How to stay Free

Though I dropped the theory for a while, events in my life and further experience returned me to the same point. There is clinical depression which is very rare and first I must make clear I am not talking about this though these tips may help, even if you suffer from that. Depression is 99 times out of 100 due to simple circumstances. These may appear too great to avoid. You may be married to someone you shouldn't be but have too much loyalty to leave them. You may be stuck in a job or career not suited to you but feel unable to leave because of responsibility. Depression is invariably rooted in some soil. My first serious bout came about when I left college. Two universities askedme to go lecture there. Shrewsbury one day a week and Wolverhampton two. I had applied for a two and a half day a week post at UCe in brum. Suddenly and with no training I was a full time lecturer. I had set out to get qualified to be able to lecture two days a week, part time to support my art as I didn't think I could make a living from this alone. Quite understandably I was overwhelmed. I should have realised my five year plan had led to a disastrous finale but had too much invested in the idea. More than most I am able to change tack. So I packed it in, moved to Somerset and went to work for my good friend Fred Baier. My depression passed. I had noticed one morning how people risked their lives to get to work on time. There was a pile up in the fog on the m6 as I made my way to Birmingham. People refused to slow down and ultimately paid with their lives for not wanting to let the boss down. Such Is the thinking that leads to depression. Often I see people with lives they can or ought not to tolerate. Feeling wives, husbands they no longer love are dependent on them. Doctors give people drugs, Prozac, Valium, so they can operate in systems that are slowly destroying them. The cure is simple. If you find you are depressed you need to talk to someone. You must be brutal. You know intuitively what you want to do in life. Who you want to be with. What work you like. If you find yourself taking pills, look at your life. The elephant in the room may well be too big to see. You may well be in such a deep state of denial that you are defending something horrible. It is about bravery. Having the bottle to reject pillars of yourself. The narrative you have written, the story you tell yourself of who you are may need adjusting. Personality is something you can change but it is hard work. This is as simple as obesity and requires a similar approach. Drug addicts live in a similar state of denial to the depressed. Just as capitalism is falling apart and no politician can see this. Steadfastly they continue the mantra of growth, as if returning to the state of folly we were in prior to the crash is our only plan. The same approach to mental health needs to be taken. If a system proves untenable then change.