[split] Ethics - parental responsibility re: children

[Aegon]

What did you expect to be different?  Did you expect your family to change?

I expected to be in a better mood. That didn't happen. I would hate to say going to the resort was a waste of time, but.......

You can't magically expect to feel better if you return to the same conditions that caused your depressive state to begin with. Steps must be taken to rectify the problem areas in your life. It doesn't matter what your setting is if you bring the same mind with you.

You also can't live your life mood-to-mood, because you will sink into it and feel as though you are trapped in that mood (good or bad). What your current mood is needs to be irrelevant. I'd recommend creating a solid psychological foundation that you can return to no matter how you feel in the present moment. It's something you need to work at, through therapy and mindfulness meditation. That's what helped me, at least. I was depressed and suicidal at 17, addicted to amphetamines at 19. I'm 26 now and I am quite happy, but me and my life went through drastic changes to get there.

What will help you depends on how open you are to certain ideas. But the most important thing is to recognize that you are not your thoughts, that your brain constantly lies to you, and that however you feel in a given moment is a fleeting emotion and not a place you need to live in.

Your fixation on "suffering" makes me think Buddhist philosophy may be of help to you. I recommend starting with Thich Nhat Hanh.