# Depression privileges — a third bowl of ice cream

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-joke-depression-extra-ice-cream
- Themes: humour, depression, illness
- Life situations: needing a laugh, depression

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

He tells a depressed man not to advertise recovery too soon — wife and boss will put him back to work. The man later reports: when depressed he got two bowls of ice cream; if he were 'okay' she would never allow a third.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

You got very many privileges being depressed." And I remember this because he told me afterwards, "Yes, so true. You know, this morning I had two bowls of ice cream. My wife would never let me have two bowls of ice cream when I was okay. But now she thinks I'm depressed. Oh, you have a third bowl

## Teaching point

(Dark humour about secondary gains of illness — use carefully.)

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

A man recovering from depression joked that while his wife thought he was still low, he got two bowls of ice cream, maybe three. Ajahn Brahm's point: don't be depressed about being depressed; moods come and go. Fearing it will get worse adds weight. Keep getting proper support, and trust that low times pass.

## Source

- [Getting Along with Difficult Family Members | Ajahn Brahm | 18 June 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SKiukqiAK8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:05:21 to 1:05:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SKiukqiAK8&t=3921s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Content and Easily Satisfied - Armadale Meditation Group | Ajahn Brahm | 21 December 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVAciE7E8tA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:12:42 to 1:13:14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVAciE7E8tA&t=4362s