Bryan Johnson argues that the "no-excuses" mentality can harm people with severe depression. He shares his own experience of feeling paralyzed and says blaming people for their misery is counterproductive. Instead, he advocates for compassion and tiny, manageable steps toward recovery.
I think the idea that this full on, like, no excuse, David Goggins, like, thing, it can be problematic. Can we be real for a minute? Like, this is not a situation where you just put out a platitude, like, anyone. People are in shitty situations. They sometimes need serious help. Sometimes it can feel awful when others put the expectation on you that it is your fault. I know when I was chronically depressed, I felt paralyzed to do anything. And it wasn't if someone pulled up and gave me a fancy quote or patted me on the back of like, get your shit together, Brian. I was paralyzed. Like, I just wanted to lay down and die. So for those of you out there who are in that spot, and there's a lot of you, because you know, like, this is a very common human occurrence, I would take a much softer approach with you and say it's okay. Like, it is very hard to be human. And a lot of time in life, it just feels miserable. You are not the misery you feel. And you can make small baby steps.
