Do you read math & hard science books? How?
justlearning: Thanks HN, Many times a rhetorical question is answered in ways more than i can ask for. I have few attributes that I suspect are behind my depression. This being one of them. I have been doing the same- but unlike the OP and others, I get depressed that I bought a book and by not reading it completely, I didn't give its due. I take it very personally that I have Cormen's Algorithms and not gone past chapter1. It's like insulting the writers- i don't know if you get it. It's like you want to be the most passionate religious man on earth and the holy bible you really wanted to read and you know that is what you want is lying on the shelf, while you are trying to sort floating divs on a web page...and whenever i pick up a book, i will hit a block where it gets difficult to understand and because i am used to reading other books in a more casual way, i come to tell myself how dumb i am. i convince myself this to be true when i read about everyone i follow and all the books they have read...it's a vicious cycle that's been eating me inside out - in almost a literal sense....But many a times, I will just grab a book (anything - even non technical) and read it while sitting on the throne - read a few lines and ponder over it. my favorite is sicp - which i have not completed after having it well over a year. The few minutes of pondering is much more valuable compared to the regular day, when I am less patient and I want to do some "quick fix" things. I am so glad to find that I am not alone to read parts in between.so @zkz, thank you for posting this question. The answers posted removed one more attribute which added to my depression. many more to overcome. what a day! I feel so relieved! - i would say this if I met you, so posted it here.