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Let's Talk About Entrepreneurial Depression

Dan_Fastlane

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This x1000. Even better is 5-HTP, which bypasses a rate limiting step in converting L-Tryptophan (essentially it works a little better than Tryptophan.

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no substance in the world works, if you are in the same environment that makes you depressed, like you loose your whole business lol! or loosing millions and get brooke, how 5-HTP is going to safe ya bro?
 
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100ToOne

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Amazing input from a lot of the previous posts.

I think a lot of the "worldly" techniques have been mentioned above and have to be taken with great importance and action. Because your body affects the mind and soul and vice versa.

However, what about from a spiritual prospective? I think a lot of the forum members here believe in a God of some sort. Doesn't matter which religion in this context.

This belief of God exists since man existed. It was and still used to cope with life and its struggles.

Detachment is the key to all spiritual struggles. The moment you attach yourself to ANYTHING but God, which has a high probability of failing you, you will be disappointed. Because whether it fails or succeeds, one day it will disappoint you. Unlike God.

Isn't entrepreneurship a method we use to reach financial freedom? Then why should we allow it to be a financial prison?

Talking like this makes me sound like I'm the one that fixed his entrepreneurship depression and is now living in happiness. I'm far from it. But if it wasn't for it, I would of been in a hell of a depression.

I just wanted to share with anyone of you that might find this helpful and maybe make him in a better shape to hande the entrepreneurship rollercoaster.

It works for me and it worked for a lot of other people for thousands of years.
I'm not talking about belief in God alone, but in actively believing that whether you succeed or fail, you just acted upon the worldly reasons that you need to take in order to reach your goal, but whether you reach it or not, that's not your in hands eventually.

If you lost everything you own in the next one hour (God forbid), monetarily speaking, what will your next hours look like? Will you commit suicide? Or will you feel sad like any other human and then get back working to feed yourself and your family?
 

Soder

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This thread is a classic and instant gold.

My advice is no different from those of the Stoic and Buddhist classics:

1. Write your thoughts, rationalize your fear. Fear frightens us because it has no form, it is irrational. But if we put ourselves in the worst case, we identify it ex. "If this business does not work, the worst thing that will happen to me is that I will temporarily return to the slowlane until I recover my finances", that gives enormous peace of mind because we put our eyes and face to the fierce irrational fear.

2. Meditate. You are not your thoughts, take distance, observe them. Laugh at them.

3. Walk, preferably without mobile and slowly, in the nature. We come from nature and it calms our anxiety. We are not prepared to live in a society with so many stimuli, disconnects.

4. Breathe. A correct, slow and deep breath relaxes your stress.

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” ― haruki murakami
 
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TyroneX

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Funny how gurus never hit on the selling point of, "Buy my program so that you can experience severe anxiety, depression, fear as well as a sprinkle of paranoia and dash of feeling lost!".

You hit on the point of working out, I would add that not just any old workout will help. The type of physical exercise you do should be centered around the mind and not some basic bodybuilding throwing heavy weight around garbage you do so you can look good in a wife beater..

I have found that listening to audiobooks on growth mindset and personal development during my workout sessions helps with mental stability and overall higher intensity workouts and greater focus.
 
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Champion

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Thanks for writing this, I really enjoyed the read.

In addition to the suicidal thoughts you mentioned, which can be the biggest danger of all ofcourse, I want to also talk about the danger of psychological breakdowns.

Im only 25, but recently I had a really crazy experience that drove me closer to depressive/suicidal thoughts then I ever would have thought possible (im usually a very positive minded person and never have these kind of thoughts otherwise).

I remember it vividly, it was a stupid thought that I couldn't get out of my head, but still kept popping up for about 2-3 days in a row and was bothering me heavily. Then, on the 4th day at night, it popped up again when I was alone in my hotel room and the bad thoughts completely took over. I freaked out and had no idea what to do. I was lucky though, suddenly one part of myself thought "What if its all in your head, maybe its a psychological problem?" so I quickly googled about psychological breakdowns:

Apparently every person is expected to have at least one psychological breakdown in his life. For me, I knew that this experience was definitely one of them and the way I handled it was that I called my dad immediately when the article said to "talk to someone" and that the last thing you should do, is to keep your worries to yourself. I 100% agree with this in retrospect. If you are feeling depressed and suicidal, talk to someone immediately, even if its just over the phone!

When we are pursuing Fastlane, we might tend to push people out of our lives, because we feel that they are holding us back.

Try to avoid this mistake and make sure that you always have a person to talk to, for when a bad moment strikes. Sharing and connecting with another human being is pretty much all that can save you at that point. Without calling my dad that night, I have no idea what could have happened.
 

MJ DeMarco

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Thread upgraded to GOLD.
 

Wolfman

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Guys, you are actually really lucky...according to an official old fart.(me) You guys can't imagine how much stigma was attached to all this "mental crap" (j/k) You used to have to be psycho to go see a shrink..
Anyhow, just the fact we're having this discussion is a luxury. I want to mention a word everyone on here knows--"investment". It really is a good idea to invest in our mental/emotional health. Sometimes it takes a huge sacrifice.
Last night I splurged on a chocolate brownie sundae at Culvers. I made that huge sacrifice to protect my mental health.
I'm being tongue-in-cheek here but making a serious point. Sometimes we need to cut ourselves some slack. As an entrepreneur, you're almost ensured that your boss is an over-demanding a-hole, drill sergeant, idiot. Thanks to all for being open, Wolfman
 

AppMan

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So depression comes from not being happy and fullfilled , is that mean employees are happyer than theor employers in life ?
 

Johnny boy

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Say what you want, I know this is a highly unpopular belief and I fully expect other people to get pissed I’m saying this. So just know if anyone gets mad, feel free to not tell me because I don’t care.

Depression is made up bullshit by people who enjoy being victims and anyone who “has” it is just being lazy in blaming their problems on something they call “depression”. It’s a nice scapegoat.

Make more friends, date cute girls, get in shape, make more money, kick more a$$, live a better life, be better than most people, you’ll wonder where your silly depression went.

Believe what you want. I’ll keep believing what I see with my own two eyes and I’ll keep enjoying life.
 
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YoungPadawan

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Man, this post really hits home.

I personally have Bipolar disorder, and the emotional rollercoaster is neverending.

During my depressive days, I lay in bed and stare at my ceiling. My mind magnifies on the bad parts of my life - like how people criticize me for buying a mediocre, cheap car. How they probably talk crap about me because my house currently looks straight out of the 60's.

My parents wonder why the hell I'm spending my money on these stupid business ventures. They think I'm nuts for wiring $5,000 to China for my custom developed product.

My friends are all slowlane. They see my modest success, and criticize and try to bring me down. In the rural area that I live in, nobody seems to have big dreams. They hate anybody trying to do something different.

They all don't see the vision. They all don't get it.

On my non-depressive days, I feel invincible. I imagine the future of my company touching every corner of the globe. Impacting billions and changing the world. I love days like this and I wish this mania would never end. But it is always a matter of time before I fall back into the pit of depression.

I definitely can relate to the quotes that AgainstAllOdds posted.

If anyone has experienced things like this, I second the exercise recommendation. It definitely helps. Here's a few additional things that I've found can help out with the depression:
  • Drink lots of water
  • During winter, get a SAD light. I wake up in the morning and turn that on while I work for about an hour. I've found that helps, even if it could just be a placebo.
  • Have a healthy diet. Eat lots of fruits and veggies. Crap food will make you feel like crap.
  • DO NOT ISOLATE YOURSELF. As much as you want to, don't do it.
  • Don't listen to sad music, and don't watch sad movies. Watch something funny. Listen to positive, upbeat music.

No matter how wild the rollercoaster is, keep slugging away at your dreams.
 
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Davidla

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@AgainstAllOdds Thanks for starting the thread and sharing your experience.

I think there's another important element/way of dealing with depression and avoiding it..

Mindfulness and true knowledge of the self.

Connecting to something inside of you that's bigger than what society tells you that "You" are.

You are not your business. You are not your success. You are not what others think of you. You are not just your body.

What is it that is left after you strip away of all of these things?

The truth about who you REALLY are versus who you think you are.

Sell your business for 1M? Cool, get excited..feel on top of the world..then get back to norm and remember you are exactly the same person as a week ago, same person that pee'd his pants as a baby and that's going to die and get eaten by worms, and the $1M is going to mean nothing to you then.

Lost 1M? Get upset..scared..suicidal..and then remember you are exactly the same person who created value to earn $1M, and can do this again.. (Money was the result of YOU and not the other way around).

Remember that money does not define you. Your business does not define you. What you do does not define you.

It is easier said than done, and I haven't faced a challenge as big as losing millions yet..but investing in this 'center' and ability to align back to it whenver big ups or downs happen has been a game changer for me. I hope it will continue to be as helpful when faced with bigger challenges.

I think it is worth investing in daily, whatever your way of getting there is..and is a great addition to taking care of physical excercise, nutrition, sleep, support from friends, therapy and all the other great advice mentioned here.

It all starts in the mind and the attachments we have..to feel depressed we need to have a story (thought and belief) of "My business failed, therefore I'm screwed/I'm a failure." and then the body respondes to this thought with depression chemicals..that keep getting reinforced with every similar negative thought and chemical reaction.

So stopping it at the story level can be a very effective way of dealing with it.
 
D

DeletedUser0287

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When I first started, I became depressed as an entrepreneur because of something I call "toxic positivity"

Toxic positivity hides reality. It is actually highly prevalent in these forums. Phrases such as:

"Just believe and you can do it"
"You don't need money to build a business"
"Stop with excuses, anything is possible"
And many more.

These types of phrases fuel entrepreneurial delusion. Meaning people just think, oh I can be successful if I just have the right mindset. Disregarding literally everything else. When you get hit with reality, you fall into depression because of this BS positivity.

It is better to just accept the pitfalls of entrepreneurship from DAY 1 and there would be zero depression. These false expectations are rooted in BS positivity. The bad thing is that since these are disguised as positive comments, they get he most likes. But they are the most destructive. While the guy that spits out the truth gets wrecked.
 
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YoungPadawan

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When a patient presents with severe, long term, and potentially life-threatening clinical depression, lazy or inept psychiatrists will prescribe SSRI antidepressants without taking the simple precaution of asking a standard set of questions to check whether the patient is suffering from Bipolar Disorder.

The administration of antidepressants for Bipolar sufferers without also prescribing mood levelers such as Lithium (the Gold standard treatment) can result in increasing the severity of their manic behavior. Results can be disastrous.

That is exactly what happened with me. I was misdiagnosed for years, and I almost ended it all out of hopelessness until I was diagnosed correctly and given mood stabilizers.
 

million$$$smile

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Depression is made up bullshit by people who enjoy being victims and anyone who “has” it is just being lazy in blaming their problems on something they call “depression”. It’s a nice scapegoat.

Well now that is interesting.

I have a feeling you may not believe narcissism is a disorder either:
"Narcissism is a personality disorder that most apparently manifests itself in an individual's ability to listen. Narcissism is defined as "excessive interest in oneself," and this trait can make it difficult for individuals to acknowledge or pay attention to others. Instead, the role of other people in the life of a person with narcissism is to provide praise, encouragement, support, and admiration. Extreme narcissism can cross over into a mental illness called narcissistic personality disorder, where a person is driven by a need for approval, and neither understands or cares about the feelings of others."
Oh well...

Anyhow @AgainstAllOdds, thank you for the thread. I also have a friend that has suffered through depression for several years. Only his was from war. To see someone you care about founder on the stormy rocks of life and sometime wonder if they are ever going to make it through....

Thanks again for sharing.
 

Sadik

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Thanks @AgainstAllOdds for starting this thread. It feels oddly satisfying knowing one is not alone or partially crazy, that this roller coaster of highs and lows is real and other people feel it too.

On some days you feel invincible, that nothing in the world is impossible, that you could accomplish all your goals within such short time, you have solutions to everything, life is good!!! THEN there are days you just cannot get out of bad, your mind replays over and over and over again your failures, mistakes you made, and the possibility that all of this will amount to nothing, that you will be considered a failure when all your slowlane friends are getting promotions and travelling the world!

I observed this happening to me. And thankfully I caught this very early on. I would like to list some of the things which I know keep my mental balance.

1> Spirituality / religion

This is number 1 because this has the biggest potential benefit to me. The most important aspect of a person's life is his / her identity. Having a spiritual roadmap to follow instills in you ideas of Gratitude, forgiveness, service to others and ultimately knowing that results are in the power of a benevolent God. Even if you think religion is hocus pocus, you cannot argue against the tools which religion provides. Gratitude, thankfulness, forgiveness, prayer like meditation, service to others.

Even if you don't believe in God, I would strongly recommend joining some community service with religious people. In my community sometimes we organize feasts, sometimes we pool in cash to help some poor folks, sometimes help a poor guy with maybe his home or food and all of this a> connects you with some very nice people b> provides a sense of contentment nothing else will.

2> Vacations.

Many times we simply can't afford them. But I treat this as a business expense. Every 3-4 months I take a 3-4 days / week's break with family usually to head out amongst the hills or some very small beach towns.

Vacations amongst nature are all the therapy I need. It disconnects me and gives me a lot of time to think and often makes me think of things from a different perspective. But the biggest benefit really is how I am able to organize my life because I am "leaving". So you get your affairs in order. You have a solid deadline by which you must finish the stages of work / stuff you are doing and then entirely disconnect.

3> Having a slowlane freelance source of income

Ultimately your biggest fear is not being able to provide for your family. Freelancing solves this problem for me. I "know" that working a few hours a couple of days I can generate at least enough to pay the monthly bills. I know that if I am in need of urgent cash, I can head over to Upwork and at the very least make a few hundred dollars within a week or less. This really prevents the negative thoughts around total financial ruin.
 
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Bertram

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@AgainstAllOdds thank you for writing this and putting it out there on the forum. I touched on it briefly in my thread The Desert of Desertion is real... and I'm in it.

But the Desert of Desertion can quickly turn into straight depression. And honestly, I'm there.

We all know that finances are usually the biggest trigger for this sort of thing, in our world. We're always flirting with the edge of financial collapse. And it gets compounded when it affects "the real world", i.e. your family.

Having a newborn, it really weighs on me.
"If the business collapses, will all of these credit cards come after me personally?"
"Are we going to have to move out of a house into an apartment?"
"Is it fair to her that I'm always thinking about the business, even when I'm home?"

I'd love to say I've found some way to cope and handle the stress and depression, but I haven't. Having a supportive wife, who picks up on my cues helps though. Having friends in the game like @Greg R and the other guys in my mastermind help.

But its something I really need to focus on finding an outlet for. Because the depression leads to lethargy, and lethargy means I don't accomplish things that need to be done.. which only hurts the business and leads to more stress and depression.
The source of your depression may be related to being a young father.
Men underestimate the loneliness that comes on when becoming a father. Social contact and friendships shift. It happens as well to mothers but rarely. I personally losr two best lifelong friends who just could not get used to my starting a family and wanting to do it well. They felt better around childless people or bad parents.
Lifestyle change is almost absolute. And suddenly it's just hard to have free time, let alone get adequate sleep. Fathers can suffer anxiety and depression with new routines and unexpected isolation.
You might take a year to socially adjust. Find guys who like the new job.
Focus on the incredible luck of having this fantastic new human being move in and like you forever. It does not matter to this child how your game goes. Let that nourish you.
De-stress by giving the best of yourself to your child. Infancy is the weirdest phase in the human life.

There's good advice in every post on this thread.
 
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broswoodwork

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Say what you want, I know this is a highly unpopular belief and I fully expect other people to get pissed I’m saying this. So just know if anyone gets mad, feel free to not tell me because I don’t care.

Depression is made up bullshit by people who enjoy being victims and anyone who “has” it is just being lazy in blaming their problems on something they call “depression”. It’s a nice scapegoat.

Make more friends, date cute girls, get in shape, make more money, kick more a$$, live a better life, be better than most people, you’ll wonder where your silly depression went.

Believe what you want. I’ll keep believing what I see with my own two eyes and I’ll keep enjoying life.
You don't believe the type of people, with the type of brains that make them step WAY outside of the lines and live life differently, have increased susceptibility to the bio-chemical and environmental imbalances that give rise to extreme highs and lows?

I'm a little jealous. You're like Superman sans the kryptonite thing.
 

MetalGear

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Some things that made me feel low:
  • Friends and co-workers not all happy for me to build my rent hack property
  • I was expecting that more people would be happy for me but nope
  • Some will even view you as completely different person
  • Then again maybe we are all evolving and changing with each step
 
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IMO we need to be proactive about being prepared for what life throws at us by each day spending time on self-development/ emotional mastery/ therapy etc. If you spend time on your business, your business will improve. the same goes for spending time on inner work.

We also have to realise that working on our inner also bears fruit in our business. Being at peace and happy for example makes you think much more clearer and makes you way more creative for example.

In the beginning I thought that I should spend every minute on my business and that self development was not worth it because it took away time from that. That mentality backfired heavily.

I wish everyone much strength in overcoming life's obstacles!
 

Johnny boy

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You don't believe the type of people, with the type of brains that make them step WAY outside of the lines and live life differently, have increased susceptibility to the bio-chemical and environmental imbalances that give rise to extreme highs and lows?

I'm a little jealous. You're like Superman sans the kryptonite thing.
I have extreme highs and lows and they are my fault and it’s my personality. I remember telling my mom when I was a young kid that I thought I was either going to be a millionaire or homeless and that describes me very well.

I’m saying responsibility is always the answer. You gain nothing by pointing at a boogeyman and crying about it.

I remember being a broke ugly loser who got dumped by his girlfriend at 18 and then I just set out to change my circumstances, not pointing fingers at a “disease of the mind”.

Few people listen to me but as my life continues to change more and more people will. I’ve got time.
 

rollerskates

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Thanks for starting this, @AgainstAllOdds. This subject is particularly important to anyone who goes against the script.

If you dare to share your struggles with others, often what you'll get at most will be a "look at all those poor people who can barely afford food - they have real problems, you're just a crybaby."

THIS. I have gotten this. I know we all joke about first world problems, but worrying about the business income when you are single and self supporting is a REAL PROBLEM.

Toxic positivity hides reality. It is actually highly prevalent in these forums. Phrases such as:

"Just believe and you can do it"
"You don't need money to build a business"
"Stop with excuses, anything is possible"
And many more.

This is one of my pet peeves and is especially harmful to women entrepreneurs. I have been in the handmade business for years, and most women in this field (ok me included when I started) want a cute little business and their primary consideration is that they have "a business", it's not product or customer driven AT ALL. It's just "you can do it, think positive". Well, maybe you can't do it, maybe your product sucks or maybe there's not a huge demand for it. But try and tell anyone that and you're mean or something. o_O It's definitely harmful to one's psyche to be told to just be positive when your business model sucks.

Another thing--prayer is the only thing keeping me on the good side of the abyss. Not to say I haven't had my huge downs in this type of life, but prayer always pulls me through. Even when things SUCK REALLY BADLY, I at least pray to just get through it.

And apart from any spiritual stuff, even in the most secular sense, you are a human being with worth and dignity. :smile2:
 
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broswoodwork

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I have extreme highs and lows and they are my fault and it’s my personality. I remember telling my mom when I was a young kid that I thought I was either going to be a millionaire or homeless and that describes me very well.

I’m saying responsibility is always the answer. You gain nothing by pointing at a boogeyman and crying about it.

I remember being a broke ugly loser who got dumped by his girlfriend at 18 and then I just set out to change my circumstances, not pointing fingers at a “disease of the mind”.

Few people listen to me but as my life continues to change more and more people will. I’ve got time.
Respectable.

As a matter of personal responsibility, though, I think some acknowledgement of limitations needing to be bridged or eliminated comes into play. Identification of the presence of highs and lows, and working with and around them, can become a new strength on its own.

Tom Whitaker didn't deny he was missing a foot while he was climbing Mount Everest.
 

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"Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back."

Entrepreneurship is a tough and lonely gig.

Most will never achieve anything real. Most will never earn what they could have by simply sticking to their comfortable 9-to-5 career.

Earning less, putting in more hours, being socially isolated, while at the same time enduring 10 times the hardship and risk compared to an employee.

No wonder people get depressed and suicidal.

I blame all those damn gurus and "infopreneurs" pushing and selling entrepreneurship as the magical solution to wealth and freedom.

If this game makes one depressed and suicidal, maybe it's time to switch things up and do something else with your life. Not everybody is a warrior.
 
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AgainstAllOdds

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Depression is made up bullshit by people who enjoy being victims and anyone who “has” it is just being lazy in blaming their problems on something they call “depression”. It’s a nice scapegoat.

Make more friends, date cute girls, get in shape, make more money, kick more a$$, live a better life, be better than most people, you’ll wonder where your silly depression went.

Here's a list of people that likely were better looking than you, made more money than you, kicked more a$$ than you, and were "better" than most people. Their "silly depression" sadly didn't go away: List of suicides in the 21st century - Wikipedia

The mind is fragile.

Depression isn't something that can always be solved by success. @MTF pointed out earlier how the worst kind of depression can come from individuals that lack fulfillment from success.

In the real world, anyone can suffer from depression. Even someone like Justin Bieber who's slept with more super models than girls you've talked to has had depression.

One of the better recent examples of someone that came out with depression is Kevin Love:

12420019.jpg


This guy crosses off all the criteria on your list in the 99th percentile.

kevin-love-kate-bock-8.jpg


  • He has access to more people that want to be friends with him than most of us ever will.
  • He dates Kate Bock.
  • Is in better shape than anyone else.
  • He makes more money than almost anyone ever will.
  • Has won an NBA Championship - there's not much more a$$ kicking than that.
  • Lives a life we can only dream of.
  • And is overall "better" at every single aspect of life compared to the average person.
Yet he still struggles with anxiety and depression.


@Johnny boy Your attitude might be the correct one for the immediate future, but it's the wrong one completely in life. You're 22. Give it another 5 years. If you have enough friends, you'll start to notice some turning to substance abuse. You'll notice guys that were previously going out every night not going out anymore. You'll notice childhood friends that you thought were invincible "settling" after getting knocked down time and time again.

Everyone has highs. Everyone has lows.

If you have ambition and high hopes, your probability of missing expectations and feeling sad are even higher.

The goal is to escape that sadness, but if it comes, it's not something to be ashamed of, and definitely not "made up victim mentality bullshit".
 
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AgainstAllOdds

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I remember telling my mom when I was a young kid that I thought I was either going to be a millionaire or homeless and that describes me very well.

Also fair warning: I've seen you post this line a couple times - implying that it's something you actually believe.

If you don't hit millionaire status fast enough, be careful when your mind starts implying that homelessness is what you deserve. It's not. Just something stupid that you said as a kid that you decided to use as motivation.
 

Primeperiwinkle

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"Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back."

Entrepreneurship is a tough and lonely gig.

Most will never achieve anything real. Most will never earn what they could have by simply sticking to their comfortable 9-to-5 career.

Earning less, putting in more hours, being socially isolated, while at the same time enduring 10 times the hardship and risk compared to an employee.

No wonder people get depressed and suicidal.

I blame all those damn gurus and "infopreneurs" pushing and selling entrepreneurship as the magical solution to wealth and freedom.

If this game makes one depressed and suicidal, maybe it's time to switch things up and do something else with your life. Not everybody is a warrior.

I’d like to respectfully disagree on one point... not everybody is a warrior but if you care enough about the battle to suit up and feel sad... you probably are already in the thick of it.

For years my friends (who I occasionally complained to when business sucked) would ask me “Why do you even have your own business if it’s so annoying to you?” (I’ve had two businesses before the one I’m on.. but between moving across country or having kids I’ve never had a business longer than four years. Right now I’m on month 18 of my current venture..)

And my only answer was “Because I have to.”

I HAVE to. Its the right thing to do. It’s the right way to go, for me. It pushes me and forces me to pray and forces me to learn.

When I work for someone else I slack off and punch the clock and I’m totally happy until that little voice says “you know you could be making double..”

And I’m like “Dammit!!” All over again.

This month has been a clusterbeep of epic levels. My car needed a costly fix, my clients are all on vacation, daycare is costing me an extra $1500 a month.. July is just TOUGH. But then I started having faith and just praising God for putting me here... thanking Him in my heart and outloud for taking care of me even though I was seriously screwed. The Obstacle IS the way. Resistance is pushing against me because this is PRECISELY the direction I’m meant to go, the path that will refine my character and improve my life, and bless other people..

I’m a small business owner who has never cleared 5k in a month and in the last ten days I sold $2,800 worth of packages and services. I needed every cent.

You gotta understand.. I’m a person who believed SO LITTLE in my own self that me even having another business was a mental battle and yet...

I was able to be home with my babies every day this month .. by 4. Is it hard not knowing what the future brings?? Absofreakinglutely.

But my time!! I have TIME to do things. I’m not stuck somewhere from 9-5 every day.. and that’s wonderful!

I’d argue that the REAL REASON we all go through these crazy depressive days is because this is EXACTLY what we’re meant to be doing and the Enemy (or whatever word you have for the nefarious force in the universe that wants us to be lazy and fat and stupid) pushes so hard against us because he hates our light and our productivity and our faith and joy.

It takes crazy faith to bet on yourself, to bet on your future. Maybe next week I’ll need somebody to encourage me again but today? Today I’m sitting here amazed at just how much can happen in a month.

Stuff that would never happen at just a job.

Before November of 2018 I never even imagined that I could EVER scale and yet.. now after being on this forum and reading these books and being so incredibly inspired regularly.. I’m starting to believe. And my income keeps going up. Hallelujah. (Even if I have been stubborn or preoccupied or afraid.. lol)

Forgive me for the ramble.
 

Jon L

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Say what you want, I know this is a highly unpopular belief and I fully expect other people to get pissed I’m saying this. So just know if anyone gets mad, feel free to not tell me because I don’t care.

Depression is made up bullshit by people who enjoy being victims and anyone who “has” it is just being lazy in blaming their problems on something they call “depression”. It’s a nice scapegoat.

Make more friends, date cute girls, get in shape, make more money, kick more a$$, live a better life, be better than most people, you’ll wonder where your silly depression went.

Believe what you want. I’ll keep believing what I see with my own two eyes and I’ll keep enjoying life.
you will say this until you get clinically depressed yourself. And then you'll say it no longer. You'll know better.
 
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Walter Hay

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Unless a person has at least some knowledge of the biochemistry of the brain, they will possibly not understand the reality of depression; or of mania for that matter.
It is important for people suffering from either of those problems to understand:
  • They are not to blame.
  • They are not lazy.
  • They are not faking it.
  • Their parents are not to blame.
  • They are not fools, or intellectually impaired.
  • They are not a failure.
Here's a very simplified description of the brain function:

The human brain is rather like a complex electrical circuitry, or some might prefer to describe it as a computer. It has countless little components called neurons, with protrusions that are in effect electrical contacts. These are protected by a substance called myelin which to all intents and purposes acts as an insulation.

In some severe illnesses, the myelin breaks down, causing what amount to short circuits. No fault in the person in such cases, but their behavior can change markedly.

A breakdown in the brain's electrical system can be a result of a multitude of factors. Stress, whether physical or mental is a major factor. There are other significant causes, including something as simple as exposure to an allergen, or even a genetic inheritance that weakens the system, just as some inherit genes that weaken their heart, lungs, etc.

Intake of mind altering substances is a well known cause of the breaking down of the brain's normal functions.

The most extreme form of stress causing the circuits to break down is deliberate brainwashing. Constant torture, or even repeated threats, or persistent repetitive sounds, or lights flashing, can all induce a breakdown of the system. When the brain becomes overloaded by these stresses, it actually switches off like a circuit breaker in a power board.

That effect is known as "protective inhibition", and is the brain state required for brainwashing to be effective. At that time a person is almost totally suggestible. They will believe that black is white. They will hate their former friends, associates, or loved ones if told that they do. Their former beliefs can be discarded and the opposite adopted.

I write all of this to highlight the fact that there are biochemical factors in severe cases of depression or mania, and to a large extent they are outside of the person's control. That is not to say that there are not good preventative measures possible. Some have been mentioned by others; including exercise, healthy diet, etc.

It is important to differentiate between the two main types of depression: Circumstantial, and clinical. The former is a result of unpleasant or sad events. We all feel that to some degree, although sometimes it is only fleeting. The latter is invariably a result of factors such as I mentioned above.

Unless there is an underlying cause that makes us unhappy for a prolonged period, we get can over circumstantial depression.

Clinical depression is quite another matter. The worst thing that you can do to a person suffering from that is to tell them to just get over it. Or as one poster has done, to deny its existence. What is needed is professional assistance, which might take the form of correcting the deficiencies in a person's lifestyle, but more commonly through appropriate medication that will remedy the malfunctioning synapses and neurons.

Walter
 

biophase

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That's a great point.

The Japanese have a word for this "Shinrin-yoku", which means: “forest bathing”.

There's a lot of data that supports being in nature as a form of therapy. Worth trying and incorporating into your regular routine.

So, I've never had any entrepreneurial depression during my 12 years in business so far. But the interesting about this part of the post is that I spend alot of time in the trees. I mountain bike almost daily but I'm now seeing the trees through the forest more.

When I did an ayahuasca ceremony last year, the shaman (who didn't know anything about me) said that I had a very strong Aspen tree aura around me. He said that they were my protector trees.

I happen to spend my summers around the largest aspen grove in the state of Colorado. In fact, just a few days ago, I actually walked up and hugged an aspen tree for like a minute. I don't just cruise right through the forest now, but I stop and pay attention, look at leaves, roots and dirt.

I don't know if it's all woo woo stuff, but it's seeming to all come together or be a massive coincidence in the past few years.
 

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