Storied Mind: Work, Men, and Depression

One of my favorite male bloggers is John at Storied Mind because he writes about things most of my readers can relate to: work stress, sexual addictions, and the fine line between health and illness. I love his post called "Surviving Work, Surviving Depression," and not just because he mentions my video about the cafeteria Catholic, when I say that my first priority ALWAYS is to stay alive. To get to his incisive post, click here. Following is an excerpt:

This past week I had another of those setbacks at work that push me closer to the edge. The details don't matter. My reaction is what matters, and the initial tendency is to despair, getting to the point of thinking, Maybe I should kill myself. First I'm scared, then grieved, then angry that I should let depression push me that far. And I ask instead, why do I keep getting into these no-win situations and then wonder why I run into the same sort of trouble, over and over?

There are times when a work situation is so wrong, so badly matched to the state you're in that the best solution is to get out of it altogether. Putting blame elsewhere may seem justified in the short term, but in my case it's clear that I bring these problems on myself. Staying in the wrong job can become completely self-destructive.

That realization leads me to speed up the transition to a different career I've been planning. Trying to keep on even temporarily with the intense work I've been doing isn't compatible with the limitations I've been learning to live with. Time to listen to Julie Fast who admits she's depressed more than she is well and can't work a 9 - 5 job. Instead she has had to be more productive with the limited time she has. By accepting that reality she's turned her mind around to focus on what she can do, not what she can't.

To continue reading, click here.

To read more Beyond Blue, go to www.beliefnet.com/beyondblue, and to get to Group Beyond Blue, a support group at Beliefnet Community, click here.