Episode 26: Struggle, by host, Laura Milkins. Our guest, Cam, tells the story of his depression and how his experiences fed into his depression: Sunday, May 22, 2016
You’re imperfect and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging. Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.
-Brene Brown
Episode 25: Endings, by host, Laura Milkins. Our guest, Dan, tells the story of his depression and how, from the depths of his depression, a determination to heal from fibromyalgia allowed him to heal his depression as well: Sunday, May 15, 2016
“What the trees can do handsomely- greening and flowering, fading and then the falling of leaves -human beings cannot do with dignity, let alone without pain.”
― Martha Gellhorn
“It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Zahir
Episode 24: Creativity, by host, Laura Milkins. Our guest, Jorge, tells the story of his depression and how reframing his viewpoint helped him though difficult times: Sunday, May 8, 2016
Excerpts and links to quotes on Episode 24:
The Atlantic – Secrets-of-the-creative-brain
A full 80 percent of creative people had had some kind of mood disturbance at some time in their lives, compared with just 30 percent of the control group—only slightly less than an age-matched group in the general population.
One possible contributory factor is a personality style shared by many of my creative subjects. These subjects are adventuresome and exploratory. They take risks. Particularly in science, the best work tends to occur in new frontiers. (As a popular saying among scientists goes: “When you work at the cutting edge, you are likely to bleed.”) They have to confront doubt and rejection. And yet they have to persist in spite of that, because they believe strongly in the value of what they do. This can lead to psychic pain, which may manifest itself as depression or anxiety, or lead people to attempt to reduce their discomfort by turning to pain relievers such as alcohol.
Persisting in the face of doubt or rejection, for artists or for scientists, can be a lonely path—one that may also partially explain why some of these people experience mental illness.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/07/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/
Psychology Today – Little weird? Prone to depression? Blame your creative brain.
Luckily, though creatives experience higher rates of mood disorders than the general population, the extremes of highs and lows tend to be brief, balanced by long periods of normal affect, or euthymia. During these respite periods, creatives frequently reflect upon and draw from memories and experiences of their darker times to create their best art.
Although I am a typical loner in my daily life, my awareness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty and justice has prevented me from feelings of isolation.
-Albert Einstein
Episode 23: Empathy, by host, Laura Milkins. Our guest, Sarah, tells the story of her depression and how having family support and finding the right medication allowed her to navigate her bipolar disorder: Sunday, May 1, 2016
Great video from Brene Brown on empathy:
The Depression Session 