A nudge to take uncomfortable feelings less seriously
It’s been a while again since my last nudge, and I hope you’re having a lovely summer. I can’t get over the weather we’ve been having in the UK, although a little cooler on the boat today!
Depression and chemical imbalance link questioned
I’ve been thinking about some research that was in the news last week suggesting that depression may not be caused by a chemical imbalance (specifically low serotonin levels). *Based on a major review of prior research by University College London (UCL), the report’s authors are therefore questioning the use of (and increase in use of) antidepressants prescribed for this reason.
You can read the UCL news piece below and make your own conclusions, but I have felt uneasy for a long time now about the over prescribing that goes on. This can sometimes be referred to as ‘the medicalisation of feelings’, or human emotions. (I just looked up the term and medicalisation is described as the ‘process of taking non-medical problems and converting them into illnesses and disorders’ according to Conrad and Schneider 2010.)
Thought feeling, thought feeling link
Whatever your views, and I’m well aware there will be differing ones, depending on your own experience, I wanted to share a nudge today on taking all uncomfy feelings less seriously.
It actually came to me in the form of a question: “Why oh why do we spend so much time thinking about, or analysing, uncomfortable feelings, and yet spend far less time sitting in good feelings when we have them?”
Aside from the obvious survival instinct that can drive us and cause this to happen, this is something I do less and less – both for myself and in my work – now that I see the link between a thought and a feeling. At its simplest, if we’re thinking what we would dub as happy or joyful thoughts, we’ll feel happy and joyful; when we’re thinking what we would dub as unhappy, sad or fearful thoughts, we’ll feel unhappy, sad or fearful.
The difficulty comes when we project those feelings on to an object or person or circumstance instead of just allowing the stream of thought-feeling, thought-feeling to naturally flow.
Rather, we’re so conditioned (and innocently so) to project what we’re feeling onto something, and when we do we fix it in place … it becomes rigid and no longer flows. Then it feels like the external object, person or circumstance has to change for our thoughts to change and for us to feel better….which takes so much longer.
Our state of mind is not fixed
What is more, our state of mind is not fixed. Our state of mind can change in a heartbeat as we have a fresh thought, or a new perspective, or we simply drop into a clearer state of mind. For instance, you know that way you can go to bed in a bad mood, or stirred up state, about something only to wake and feel much better in the morning. Nothing has changed, yet you just feel better.
I’ve come to see that this capacity resides in us, we don’t have to do anything for it to work for us.
That is such a good example of the transient nature of thoughts and states of mind just being of the moment … that is, whatever is crossing our mind at any given time. And it’s not about trying not to think, and thus feel, or being permanently Zen like. There is no point (even if we could) trying to contrive better feelings as nothing is fixed anyway … as thoughts pass through, feelings pass with them. And that includes for people who have previously felt let down by the system, or a diagnosis, which has left them feeling at a loss or sadly hopeless.
Less need for the world to be different
Seeing uncomfy feelings for what they are means you start to feel less trapped in the feelings of thoughts you’re taking seriously. It’s only human that sometimes thoughts will feel more ‘sticky’ than others, and at other times you’ll ignore them. But either way, I and the people I work with, feel less in the trap of needing the world to be different to feel okay than we used to, and the implications of that are huge – not to mention a lot more hopeful.
I would dearly love to hear what comes to mind, or resonates for you, from this nudge so do let me know here.
All the very best for now
Tam
*UCL news – No evidence that depression is caused by low serotonin levels, finds comprehensive review https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2022/jul/no-evidence-depression-caused-low-serotonin-levels-finds-comprehensive-review
NB as is referenced in the news piece, it is never advisable to come off medication without prior discussion with your doctor. As I often say to people, don’t take mine, or anyone else’s word for things. You have your own inner wisdom to guide you, be that being called to do your own research, or trusting your instincts, you are the expert on you.