> One day, when I realized how hard it was to find any reason for my current unhappiness, I thought, "Wait a minute. I bet this unhappiness is really something chemical, not actually caused by circumstances.*" I began to speculate that my body was programmed to be unhappy a certain percentage of the time, and that hormones or something were the real reason behind moments of mild depression."
This is exactly what happens to me with my dysthymia. The intensely heavy body feeling (medical term: "psychomotor retardation") and low energy aren't really problems in themselves, it's when I "buy into them" that it really goes downhill. The problem is that it does kinda suck and makes it hard to concentrate and do things.
Unfortunately my mood has been generally very low since about age 9 to 11 unfortunately, and I'm 27 now. I don't see much value in life or in others or relationships (even though I am married!). So that combined with the physical symptoms makes it a difficult and slow life.
(Disclaimer: Please take what I saw with a grain of salt - I'm just a stranger on the internet, not a doctor. No disrespect intended to you or anyone.)
Have you checked if you might have other possible conditions? I too "thought" I was mildly depressed for several years (I'm in my early 20s now). Turned out to be (undiagnosed) ADHD that held me back from working "properly" (due to procrastination/planning issues) while making me ambitious, hence making me sad/disappointed/frustrated. (I hope to get a formal dx soon, apparently medication can help a very decent bit)
There is a lot of overlap between the two, but I have more depression symptoms than ADHD ones. The latter doesn’t seem likely to me nor who diagnosed me
This is exactly what happens to me with my dysthymia. The intensely heavy body feeling (medical term: "psychomotor retardation") and low energy aren't really problems in themselves, it's when I "buy into them" that it really goes downhill. The problem is that it does kinda suck and makes it hard to concentrate and do things.
Unfortunately my mood has been generally very low since about age 9 to 11 unfortunately, and I'm 27 now. I don't see much value in life or in others or relationships (even though I am married!). So that combined with the physical symptoms makes it a difficult and slow life.