Yet more depressing lyrics. (I am not doing well)

FesteringMike

@LinearLineman said:
I care not about impact or making a difference in the world. It’s my life that is the world I try to make a difference in. I suggest that approach for you, too.

Please don’t burden yourself with thinking there’s something more important here than you. There isn’t. And only you can ride that pony. Your journey…
It has meaning and value, no matter how you do it.

I’m having a bit of angst myself. Nothing like you. We all have situations . My time is limited being 76. I try to see the value in even difficult stuff as the moments are so finite and I don’t want to sentence myself to more than necessary moments of unhappiness.

Again, your despair is more profound than mine. I suggest Victor Frankl’s. Man’s Search for Meaning.
Meaning is what keeps us all going with a chance at peace.

Good luck to you and, our friend @jwmmakerofmusic. This is a good place. Your words had impact and meaning. So there you go. Keep showing up.

Your words are how I feel when I’m not burdened with mental issues. But sometimes it’s hard to see the light even though it shines all around you.

MrStochastic

I've recently been listening to Songs from the Chinese by Benjamin Britten, great songs for guitar.
Anyway, here some some the "depressing" lyrics:

The Big Chariot
Don't help on the big chariot;
You will only make yourself dusty.
Don't think about the sorrows of the world;
You will only make yourself wretched.

Don't help on the big chariot;
You won't be able to see for dust.
Don't think about the sorrows of the world;
Or you will never escape from your despair.

Don't help on the big chariot;
You'll be stifled with dust.
Don't think about the sorrows of the world;
You will only load yourself with care.

The Old Lute
Of cord and cassia-wood
is the lute compounded;
Within it lie ancient melodies.
Ancient melodies weak and savourless,
Not appealing to present men’s taste.
Light and colour are faded
from the jade stops;
Dust has covered the rose-red strings.
Decay and ruin came to it long ago,
But the sound that is left
is still cold and clear.
I do not refuse to play it, if you want me to;
But even if I play people will not listen.
How did it come to be neglected so?
Because of the Ch’iang flute
and the zithern of Ch’in.

Depression
Turned to jade are the boy’s rosy cheeks;
To his sick temples the frost of winter clings.
Do not wonder that my body sinks to decay;
Though my limbs are old, my heart is older yet.

reasOne

I find when I’m in my darkest places, that paying attention to what I’m consuming.. not just food but in my ear and eye holes ( that’s what she said) as well 🤪 most often is something that is making it worse.
Sad music when sad… adds to the saddness
Song lyrics that I’m currently “relating” too are great to not feel alone but also just increase the doom.

Making a switch to something less heavy and more positive. Working out or just walking around a lake. Going out into the woods and seeing nature.

I’m always walking around with anxiety and self sabotaging thoughts, but nature and moving the body and switching up what i consume all help me out .
And of course, being creative. Doodling, music making on the ol iPad, making loops… can all play a good Roll in the old mental health

jwmmakerofmusic

@FesteringMike said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@Gavinski said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Thank you all for your support for me and @FesteringMike too. And Mike, good looking out brother. May we all feel better soon. ❤️

Forgot to tag you too in that earlier message. Sorry to hear you're going through this Jim!

All good mate. No worries about forgetting to tag. I am feeling a bit better today.

Glad you’re doing better. Depression and mental health as a whole are (to me) the bane of the thinkers brain. But surely it’s better to feel everything too much than not feel anything at all, even if it doesn’t feel that way at the time. Hope that makes sense.

That definitely makes sense. If you don't feel at all, that's no good. Not good for music creation at any rate. Music creation for me can often be an emotional experience. But yeah, depression is a bane to my brain, so you're not alone there.

Gavinski

@reasOne said:
I find when I’m in my darkest places, that paying attention to what I’m consuming.. not just food but in my ear and eye holes ( that’s what she said) as well 🤪 most often is something that is making it worse.
Sad music when sad… adds to the saddness
Song lyrics that I’m currently “relating” too are great to not feel alone but also just increase the doom.

Making a switch to something less heavy and more positive. Working out or just walking around a lake. Going out into the woods and seeing nature.

I’m always walking around with anxiety and self sabotaging thoughts, but nature and moving the body and switching up what i consume all help me out .
And of course, being creative. Doodling, music making on the ol iPad, making loops… can all play a good Roll in the old mental health

100%. You need to use the basic principle of traditional medicine. Treat with opposites. If the mind is scattered, it needs to be unified, if it is despondent, it needs to be gladdened. If you don't want to do anything, you must force yourself to do things. That's also, though, why it will be much harder to pull yourself out of negative thought spirals if they have been allowed to fester. Too much unguarded time alone is very dangerous for the depressed mind, as you might tend to swim in unhelpful and self-reinforcing thought patterns. Most chronic conditions have some element of the vicious circle to them, that circle needs to be broken. Other people can be very helpful in doing that. Role playing can be useful. Act happy for a while even if you're not. Social rituals force you to behave in certain ways that you might not feel like behaving in. In that sense, smiling back and someone who asks how you are, and saying I'm fine, is inauthentic on one levels, but aspirational on another, and a psychophysical reminder of what it actually feels like to be fine. Deep but interesting topic!

reasOne

@Gavinski said:

@reasOne said:
I find when I’m in my darkest places, that paying attention to what I’m consuming.. not just food but in my ear and eye holes ( that’s what she said) as well 🤪 most often is something that is making it worse.
Sad music when sad… adds to the saddness
Song lyrics that I’m currently “relating” too are great to not feel alone but also just increase the doom.

Making a switch to something less heavy and more positive. Working out or just walking around a lake. Going out into the woods and seeing nature.

I’m always walking around with anxiety and self sabotaging thoughts, but nature and moving the body and switching up what i consume all help me out .
And of course, being creative. Doodling, music making on the ol iPad, making loops… can all play a good Roll in the old mental health

100%. You need to use the basic principle of traditional medicine. Treat with opposites. If the mind is scattered, it needs to be unified, if it is despondent, it needs to be gladdened. If you don't want to do anything, you must force yourself to do things. That's also, though, why it will be much harder to pull yourself out of negative thought spirals if they have been allowed to fester. Too much unguarded time alone is very dangerous for the depressed mind, as you might tend to swim in unhelpful and self-reinforcing thought patterns. Most chronic conditions have some element of the vicious circle to them, that circle needs to be broken. Other people can be very helpful in doing that. Role playing can be useful. Act happy for a while even if you're not. Social rituals force you to behave in certain ways that you might not feel like behaving in. In that sense, smiling back and someone who asks how you are, and saying I'm fine, is inauthentic on one levels, but aspirational on another, and a psychophysical reminder of what it actually feels like to be fine. Deep but interesting topic!

Absolutely agree with this! The opposites is a great way to describe it. It’s definitely hard at times to get motivated to find positivity when you are stuck in the negative, that’s why i always find myself resorting to nature or meditation… They are easy to do and available… and free!

Gavinski

@reasOne said:

@Gavinski said:

@reasOne said:
I find when I’m in my darkest places, that paying attention to what I’m consuming.. not just food but in my ear and eye holes ( that’s what she said) as well 🤪 most often is something that is making it worse.
Sad music when sad… adds to the saddness
Song lyrics that I’m currently “relating” too are great to not feel alone but also just increase the doom.

Making a switch to something less heavy and more positive. Working out or just walking around a lake. Going out into the woods and seeing nature.

I’m always walking around with anxiety and self sabotaging thoughts, but nature and moving the body and switching up what i consume all help me out .
And of course, being creative. Doodling, music making on the ol iPad, making loops… can all play a good Roll in the old mental health

100%. You need to use the basic principle of traditional medicine. Treat with opposites. If the mind is scattered, it needs to be unified, if it is despondent, it needs to be gladdened. If you don't want to do anything, you must force yourself to do things. That's also, though, why it will be much harder to pull yourself out of negative thought spirals if they have been allowed to fester. Too much unguarded time alone is very dangerous for the depressed mind, as you might tend to swim in unhelpful and self-reinforcing thought patterns. Most chronic conditions have some element of the vicious circle to them, that circle needs to be broken. Other people can be very helpful in doing that. Role playing can be useful. Act happy for a while even if you're not. Social rituals force you to behave in certain ways that you might not feel like behaving in. In that sense, smiling back and someone who asks how you are, and saying I'm fine, is inauthentic on one levels, but aspirational on another, and a psychophysical reminder of what it actually feels like to be fine. Deep but interesting topic!

Absolutely agree with this! The opposites is a great way to describe it. It’s definitely hard at times to get motivated to find positivity when you are stuck in the negative, that’s why i always find myself resorting to nature or meditation… They are easy to do and available… and free!

Yes! And instead of doing just regular breath mediation, it might make sense to do something like a 'laughing meditation', bringing a big grin to your face and laughing, eyes closed, then just focusing on and amplifying those physical and emotional sensations that arise. Meditation doesn't need to be passive. The passive style of modern mindfulness meditation is only one of many available options 🔥

simonnowis

) big + to laughter medicine )

and to the idea does the physical hold the e-motion, or does the e-motion create the physical )

pull and hold faces in the mirror -

magnusovi

I went through a period where I couldn’t find any happiness and felt like I was in a deep black hole.

An experience with a strong Amazonian substance allowed me to realize what the feeling of being alive truly is. During this experience, I focused on breathing and the air we breathe. For some reason, I could taste a sweetness in the air, and each breath was as pleasurable as anything I had ever felt before.

Although I have since lost the ability to perceive those sensations, the memory of them has become an anchor for me. It made me realize that life and our world often force us to lose touch with those primal, “lower-level” experiences. This realization has helped me deal with periods of depression.

I’m not encouraging anyone to try these substances, but I hope my comment can help someone somehow. I hope you feel better soon, brother!

yellow_eyez

Awesome lyrics and I’m sorry you feel bad; and I hope you’re feeling better today