Dear Fiest:

“how the brain can cause us to give up hope? why does it feel better to just give up? Like the effort and problem are insurmountable..”- because when we are anxious, having this ongoing fear for too long, we get very tired. Depression (loss of hope and motivation) happens when the brain has been anxious for too long. It is exhausted and needs a long, long rest.

It is similar to an animal notices a predator approaching. It feels fear and that fear makes it possible to run away very fast. When the animal reaches safety, it rests for a long, long time. Because it is not just the running that is exhausting, but fear itself is tiring.

So when you, an anxious person, feels hope for a better life, working on it “everyday all day”, you get tired- not just because of the work you do, but mostly because you feel anxious while working for a better life for yourself, and you get exhausted, needing to rest for a long time.

anita