idea of hating it and not letting ourselves get used to it is sort of a reaction

against that. You know, Johnny Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols said, anger is an energy. And so I think that anger is just a slightly higher, to use people in the energy healing world, a slightly higher vibration, right? There's a little bit more to it. There is energy in anger, whereas depression seems to be nothing. And so if we can take, if we can make that small step and get a little bit more energy, then we can do something with it. I do not believe we can will ourselves out of incorrect wiring in the brain

any more than we can will ourselves out of heart disease. But with heart disease, just like depression, there are healthy actions that we can take. There are things that we can do that put us on the road to recovery. And so that's really what I'm talking about. So the will is not in saying cheer up. The will is in making small steps. So we could take a short walk, whether that be 30 minutes or three minutes.

We could read something that we find comforting or inspiring. We could call a friend. We could investigate professional help. We could eat a little bit better than what we normally eat, a little bit less sugar, whatever that thing might be. We can do something that moves us in the direction of healthiness. And regardless of how small those steps are, no matter how microscopic they may seem, they do add up over time. So if we can find ourselves in a spot where we are less willing to accept our depression,

Martin Seligman talks about depression as learned helplessness. And anger is a slightly better approach than helplessness. Now, I don't want to get confused here because anger and irritation can be a symptom of depression, particularly in men. So that's not what I'm talking about. What I am talking about, though, is directing that will, that anger, that belief that things can be better, and a desire. That's not even the right word that I'm looking for. Dissatisfaction is closer.

I guess what I'm trying to say is anything that causes us to take a stand, to try and build a resistance, anything that says, I have had enough of this. I'm going to do something no matter how small it is to move away from it. I think that is what I mean in that statement about the best way out of depression is to not get used to it. So don't let it go on too long. The longer we allow it, the longer we tolerate it, the deeper its claws it. So don't let it go on too long. The longer we allow it, the longer we tolerate it, the deeper its claws get. So don't get used to it and, you know, build a real dislike for it. Not a dislike for ourselves, but a dislike for this depression and what it's taking from our lives. So I don't know if that's helpful at all, but that tweet exchange kind of got me thinking about

that and the role of Will in dealing with depression and other mental illness and really anything in life. So as always, thanks so much for listening. I'd love to hear from you. Emails are always great. iTunes reviews are, as you know, always appreciated. And hope to talk with you soon. And we'll have an interview out on Tuesday all right thanks bye