Hey Bam, it is good to see you.
I originally posted back about a year ago on the secular forum because I was not happy with 12 steps and was trying to find a fit on the site for me. I believe in something out there but it is more of a zen ish belief than any sort of structured belief system. For me, I have to feel productive to not feel depressed and I don't think it has that much to do with what I believe or don't believe or any other label pasted on me ( addict, etc)
I sort of follow along with Alirzan's idea about fighting depression is like fighting addiction. I have to be pro active to fight it. I have to set goals each day and try to do some of those goals to fight it off. I am drug free, but I had a few years on Effexor and felt robotic so going it with nothing and being at an age of pre-menopausal that is something. My moods are all over the map, and they seem to be related to sleep, feeling productive, basically if I don't sleep right, eat right, get enough physical exercise and feel I what I did during the day was productive I will fight and feel depression. My busiest days I don't have time or energy to be depressed and I feel peace. Simple living but hard to put into my life because it requires discipline to try to have good living habits. To me it has nothing to do with whether I am a believer of any sort of theology or whether I hang around with people with orange ties , it's just people that need help regardless of belief issues. Just my take. I hear you on the feelings you are dealing with. I think it is fairly universal. Otherwise the drug companies would be making vitamins instead of anti depressants.
