Thoughts on This Image/ Quote

I find this offensive to the reality of a lived, deep dark depression.  It captures only the barest quality of wanting to wrench one self from life itself that characterises my own depressions.

 

As a positive spin on the grey zone as a depression lifts, it is all warm and fuzzy and good enough, but it forgets the absence of mental, emotional and physical rest that is actually experienced.

 

Foster is in the "feel good" business.  This is a necessary aspect of recovery, but that does not make this statement valid about depression - certainly not for me.  If it helps, fine, but I could not sit through his seminars and have the existential terror of depression described as a deep rest without lying to myself.  Chasm in the continuity of my sense of self is more accurate, personally.

• I also find it hard to embrace the 'deep rest' fluffy version of this poster as chronic insomnia is something I battle to this dayeven though I am in 17 years recovery.

• It is not just a recovery that is substance free but it is a recovery that involves managing my bi-polar, anxiety/panic, trauma shadows/fragments and additionally being a bereaved mother for 12 years of that 17.....so I also have a complex layer of grief/loss & bereavement that feeds into my mental health care and not relapsing.

• I find I have to work very hard and be dedicated to my self-management and that in itself can be exhausting.(hardly the rest that the poster alludes to)

• The poster also seems to give a mixed messaging that 'we choose' to enter into rest because "we are exhausted by the weight of our identity." I did not find I had a lot of choice in general, but certainly I did not choose mental illness.

I am a firm believer in providing hope but it has to be 'real'. This 'fluffy' version just minimizes our painful journeys and our tenacity to keep getting up.

 

Betty-Lou Kristy

PROVIDING EVIDENCE from community to systems level policy, planning & governance

I appreciate the analysis Betty Lou and Dylan.  And I agree. I think in an effort to 'normalize' depression Foster has diluted it to the point of minimizing the pain and discomfort associated with depression.

 

I wanted to put the quote out there to see what others think. Again, I'm not totally sure what to think. At this point, what sparked my mind when I first saw it was the phonetics of "deep rest". To me, as my dysthymia and generalized anxiety disorder can often make me quite tired, I had never thought of it that way. (I'm not sure if I'm explaining that well enough for you to understand.)

I agree with Betty-Lou and Dylan.  This quote minimizes the deep sadness and isolation felt in depression and also the fact that depression can be fatal.  I think it also further stigmatizes mental illness.

I agree with others who have said that this quote minimizes the pain and suffering associated with depression. I do think, however, that this quote gets at something which may be true for some people: that depression can serve a function, in this case, causing an individual to step back and process or analyze the things that are happening in life. I guess I view it as the opposite of "rest", more like painful hard-thinking, and this won't be true for all people.  

 

In evolutionary psychology, there's a theory (eg. "analytical rumination hypothesis") that depression exists as the body's response to problems which require complex analysis. It effectively causes a person to step back and focus on the problem. This doesn't mean that the experience isn't painful, but just that it serves a purpose for some people. I certainly wouldn't call that "rest" though. 

Deanna, I'm curious what others on your newsfeed thought? Were they similar to the thoughts here? 

As someone who comes down usually after a manic phase, I consider depression a chance to slow down and recuperate.

People are way more able to support me in low mood; I'm not "the thing that wouldn't shut up" anymore.

Protecting me from destructive depression is the fact that my dad took his life when I was young and I refuse to pass along that legacy to my son.

So yes, I'm resting and using a zen approach of just going with the flow, and not fighting so hard to steer the boat going over the waterfall.  There's something cool about letting go and enjoying the view.

My best wishes for peace and comfort to those in pain.

Heather

What a powerful post Heather!

• Your post took me back to some poetry/prose I wrote back in 1982 when I was actively swinging through rapid cycling bi-polar (and another decade after that going through the dates on my poetry)
• Many times I wrote with rage when I was in the manic phase but I noticed that in the flip to the deep depression that came after a manic phase....my sentiments were the same as you have expressed.
• Somewhere in the transition from extreme manic to deep suicidal depression, there was this semi-depressive state which was just 'empty'. I was exhausted, broken and 'quite happy' to be in a place of void. I referred to it as being devoid of emotion. 

Thank you for sharing that.

You helped me to put some 'old debris' into perspective.

 

Betty-Lou Kristy

PROVIDING EVIDENCE from community to systems level policy, planning & governance

What I don't like about Jeff Fosters quote is it speaks to only one symptom, and not all will experience the need for "deep rest".   I believe depression is more about "unrest".  Even for those who sleep 20 hours a day you still feel untested.  I have experienced both, sleeping 20 hours a day, never feeling rested, and at other times just feeling isolated and avoidant with a lack of energy but not over sleeping.  Then there is all the other symptoms which go along with a depressive disorder which cause physical and mental "unrest".

What I don't like about Jeff Fosters quote is it speaks to only one symptom, and not all will experience the need for "deep rest".   I believe depression is more about "unrest".  Even for those who sleep 20 hours a day you still feel untested.  I have experienced both, sleeping 20 hours a day, never feeling rested, and at other times just feeling isolated and avoidant with a lack of energy but not over sleeping.  Then there is all the other symptoms which go along with a depressive disorder which cause physical and mental "unrest".

The other issue I have is the reference to identity.  My understanding of depression is that it is a mood disorder not an identity disorder.  If there was an issue with identity you would be looking at a different mental health disorder, but I am not a medical professional.

I agree that this poster and it's message is minimizing the experience of depression and the seriousness of it.  Sadly, I see a lot of these types of posts on facebook, folks who believe they are being well meaning and supportive, but are really only showing the deep level of misunderstanding there is about depression.  If only it were so simple as getting rest

 

Thanks for sharing this and starting this conversation, I saw this image awhile ago and I remember feeling unsettled by it, but hadn't figured out why, until now.