I recently learned about dysthymia - basically a form of long-term functioning depression. Idk why I’d never heard about it before, but it for sure resonates with my experience.
Apparently, we should be able to get ~50/50 external/internal validation. For example, most healthy people can apparently do chores or something and get an internal sense of accomplishment that supports the external validation that is having completed chores.
The problem is, for some folks (hi there) we can’t really put up the internal validation part. Like, I’d be expecting the completed chores to make me happy, but that’s just not how it works. I need to be active in validating myself and saying something like, “good job dude!”
That shit is hard - especially if it’s like the total opposite of what you heard growing up.
Very well put. I too have dysthymia. And unfortunately that “long-term functioning depression” can and does last for years on end. Not to mention that you can also suffer bouts of normal depression on top of the dysthymia depression. Double whammy, as it were.
But yes, I’m pretty sure (at least for me) the only way that I seem to be able to produce dopamine involves food; the junkier the better, but healthy food is not the same. It’s probably the sugar that does it. I’ve noticed the longer I go without eating sugary foods, the worse my moods get.
I recently learned about dysthymia - basically a form of long-term functioning depression. Idk why I’d never heard about it before, but it for sure resonates with my experience.
Apparently, we should be able to get ~50/50 external/internal validation. For example, most healthy people can apparently do chores or something and get an internal sense of accomplishment that supports the external validation that is having completed chores.
The problem is, for some folks (hi there) we can’t really put up the internal validation part. Like, I’d be expecting the completed chores to make me happy, but that’s just not how it works. I need to be active in validating myself and saying something like, “good job dude!”
That shit is hard - especially if it’s like the total opposite of what you heard growing up.
Relevant video
Very well put. I too have dysthymia. And unfortunately that “long-term functioning depression” can and does last for years on end. Not to mention that you can also suffer bouts of normal depression on top of the dysthymia depression. Double whammy, as it were.
But yes, I’m pretty sure (at least for me) the only way that I seem to be able to produce dopamine involves food; the junkier the better, but healthy food is not the same. It’s probably the sugar that does it. I’ve noticed the longer I go without eating sugary foods, the worse my moods get.
That video explains it very well. Thank you.