Depression is only a Story Ineptly Told


    Who we think we really are, is only a story we keep telling ourselves. A running autobiography we keeping ongoing in our minds. And when we feel bad about ourselves, it is only because we are then not as good a storyteller as we had believed. We have reflexively mistaken the story for reality. But it is still only a story.

    Some people are naturally talented as uplifting storytellers; most people are not. But lack of skill in storytelling is not lack of skill in living a good life. A skilled storyteller reflexively accentuates the positive and touches lightly on the negative. Depression arises first from forgetting that who-we-think-we-really-are is only a story, and then from carelessly accentuating the negative and touching only lightly on the positive.

    As long as we are telling ourselves an enjoyable story about ourselves, it is not necessary to remember/understand that it is only a story. But at such times as we are seriously depressed for a prolonged time; remembering that it is only a story eliminates the depression. Not to worry; quite soon after feeling better we usually automatically forget that it is only a story and again believe it is truly reality.


(c) Giles Galahad 2020