When you start really studying the meat of psychology, especially abnormal psychology, you are warned, as a student, that the possibility of diagnosing yourself with one of the disorders you study will increase. It doesn't mean that you have that disorder, it just means that if you look for something hard enough, you can make the symptoms fit if you want to.
That being said, I know that I'm depressed. All the signs are there, and they fit neatly into little compartments without any compromise.
I also know how to fix it. I mean, I'm worthless, as a future therapist, if I can't help myself. There is this discipline of psychology called "positive psychology" that's received a lot of press recently. It turns traditional psychology on its head and instead of focusing on what's wrong, it focuses on what's actually right and going well for the patient. It seeks to bring out the best in a person, on encouragement and goal-setting. I don't believe it's the solution for everyone. The layperson may think that a therapist is a therapist, but there are several different approaches that you can take to therapy, and depending on what's ailing the client, one might be more appropriate than the other.
But I think the positive aspect has a place here. Depression is a nasty thing; it's like a fungus that keeps breeding and feeding on itself. The brain is trainable, and if you spend a lot of time focusing on negativity, barring a chemical imbalance that can only be remedied with medication, then soon you develop a habit. You start looking for those bad things and you won't be disappointed.
I am surrounded by challenges right now. A great deal of it has to do with Logan and some of it does not. In order to knock my brain out of this devastating loop, once or twice a week I am going to post five things that I am thankful for. It's a great exercise in gratitude. So, here I go:
1) I am thankful for cheese. I say this because it's the first thing that came to my mind. I just finished a plate of cheese and crackers after drinking a cup of Sleepytime Tea, and it's not something I can ever give up.
2) I am thankful for my daughter, Abby. She is the ray of light in my day.
3) I am thankful for my daughter, Sarah. She makes me laugh. I love her sense of humor.
4) I'm thankful for zinnias. I used to think that roses were my favorite flower, and I still love them, but zinnias have captured my heart. You can throw the seeds on the ground and cover them up and they sprout anywhere. And the Texas heat doesn't bother them. And they're pretty. And tough.
5) I am thankful for the end of my Abnormal Psych class. It was a four week class conducted at a break-neck speed and tomorrow is the last exam. It may be my favorite subject, but Hallelujah and praise the good Lord above, it's over and it will give me an extra couple of hours in the day.
I thought that would be hard, but it wasn't. Until next time, readers. Love you all.
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