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Depression feels horrible, but it may have a purpose. Emotions have their own peculiar rationality and are one of the most intriguing aspects of being human. There's a reason why you feel what you feel. For the last decade or so, pharmaceutical companies have been selling the idea that mood is merely a fluke of brain chemistry and should be changed by popping a little pill. Anyone who's studied brain chemistry knows that nothing about the brain is random. If you're depressed, you probably have a reason to feel this way.
Aside from the situation we're born into--and this can be challenging--we generally have the capacity to choose our lives. Admittedly, some are born into easier situations than others(poverty vs. wealth, genetic disorders vs. health), but even within these limits, we get to choose our lives. Many individuals born into abject poverty rise up to situations of great personal achievement. We decide how we live our lives.
So, depression doesn't have to be your life, particularly if you can figure out what your mood is telling you.
Let's look at this emotion from two different angles. Some people are so logical that their emotions are like a muscle that hasn't been worked out. They feel, they just don't acknowledge it much, even to themselves. When our emotional selves are shut down, we tend to end up with a gray world. It's like turning down the sound on a radio. Everything gets muted, not just the low notes. Few things stimulate excitement in this state and pretty soon, the very rational person feels nothing, but depression.
Aside from the highly logical, there are others for whom depression actually makes sense. If these individuals are in relationships that are highly dysfunctional or careers they don't like, but feel they have to stay in, depression is a logical outcome. It fits. In this case, your depression is your way of telling you that changes need to be made. Either the relationship needs a major over-haul or you need to change the job you're in. Sometimes depression occurs when you've had a significant loss in your life or when you've had several life-altering changes in close succession and you're overwhelmed.
Don’t run out to get a prescription for meds(unless you need this short-term to function), listen to what the emotion is telling you. Emotion isn't the enemy. It generally makes perfect sense, even if it isn't fun. When individuals work to understand themselves and start making choices based on this understanding, the emotional side usually straightens out.
In life, we sometimes experience loss. Sometimes great loss. Sadness in these situations is also reasonable. Extremely difficult, but reasonable. The parent who loses a child, grieves and there's no way around this. For him, the emotions of loss, regret, rage, defeat just roll over him. He may have difficulty going on with life.
This situation is very, very difficult…but the depression is reasonable. It's a horrible experience and it makes sense for the emotions involved to be horrible. Few could have this kind of loss without tremendous emotional distress.
Our emotions are not the enemy. While we don’t want to function out of pure emotion--that makes for an erratic life--we do need to listen to how we feel. For very logical individuals who've disconnected as much as possible from their emotional side, some valuable information is lost. These folks tend to miss personal internal cues.
When you listen to how you feel in a given situation, you can be warned of danger, realize when relationships need attention or find the career that makes you a happy individual. Depression is an indicator. If you're struggling with this, it may be time for a serious self-assessment. Sometimes, individuals don't want to look at what they need to look at. It may be uncomfortable or inconvenient or the choice you need to make might appear to conflict with how you want life to be.
Depression can be another internal clue. If you want to make use of all your capacities, pay attention to what it's telling you.