How photography can help depression

As anyone who does, or has, suffered with depression, anxiety or some other form of mood controlling symptoms will tell you, it can be all-consuming. It can often leave you feeling alone, isolated and a burden. I personally often feel embarrassed and even though i try to champion the fight through openness and education i am still left feeling somewhat of a failure. Especially in front of anyone who has never suffered themselves. It's a constant battle to feel worthwhile. Its not simply a lack of confidence but a complete lack of appreciating your own importance.

So, what to do about it. How do you escape those dark moods, the black dog ? Well, to start with there is no easy answer, no magic wand and what works for one won't always work for another. All i can tell you is what works for me, in the hope that you will find some part of my story transferrable to your situation.

As i stated in an earlier post, i have re-gained my passion for photography after 10 long years away from the camera. Not only has this re-ignited an interest in probably the one thing i was ever any good at, it has given me something to do with my time. Because "time" can be your worst enemy when your suffering a bout of depression. Keeping occupied, i have found, is a great coping strategy. And fortunately for me, the type of photography i like doing the most takes time, lots of it.

My real passion is landscape work; and it really can't be rushed. You have to work with nature. You have to wait for the right light. You have to use slow shutter speeds. You have to take your time setting up your equipment, never mind carrying it over hill and dale to get that perfect viewpoint. You have to know about composition and understand the weather and the changing seasons. It is far more than pointing a camera at a hill and clicking the shutter. 

So while i am doing all this i am also outdoors, breathing in the air. Feeling the wind, albeit warm or cold, on my skin. Seeing the breathtaking beauty of the world we live in. Watching the clouds float by as the light changes each and every second. I am watching the leaves bud on the trees. I am watching the leaves fall from the trees. I am watching the trees in winter, bare and stark.

What i am not doing is "thinking". Not in the everyday, worrying sense. When i am on a shoot i am concentrating 100% on picture taking and my mind has no space or chance to worry. That is my freedom. Not only is it an escape from the madness of modern day life it is also an escape from myself and my runaway thoughts. It works for me. And the good thing i am finding is that it carries on working long after the camera has been put away. And hopefully i'll have a picture at the end of it that can remind me that i am quite good at something !

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to add any comments.