Closer look at Cliche's: Depression is a choice

This is gonna be a rather quick, poorly written one, but I had a thought while mowing the lawn today after reading a post by Andy Richter (Conan's couch buddy) on twitter. 

The post said: 

“Depression is a choice” = “your pain is your fault”
“You can overcome this if you just try hard enough” = “Your pain is making me uncomfortable. Please shut up.”

My thoughts on that were immediately: "Is your anger a choice?"

I've struggled with real depression throughout my life, to the point several times where it was suggested that I get medical help, and of course more frequently, professional help. I experienced situational depression like everyone else, but mainly the non-situational depress, where there's simply a black cloud over you and nothing really changes that. 

All feelings are ultimately chemical. I am not for a moment denying that people simply become awash with depression, in fact I advocate that myself. We don't get 100% control over our brains natural tendencies to regulate hormone levels, but we can develop a tremendous amount of control through the power of our thoughts. 

Just as some people are born with physical and mental deficiencies they did not choose, some are born with chemical deficiencies or have traumatic events that cause them. While there is ongoing research in that field and some medicines are available to assist, I cannot speak of the effectiveness of those things as I have never used them. If you use them and they help you, then I think that is great, however my conviction is that negative thought patterns can overthrow any positive state of mind. The mind is incredibly powerful in it's ability to overcome states, positive or negative. They can change on a dime, so if your medicine isn't helping, it can very well be the habits your mind is driven by. Sure, no one wants so feel depressed, just like no one want's to feel angry and no one wants to be poor, and yet our choices bring repeating patterns of all these things into our lives. No one wants to feel angry, but they choose to hang onto thoughts and perspectives that keep them angry. No one wants to be poor, and yet they consistently make decisions that keep them poor. 

As usual, there's a nuance and the ability to think critically  required in all of this. When states wash over us, it can be highly beneficial to pay attention to them, because theres always the chance that upon further inspection we'll realize that there was a specific moment or event that things changed. Most people aren't aware of this, but the bacteria in your gut is highly linked to your emotional state. Eat shit food that hurts your gut environment and you are basically choosing to fuck with your emotions. What else can be a catalyst? Any values we hold that come under fire. And guess what? Most, if not each value, can be chosen consciously. 

It is always a mix of what happens to us, and how we respond to it that matters. 

First of all, it is okay to feel depressed. All feelings that are possible to be felt, are okay to feel, the conundrum is that pain hurts, so it naturally feels like it's not okay to feel pain. Resisting whatever pain we are feeling, never makes it go away, but instead amplifies it because we are focusing on it acutely and it becomes more encompassing the narrower our focus. Whether it's homicidal rage, suicidal guilt, passionate love or insane jealousy, it is there to be felt and will be a natural occurrence given the right stimulus. Balance is the key though. Just like pain in the body is a trigger signaling the need to pay attention and assess the trigger, so is emotional pain. 

Beneficial and healthy thinking is a habit that can be developed, and I have long held (with much supporting evidence) the conviction that I can develop beneficial thinking. 

So let's go back to the post: "Depression is a choice" = "Your depression is your fault" lets look at these statements from other angles.

If Andy is saying that your depression is not your fault, he is also saying that your anger is not your fault, which is total bullshit. I don't care if someone shoots my wife and kills her, my anger is ultimately my decision, because I made the choice to attach my energy. It is my responsibility to focus on what ever I choose to focus on.The real problem is that many people are unaware that they can shift their emotional states. Instead, they become fully submerged in what they are feeling. The thing about feelings, is that they are so fucking powerful, inexperienced people can become hypnotized by them, thinking that the feeling coursing through them is the infallible truth. The reality of it, is that it is and only ever is, one perspective of which there are multitudes of. But emotion blinds us from perspective, be it love, fear, happiness, indecision... you name it.

"You can overcome this if you try hard enough" = "Your pain is making me uncomfortable, please shut up"

Those are unrelated in my opinion. First of all, you can't escape any feelings at all, as a human with an ego (an identity/emotional attachments to things and concepts).

No one every really overcomes any emotional state permanently, they either magnify it, minimize it, or delay it. 

On the other hand, trying "hard enough", whatever that really means, has some actual validity here. Building habits takes effort, and if you put enough effort in you can develop the skill to handle these states better. 

Anyhow, it's thanksgiving as I am finishing up. I have more work to do and I've basically gotten it out of my system at this point. Cheers!