Knackered Weighs in on Disappointment with Benzos

   Hey there.  Knackered here. Not far from where we live are two historic landmarks.  They are known as Dismal Niche and Cape Disappointment respectively. If they sound like bad news locations, it’s because they were.

   Dismal Niche was a landing spot for Lewis and Clark and their discovery corp when they faced a fierce winter storm that sidelined them during the winter of 1805.  It was disappointing place indeed.  With a horrible weather forecast on hand, they were left with rotting clothes, rotten food, and rotten attitudes for the better part of six days.  They survived and went on to finish their trip.

   Nearby is something called Cape Disappointment.  It was named by a British fur trader, John Meares who was, well, disappointed and quite lost at the time.  It’s also known as one of the foggiest places on the planet.

   Fogged in, dismal, and quite disappointed, describes our state much of the time.  We might think of ourselves as depressed, but one could argue that if we’re actively tapering, coming up with strategies to that end, running to Dr.’s appointments, trying to distract ourselves, we may not have time to get that way.  Depressed that is.

   Chances are that, we too, are badly disappointed with our state of affairs, outlook, and hopes to finish this whole thing up.  And, as you might imagine, disappointment serves us better than the bleak state of darkness brought on by depression.

   So, what’s the difference, and why is it even important?  It’s all in the details. Depression, by nature causes us to hold up, hide out, clam up, and stay put.  It’s the body’s way of putting us in the cave lest we’re eaten by something nasty.  We can’t expect to make much headway with our taper or anything else in that stage.

   Disappointment, on the other hand, can, if we work at it, lead to something called hope.  The Lewis and Clark folks went on to pass Deception Bay and made their way to the Pacific Ocean. Eventually finding  their way back to St. Lewis where they started.

   Enough with the history lessons already.  What’s the point of comparing the two: depression and disappointment anyway?  “Amidst the darkness, there is always a glimmer of light that can ignite the flame of resilience within us. “(Blinklist magazine).  With disappointment, we may hit a pot hole along the way, but if we can dig ourselves out, we can still reach our destination.

   Sadly, depression is an issue that often leaves us held back in a serious way; stranded in the ‘dismal niche’ of life.  The reality of this is that we’re going to need strong professional support and a lot of help right here to work our way through.

   And remember, mental health problems don’t define who we are, they describe our experience.  “We walk in the rain, we feel the rain, but we are not the rain.”  ( Matt Haig)