Are you really HAPPY?

[Cap'n Carageous]

Realizing that happiness is a highly subjective and dynamic state, nonetheless, are you enjoying your ride on Spaceship Earth. Do you approach each morning with wide-eyed wonder or do you dread the day? Do you see the silver lining or just the cloud?

[rickg]

I'm not a morning person, no matter what I have to look forward to do(or not do) that day. But once I wake up, I don't actually dread too much anymore. Used to be terribly moody when younger, and not always a very pleasant person to be around. Hated my life, blah, blah, blah. Guess age is mellowing me out

[G-Benz]

I see clouds. I suffer from depression.

Medication helps sometimes, but for the most part, it takes depression sufferers a Herculean effort to approach the day in a normal fashion.

But I have my coping mechanisms.

First off, I start the day with prayer. Not to make this a religious thread, but it helps me to put things in perspective with God.

After that, I search for my wife and daughter and give them each a big hug and kiss.

By this time, I am functioning somewhat like a normal human being.

Depression is no fun to live with. It makes it difficult to enjoy life's pleasures.

But I coped through life by taking on a light-hearted personality, jokes, and laughter. It keeps the moody edge off for the most part.

But when I'm alone to think, the mood will spiral down to a pretty deep abyss...so I have a LOT of hobbies and projects to keep me busy (including keeping the MBs running )...

[rickg]

"I see clouds. I suffer from depression. "

Have you tried st. Johns Wort? It's one of the things that has helped me alot. My wife can always tell if I'm not taking it. But I realize it doesn't work for everyone, especially those with a chronic problem. My brother has a chronic problem, and has run the list of what's out there. Nothing seems to last very long for him.
Actually I do have a bad problem with the "winter blues". I've about had enough of the long, endless grey winter days in this state. We're looking seriously into moving somewhere south next year.

[G-Benz]

Originally posted by rickg
I've about had enough of the long, endless grey winter days in this state. We're looking seriously into moving somewhere south next year.

You can move to Texas...but the trade-off is that in the summer, you walk outside and burst into flames instead!

I have tried St. John's Wort, but like you said, it's not effective for chronic depression...

[rickg]

Originally posted by G-Benz
You can move to Texas...but the trade-off is that in the summer, you walk outside and burst into flames instead!

I have tried St. John's Wort, but like you said, it's not effective for chronic depression...

I tried Texas some 24 years ago. No thanks, you can keep it I always tell people it's a great place to be FROM, a long ways from!
We're looking at Oregon, Idaho, or Utah as possibilities. Want to keep kinda close to family, and somewhere cheaper to live. (Washington is getting way too expensive for us too)

Back to the topic. Something my brother is trying right now is testosterone supplement. He did some research on his own, and had to really talk his doctor into testing him for this hormone level in his system. Turned out to be quite low(he's 50). I guess alot of the effects of having a low testosterone level are right along the lines of what he's dealing with, which the doctors keep diagnosing as simply depression. He now wears a patch everyday. I guess it's helped quite alot, but not a cure-all.

[G-Benz]

Sorry Cap'n...didn't mean to redirect this thread...

[G-Benz]

Originally posted by brain_DUMP
I used to think people with depression were weak or faking it. Not so. I found out I had this since the age of ten along with panic attacks (very frightening).

Panic attacks! Oh yeah, I hate those too!

When I lost my job several years ago, the attacks struck me like every 15 minutes or so!

And you are right...before I was diagnosed with depression, my wife though I was just being a real wussy about everything!

But the occasional social anxiety isn't fun either. I can function just fine in crowds, but I find myself declining social engagements sometimes just so I don't have to mingle.

[nthach]

Originally posted by brain_DUMP
[B]I used to think people with depression were weak or faking it. Not so. B]

That happened to me on Ritalin, i sometimes had the feeling to jump out in front of buses. A few months on Zoloft fixed that. My doctor put me on Strattera, a newer generation ADD/ADHD med with some anti-depressant qualites. It works GREAT, but it also lowers my tolerance towards certain people, like snobby high-school girls for example.

[Cap'n Carageous]

Well I was happy till I started reading these replies! Man, you guys have some baggage to deal with! While not being rich and famous I do have a very good outlook on life. I try to approach each sunrise with optimism and each sundown with reverent appreciation for another day. Speaking of sunsets, I am a sunset nut. I will usually try to arrange to be where I can see them when the conditions are good. Often times I will holler at my wife and tell her to come look at it with me. But she only sees the sun going down, not the sunset.

[G-Benz]

Originally posted by Cap'n Carageous
Well I was happy till I started reading these replies!

Sorry Cap'n...we sure put a damper on this thread!

Makes you wonder how many people you make your acquaintance with on a regular basis struggle with the same issues?

I have a running friend who is an inspiration to many including me. First he is a psychiatrist and second he is an iron man competitor. He said that 20 years ago he noticed his peers in very poor shape (he is 70 now) so he decided to get into running. That turned into biking and then tri athalon and eventually the full length iron man. He will be competing in Kona HI this october hoping to win his age group.
He says the first thing he does when he has someone come in to his office with depression is to place them on an excercise program. It is something that is hard to judge when you are doing it, but I always feel good while I am running and there is a reason. Our brains are just a bunch of grey mush but it is very delicate grey mush. The brain likes it's chemicals just so. We don't give it the right chemicals by sitting at a desk all day. Start the day with a good workout and see what it does for your disposition. Works for me.

[Pete Geither]

Over all,,,, I'd have to say, yes I'm very happy. Get up at 5:30 every morning, go into our business, get to work with our son, and my wife, when she gets there, she is NOT a morning person. Have another son, a twin to our son here, who is a chemical engineer for Bayer, and lives in Houston, Texas. All in all, life has been spectacular for me and I wouldn't change a thing I've done. I'm not rich, but we have everything we want and have a great marriage of 37 years.

[Cap'n Carageous]

Originally posted by PJG56
All in all, life has been spectacular for me and I wouldn't change a thing I've done. I'm not rich, but we have everything we want and have a great marriage of 37 years.

Take my word for it, you're rich!!

[mikemover]

Originally posted by Cap'n Carageous
...she only sees the sun going down, not the sunset.

I'm with you, man! I LOVE stopping to notice sunsets, stars, cloud formations, waves on the ocean, etc....I think I like sunrise better than sunset, but I'm not often up early enough to see them.

To address the original subject: I'm VERY happy, I'd say 95% of the time. Having chosen music as a career (some might say music chooses YOU...and I often agree with that), I've had a largely happy and adventurous life. I'm doing my favorite thing in the world (...OK, it's my 2ND favorite thing! ) for a living, so what's to be sad about? Even at its worst, at least it's never boring!

I play music, travel, meet people, and I've seen places I might never have seen and done things I might never have done if I were working a "9-to-5". It's not always easy...the money isn't exactly consistent or great, and there's the obvious inconveniences associated with living your life out of a suitcase...the future of your career is always FAR from certain, and the overall state of the music business seems to be on a never-ending downward slope...you miss friends and family at home, of course...and being confined to a vehicle for hours at a time every day with the same 5 smelly guys can start to suck...But the time onstage every night makes it all SO worth it. It's a good life.

Mike