Dear George:
I agree: there are no magic solutions. Wish there were. Oh, do I wish there were. I was depressed my whole life. It is only in the last few years that I have been engaged in my FIRST effective psychotherapy (cognitive behavioral/ mindfulness, dialectical psychotherapy) and self therapy work using insight and mostly SKILLS learned in therapy that i have longer times of peace of mind. I too stopped smiling. Recently I find myself smiling at times… The “voices in my head” say to me as i look in the mirror at my 54 year old face: Oh, look at you, what is the point of healing when you are so old…?” It is recently that i learned to answer those voices (the inner critic’s voices or Freudan Superego): what was your excuse (inner critic’s) when i was young? I definitely put myself down viciously when I was a child… what was the exceuse then? Recently I found out that SELF EMPATHY is key.
Take care:
anita