Edgar Allen Poe suffered from depression. If you lived his life, you probably would have been depressed too. He was born in 1809 to a couple of actors. He was two when his father abandoned him. His mother, unable to take care of him, left him with John and Frances Allen. His mother died soon after that.
Poe was rejected by the literary circles of his time, which was a result of his reputation for being a crazy drunk without any talent. Poe often referred to bipolar disorder through his themes using the “double self.” Later it was called a split personality and today it is referred to as bi polar disorder or schizophrenia.
There are days when everyone gets depressed. Monday mornings can drag you down. An end to a family vacation is another thing that can make you sad. Seeing your kids off to college is another trigger for sadness or depression.
You are definitely not alone when it comes to feeling the blues every now and than. We all experience these momentary bouts of sadness.
One of the anti-depression strategies I uncovered in my five-year study of the daily habits of the wealthy involves engaging in a creative activity. Sadness and depression fade away when you’re engaged in any creative pursuits.
Why?
It’s in our genes to create. When we create, we are at our most natural human state and when we are at our most natural human state, we feel happy and fulfilled.
Creativity creates happiness and happiness displaces depression.
We all have some creative skills. It’s hardwired into our DNA. We are all creative beings. For me, it is writing. For others, it is painting or music or knitting or building. I actually have grown to envy builders because builders get to create for a living.
When you are immersed in any creative pursuit, the right side of the brain takes over and suppresses that part of the brain where depression takes up residence. It’s hard to start a creative project when you are in the midst of depression and that is why you should already have in place creative projects to ward off depression-triggering events.
As you get older, you get better at anticipating those events. Starting your creative project, before a depression-triggering event, helps stop sadness and depression in its tracks.
If you’re feeling down right now, find something creative to do. It will not only take your mind off your problems, it will make you feel happy.
There’s quite a difference between “feeling blue” and clinical depression, bipolar, or other actual mental health illnesses.
In response to Wesley yes definitely. Clinical depression is a whole body disorder. Feeling low is common as Tom said.
I’m so pleased to see we talk about it mental illness these days because there can be a real stigma.
I write about mind stuff with real trepidation because it’s a fine line of scientific understanding and also empathy for how people feel day to day.
Thanks Tom for opening up the discussion and I agree with Wesley too.
I agree with Wesley, there is a difference between clinical illnesses and feeling blue. Creativity can be a great way to move past depression. I know you comment that you should start a project before a depression triggering event but I don’t think you should ever stop your pursuit. As Pablo Picasso said, “Work is a necessity for man. Man invented the alarm clock.”