‘Happiness’ may not actually be what you are looking for after depression. Get specific, and determine what peace and contentment look like for you.
When patients are starting treatment for their depression or anxiety and are at a place where they are beginning to feel better, it’s time to start thinking about what comes next. When you’re setting intentions for your ketamine journey, we work with you to help you figure out — how do you want to grow, and what do you want to develop in your life after recovery?
Focus on what you do want
It’s common to step into recovery with the mentality of “I want to avoid thinking about this…” or “I want to stop doing this…” However, this still puts your energy and attention on the things you don’t want to see or bring into your ketamine journey space.
Instead, focus on what you do want to create and bring into that space. It is important to consciously map out and design what you want going forward.
Avoid aiming for ‘happiness’
Consciously designing what you want requires dealing with specifics. Avoid setting abstract goals, like ‘happiness.’ Think instead about what happiness looks like for you — which can look very different from another person’s idea of happiness.
Being specific about what your goals look like can help you avoid missing it as you drive by, and help you figure out how to orient yourself in its direction.
It is important to understand, too, that what we’re searching for isn’t really ‘happiness’. Happiness is very brief, fleeting, and not resilient. Often, something needs to be added or taken away from your life to have happiness, and it typically is dependent on other people and your situation. Happiness only lasts for a little while before you acclimate to whatever has changed in your circumstance.
We use the analogy that happiness is like the first bite of cheesecake. The first bite may be wonderful, but by the fourth or fifth bite, you don’t even want cheesecake anymore — that isn’t happiness anymore.
Similarly, you may go to Disneyland once and have a very happy day. However, if someone told you you had to live at Disneyland, you likely wouldn’t be happy living there every day.
Peace and contentment
Rather than searching for what ‘happiness’ might look like, instead think of what peace and contentment might look like.
Peace and contentment can often be found where you are, with what you already have and what you are already doing. Peace and contentment are more serotonin to happiness’s dopamine. They are much more resilient, and not dependent on adding or subtracting things or changing the facts of your life.
Peace and contentment is a matter of perspective and acceptance — which can be had in any situation. You can find peace and contentment with a cancer diagnosis, or in the midst of a hospice situation. You may not be able to find happiness or elation at a parent’s funeral, but you may be able to find contentedness, steadiness, and satisfaction.
How to find it
When considering what to bring into the ketamine journey space, think about what your satisfaction and peace might look like.
What do you do hour by hour to have peace and contentment?
What are the thoughts that will bring that to you?
How can you practice those thoughts? How are those thoughts accessible to you now?
How are the thoughts you’re currently having disabling your peace and happiness?
How can you change those thoughts without necessarily changing your circumstance?
About Us
Wells Medicine is a Houston-based practice designed to provide meaningful care for mental health. Providing targeted interventional treatments for Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD and other conditions, with Ketamine Treatments, Stellate Ganglion Blocks, TMS, and Nitrous-Oxide Treatments. Focused on comprehensive care and integration with Psychiatry, Psychology, and Support Services. We are evidence-based, patient-focused and mission-driven.
The content here is for informational purposes and should not be relied upon for medical decisions. For the details of your specific medical conditions and treatments consult your doctors or other qualified healthcare professionals.
