The Art Of Discovering Your Purpose When Living With Depression
Depression doesn’t just leave you feeling tired and unmotivated. It can also rob you of your purpose in life, casting you adrift.
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Why Is Having A Sense Of Purpose So Important?
Having a sense of purpose isn’t just something that’s “nice to have.” It’s totally essential in the modern world. The purpose is what drives us to live our lives to the full and stave off mental health problems.
Research, for instance, finds that people who have a sense of purpose are much less likely to feel physically stressed throughout the day. They are also more likely to have improved cognitive function and better mood.
How Does Depression Link To A Sense Of Purpose?
Depression manifests as “low mood” and a host of other symptoms. However, at its core, it may actually be a disease that shows up in the absence of purpose. When people can’t see the point of what they are doing, they slip into a deep malaise, and it can be hard to get them out of it.
Once depression hits, it can lead to a host of disturbances in work and life. A lack of purpose can cause a type of psychological breakdown that oozes into everything they do during the day, including their interactions with others.
Interestingly, the root causes of depression still aren’t well understood. Physicians will often point to imbalances in the brain, but the status quo is that there are psychological or even spiritual underpinnings of depression.
This is one of the reasons why the highly-regarded Eva Carlston Academy tries to give young women works with a sense of purpose. Girls under the age of 16 show up at the institution with a host of psychological difficulties, often arising from dysfunctional relationships in their family life. When they arrive, they often exhibit classic signs of depression.
Instead of recommending drugs, though, practitioners work to give the girls a sense of meaning in their lives. If they have something worth living for, they often feel considerably better about themselves and those around them.
Depression And Loss Of Direction In Life
When you listen carefully to people with clinical depression, you discover that it’s not just about feeling bad. It’s also about a loss of direction in life. They lack a sense of aspiration for their work, family, and even religious life.
This is in stark contrast to how they felt before they developed signs of clinical depression. Back then, they had things they were striving to achieve, and that was enough to keep the demons at bay. However, once people lose their sense of purpose, there’s nothing to stop negative factors from consuming the personality.
So what’s the lesson from all this? The bottom line seems to be that if you want to feel great about your life, you should kindle a sense of purpose. If you neglect this important aspect of existence, you’re setting yourself up for a fall. Human beings simply can’t thrive without a strong sense of why they are here.
