Great quote! Don't let depression define who you are.

true....I dunno how to do that because I do have some depression too....but I am medicated well....I take welbutrin and it helps me...but it kind of leaves me flat too....no ups really but I did go thru somewhat of a spending mania recently after my car got totaled by hit and run driver at 4:45am in front of my house....bought a car and started spending like I was going to be the winner of a powerball....LOL

OK...so then your therapist needs to define what ARE you? Illustrate how you can find the beauty within yourself.

I'd go further than that. i'd say that depression is a mirage. it's a flibbertigibbit. A flying banshee. it's 100% real until it evaporates.

it's not you, it's not something you have. it's something you're DOING. and you can stop any time.

That's the thing. It's how you react to bad experiences. It's what you let yourself think, it's what you tell yourself when you're low.

In a world prior to the word existing, people said they were sad. They said they were unhappy. They said they were miserable. People called it grief. People called it brain fever. People called it woe and loss and despair.

And because they kept their descriptions in the real world and out of 'i have mental problems' they just... fixed them. Got through them, ground their way through the experiences, and left it behind them when they moved on.

Nowadays we all look for 'depression' and when some new thing in life happens that makes us sad, we don't say 'I am sad again, for a new time' - no, we say 'my depression is back.'

See what I mean about 'something we do?' We make it exist by saying it exists. Otherwise we'd just be miserable. Nothing is 'back'. We have nothing 'back'. We have a new bad experience. People do have bad experiences. All the time.

Don't stack 'em together. Look at them separately and see if you can do something to fix them. are there things that you can put in your life, to improve it?

I say all the above and yet I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. I say it because it's how I prefer to see the situation.

If I am miserable, that is empowering. I can do something to fix that.
If I have depression I am stuck. I am a victim of my biology. I can't fix that.

So if I want my life to get better, I have to name my problems in a way that means I can surmount them. I get to name them. I own them, I get to name them.

I love the quote it reminds me that depression does not always control me; Because, it is not me, I am happy and then get down on myself. I try to remember not to use harsh words on myself anymore, really hard. Essentially I feel like the therapist is saying take a hold of depression at tell it to leave us alone, it is not welcome in our lives I only see sunshine for me.

I have to disagree. Depression has defined my world for almost three decades. I have memories of happiness only to the point where I know any pleasure I may experience is a pale shadow of it. Coupled with my other mental disorder, I don't see the world as other people do. Words of encouragement and love are just that to me, words. No emotional impact at all. I can't choose to be happy. Whatever mechanism there is for it either is broken and no one knows how to fix it or no longer present. I can't tell depression to leave. l can choose to ignore it for a time, but that's akin to ignoring the rising water on a sinking ship.

Its weird. When I talk to myself I say depression all the time. But when I talk to others about my feelings I say Im sad, or blue, or unhappy. I have a very hard time differentiating myself from my depression. I use to be so much more happy compared to this. And only 8 months ago. How to separate? Its not easy.

I've found that over the years, I've come to say, "MY depression," as if it's a pet or some important possession. Not sure what that's all about. I really like your therapist's quote, though. It's a good reminder on those days when you're feeling bad, but still strong enough to have some fight left.