Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Active and Passive

This isn't a grammar lesson. It is, perhaps, a life lesson!

I was talking with a friend about ways to avoid depression. I know I've mentioned it before, but one of my methods is to write things down. It forces me to identify just what it is that's bothering me, and give it up to God. And of course I write letters to people, too. Or blog posts.

And then I asked my friend...You don't feel sad when you're in the midst of DOING something, do you? Talking to a friend, going to church...

No, she didn't.

Loneliness is certainly a part of the equation. But when I thought about how writing helps, I remembered my teacher-training, and the various skill areas that we talked about. +/-


-Writing and speaking are active skills.
-Reading and listening are passive (and here you could include watching TV, browsing the Internet, etc.), in that we receive input.

The passive skills are an important part of life. But let's be honest...they leave room for idleness. We can lose ourselves in a television program, and perhaps even forget about our problems for a short time. But in the end we have not done anything productive, and our problems are still there. When we receive helpful information, we have to do something with it in order for it to be effective.

Writing and speaking activities let us get those feelings OUT so they won't bother us anymore. This comes easier for some people than for others. :)

Have you ever noticed how staying busy helps you to flee from certain temptations? This is a part of perseverance, which is right and good. But if there is an ongoing problem, it should be addressed, as actively as possible!

That is all.

7 comments:

  1. Singing also keeps you thinking more positively!! Really!

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  2. I think you are right. However, I do think some people can hide from their problems by running from one activity to another. They never deal with whatever it is they need to address because they stay in constant motion.

    The best medicine is doing something for others. No new idea there, of course, but one more vote for an old one.

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  3. I agree with both of you. The content of the activity matters, of course. But sometimes we are so upset that we have to just do whatever tasks are within our capabilities for that moment. Doing things for others always provides a sense of purpose. But we also have to keep going even when we're doing housework and things like that.

    If it's "positive thinking," then it's not so much along the lines of "I know I can overcome this..." but rather, "I have a big problem, but God's bigger." If that makes any sense...

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  4. А мне чтение помогает "сбежать" от депрессии :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. А я не могу читать, когда что-то меня сильно смущает. Если просто настроение плохое, то да, чтение поднимает настроение.

    ReplyDelete
  6. so you live in Saint Petersburg, Russia?
    I was adopted from there. Do you know if there is an orphanage #6 still there? That's where I was for the first 11 months of my life. Could you find more information for me please?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, Isabelle! I have heard of orphanage #6, but I think there are two of them in St. Petersburg. What do you want to know? You can e-mail me. lizinstpete@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete

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