a comment on the

Total Perspective Vortex article provokes further thought:

"...so is an awareness of shortcomings what is responsible for the depression, or does the depression merely make these molehills seem insurmountable?"

~ChrisW75 14 June 2007 at 08:37 pm

It seems to me that it is one's ability to *reduce* mountains to molehills that creates the greatest survival advantage.

For example, *my* parents had a tendency to simply *discount* my perceptions of reality, which was not the *least* bit helpful as a 'coping' strategy - it merely led me to be highly anxious all the time, doubting my ability to 'see reality' as it was, and making me feel highly incompetent, which, let me tell you, does *not* lend itself to 'positive coping strategies'. What feeling incompetent *tends* to do is paralyze one, utterly and completely.

Way to *go*, idiot parents - tie your kid's (metaphorical) shoestrings together, then shove her out onto the eight-lane freeway of life

and expect her to fucking survive.

Rock ON.

***
What would have been far *more* useful would have been for my parents to teach me how to tackle the mountain.

Through use of aphoristic platitudes (??), such as 'baby steps, baby steps', accompanied by an encouraging smile :-);

or, perhaps even *more* useful, simply showing me how to break things down into smaller bites.