Two Types of Melancholy
Have you ever noticed it? There’s different kinds of melancholy that have different effects. They have different cures, too, and some you wouldn’t want to cure at all (thought that won’t stop some folks).
Some melancholies render the subject dispirited and immobile. It seems obvious that these are unhealthy and dangerous, but this melancholy obscures the obvious. And what’s worse, it’s a vicious cycle. The less you do, the more depressed you are. The more depressed you are, the less energy you have to do things. Alcohol? It deepens the rut under your wheels. If you don’t have the strength to pull yourself out, take the hand of a friend. They’ll pull you from the bog. But the strength has gotta come from somewhere.
Some melancholies are like a battlefield wound. Yeah, that shit hurts. Might even get infected. But the pain activates every survival gland in your body, and you move. You work harder. You do things you wouldn’t have had the strength to do otherwise. It might even inspire you to perform acts for which you’ll be remembered long after. Alcohol? To subjects of this melancholy, it’s a distraction, it messes with the productive hormones and creates confusion. Just don’t be afraid to let a medic fix you up after the initial burst of productivity. They can prevent lasting damage.
This is an incomplete list. What other kinds of melancholy are there?
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jschreck answered:
Cures for melancholy: Food a remedy. Music a remedy. Love—a remedy. Okay. Causes of melancholy: Food a cause. Music a cause. Love—a cause.
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