Since reading this I’ve noticed a connection between overactive pruning and depression-y feelings in my own life. When I feel “depressed” (used in the non-clinical sense) and really pay attention, I notice that I still have many fleeting impulses but that some part of my mind is smothering them almost below the level of conscious awareness. Just noticing this seems to help let those impulses flow to action, which in turn seems to counter the higher-level feeling of depression. In particular, letting these impulses manifest in physical babble—doing silly things with my body, like falling over or dancing—substantially improves my mood. I wonder what this mechanism is.
Since reading this I’ve noticed a connection between overactive pruning and depression-y feelings in my own life. When I feel “depressed” (used in the non-clinical sense) and really pay attention, I notice that I still have many fleeting impulses but that some part of my mind is smothering them almost below the level of conscious awareness. Just noticing this seems to help let those impulses flow to action, which in turn seems to counter the higher-level feeling of depression. In particular, letting these impulses manifest in physical babble—doing silly things with my body, like falling over or dancing—substantially improves my mood. I wonder what this mechanism is.