Maybe it won't work for everyone.

When I chat with people with mental problems, I tend to try to buoy their spirits. And I suspect that's kind of risky. Because I become an amateur psychiatrist, of sorts. For instance, when I'm engaged in conversation with someone in depression, I probably should just be a good listener. Instead, I try to convey a happy feeling. Cheery. Positive. Maybe that's the last thing they want to hear. Actually, they probably want me to just keep quiet. I try to reason with the depressed. For them to think their way out of their mental mess. To refocus. And that's far easier said than done. I'm told by some that depression often is a chemical imbalance. And that it's necessary to pop a pill to help find one's way out of the labyrinth. I don't know if I've ever been in so-called clinical depression. I doubt it. But I've felt mighty sad at times. In the doldrums. But I've always managed to find my way out. With mental gymnastics, I suppose. I tell myself I'm gonna find a way to find a reasonable degree of happiness. Contentment. Maybe just by going for a walk. And searching for something that's going right in my life. Even if I have to stretch and pretend to find a blessing. Eventually, I find that I'm in love. With some aspect of life. Yes, that's my way. It works for me. But I have to acknowledge that maybe it won't work for everyone. --Jim Broede