Do you know the feeling of loneliness? Do you feel like no one understands you? Perhaps there is unique creativity behind the vulnerability. Why creative people often become victims of depression and how they can find harmony in a complex world.
Anyone who has experienced depression is familiar with the feeling of loneliness and worthlessness. Behind the frustration lies something more, something that is not visible to the naked eye. People with developed creative thinking perceive the world around them differently than everyone else.
There is growing evidence of a relationship between creativity, depression and various mental disorders. But this does not mean at all that all geniuses are madmen, and all madmen are geniuses. Although famous creators and their talents have sometimes been associated with the peculiarities of the psyche, science proves that representatives of creative professions often experience depression due to the peculiarities of perception of the world around them. Some artists and writers feel like they’re more prone to blues than others, but it’s actually a natural state for them.
“Other” brain
Neuroscientist Nancy Andreasen believes that people with less creative abilities adapt more quickly to new situations, changing places and environments thanks to information received from authority figures. It is easier for them in life, because they trust the opinion of authority and rarely question what they have learned from him.
Another thing is people with creative thinking. They experience the same situations differently. Flexibility of thinking is the foundation of creativity. It allows you to perceive things and events with a fresh, unfiltered look. But it also affects the inner world of creative people: it is complex and ambiguous. In their world, there are many questions and few simple answers.
If ordinary people react quickly to new situations depending on what their parents, teachers, politicians, pastors, rabbis or priests have previously told them, the creative person lives in a more fluid and vague world. The poet looks at the world from a different angle: he doubts all the time, weighs, analyzes. This causes a feeling of isolation, alienation or depression – writers, composers, musicians, artists are different from the majority, therefore they feel alien and strange. The usual environment for an ordinary person in a creative person can cause stress.
Find “your”
The feeling of isolation and loneliness is familiar and understandable to every person to one degree or another. But creative people need to look for those who are like themselves in order to experience true belonging. Politicians would feel uncomfortable in a dance school, just as creative minds get frustrated trying to fit into the accepted norms. To realize their differences from others and understand what makes them so special, you need the right incentives and support. Otherwise, there is a high probability of withdrawing into yourself. What to do? How not to fall into despair?
Embrace your creativity
According to Nancy Andreasen, all creative thinkers should remember a few things: “You must recognize your abilities, under no circumstances let them go to waste. You need to appreciate your talents and develop them, as if you were tending your favorite garden. If we stifle talents, we suppress our true nature, which leads to deep depression. Also, we must accept our oddities. We will always seem strange to less original people. Being weird is much more interesting than being normal. Surround yourself with similar people. Then creativity will flourish. In addition, you will be loved and supported just the way you are.”
Nancy Andreasen admits that creative people are indeed more prone to mental disorders, because they experience “difficulties with filtering and perceiving information entering the brain.” Some of them avoid social contacts due to the high sensitivity of their nature. However, understanding and recognizing your uniqueness helps to move forward in the fight against depression.
So the most important thing is to find your circle or those who support you or share your worldview with you.