In A Spinning Cube Of Dysphoria

Annmarie Throckmorton, M.A.

Jun 30, 2021

Occasionally I lapse into dysphoria, which is a mental state of unease and generalized dissatisfaction with life, the opposite of euphoria. It is painful to drift roughly along in it, remembering awful experiences and/or anticipating new and unpleasant events. My dysphoria is usually accompanied by unfiltered chattiness, but if I take Naproxen and tame myself, then my uncomfortable condition will not slide into an ocular migraine which completely fatigues and incapacitates me.

But I recently realized how to better manage my dysphoria. Of course I take Naproxen at the very moment that I realize where I am headed, but in the moment of my painful mental drift and unfiltered chattiness, I also gently reassure myself that exactly where I am is good, no need to thrash about in the past or future. This calms me. There more to it but one would have to be in the dysphoria, to experience it, to see the way out. Prayers and best wishes for fellow sufferers.