Polarized thinking: Not allowing for any gray areas in life, or thinking in “black and white. ” Filtering or discounting the positives: Focusing on the negative of a situation and ignoring any positives. Fortune-telling: Thinking that you know what will happen in the future. Mind-reading: Thinking you know that others are thinking badly of you or that you are responsible for their negative feelings. Overgeneralization: Thinking that one bad experience guarantees more bad experiences. Blaming: Blaming yourself for things you are not responsible. Emotional reasoning: Thinking with emotions or letting emotions affect how you perceive an event. ”Should statements”: Using terms such as “should”, “must”, and “ought” to in your thinking; this is a form of judging yourself. Magnification and minimization: Thinking that make issues seem larger than they are or trying to ignore issues. Labeling: Using terms that diminish your whole self-concept by being known as a certain trait or mistake.
Find whatever works best for you. This can be a notebook, loose-leaf notebook paper, or your computer.
Many who suffer from depression feel powerless to change how they feel and the course of their lives. Our thoughts greatly influences our feelings and behaviors, which is the basis for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT has been shown to be successful for treating depression. [3] X Trustworthy Source National Institute of Mental Health Informational website from U. S. government focused on the understanding and treatment of mental illness. Go to source Relapse depression symptoms were much lower for those who had undergone CBT than for those who were being treated with medications alone. A great way to start this process is to monitor your emotions and automatic thoughts by recording them in a journal or daily record. Start first by noticing mood changes, then begin to analyze what your thoughts had been just prior to feeling differently. For example: Event: I received poor feedback on my presentation at work. Feelings: I felt embarrassed. Here is another example: Event: I forgot to sign the birthday card for my boss. Feeling: I felt regretful and embarrassed.
In your journal, create a chart in which you can record certain situations, their corresponding emotions, and the thoughts you had just prior to your emotions. [4] X Research source Barlow, David H. (2014). Clinical handbook of psychological disorder: A step-by-step treatment guides. (5th ed). New York: The Guilford Press. For example: Event: I received poor feedback on my presentation at work. Feelings: I felt embarrassed. Automatic thought: I am so stupid. Identify the dysfunctional thought: You are labeling yourself. Here is another example: Event: I forgot to sign the birthday card for my boss. Feeling: I felt regretful and embarrassed Automatic thoughts: I know my boss hates me now. Identify the dysfunctional thought: You are trying to mind-read.
For example: Event: I received poor feedback on my presentation at work. Feelings: I felt embarrassed. Thoughts: I am so stupid. Rational thought: I am not my thoughts or behaviors. I am not a label. I am not stupid. I made a mistake and will do better in the future. Here is another example: Event: I forgot to sign the birthday card for my boss. Feeling: I felt regretful and embarrassed Automatic thoughts: I know my boss hates me now. Rational thought: I cannot know what my boss is thinking about me. It was an honest mistake. I can always verbally tell my boss happy birthday.
Rumination is the activity of replaying a scenario or problem in your head over and over, like a broken record. While some people consider rumination as a form of problem-solving (“I’m thinking through this problem from every angle until I come up with a solution”), if the problem is upsetting, you will end up continuing to be upset until you stop thinking about it. [8] X Research source Find a day planner that has space for hourly scheduling. Make sure you plan each hour of your day. Incorporate time for journaling, rest, exercise, relaxation, and self-care. To combat loneliness, schedule time to connect with a social group or a pet.
Refrain from evaluating your activities on an all-or-nothing scale. Instead, try to evaluate on a scale of one to ten, with one being low competency or low pleasure, and ten being maximum competency and maximum pleasure.
It is important to begin in one area, scheduling this daily. For instance, you can start with being responsible for showering. You can also record your level of mastery in being responsible for showering. For instance, starting out, you may indicate that you were only able to get out of bed for the day and not shower. This may seem like no mastery at all, but it is more mastery that you previously had. Use your planner and feelings of competence to build yourself back up in self-care. Once you have taken on showering, you can tackle making the bed, then cleaning, etc.
Some examples include: exercise, having coffee with a friend, painting, reading, meditation, prayer, or playing with a pet. Write down these distraction methods in your journal or planner. Consult them frequently so that you have a reminder about your distraction plan.
Even a simple act like saying hello to your neighbor can help you feel more connected. This might even be the impetus you need to start a conversation that will result in a lifelong friendship.
Make sure that you get enough restful, continuous sleep to ensure that your brain has its best chance. Most adults will need around 8 hours of sleep, but plenty of people need more while some people may need less. Experiment to find what works for you.
You can take your lunch outside, even when it’s cold. Try walking to work or school, at least part of the way as another way to fit more daylight into your day. You can also invest in a sunlamp or get one covered by your insurance with the help of a doctor. [18] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
One good way for you to exercise while also managing the feelings of depression is to go for a jog or a swim. Both of these exercises are known for helping you clear your mind, as you focus on your environment and the physical sensation of what you are doing. Work up to exercising about 35 minutes every day or one hour three days a week. These have been found to be the most effective exercise schedules for combating depression. [20] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School’s Educational Site for the Public Go to source
Some people might consider “outside help” to include the use of psychotropic medication to help depression Others might still seek therapy but otherwise will go the “all-natural” route. Others may not want to see a therapist because they feel stigmatized, crazy, or burdensome. Some people may not even want “outside help” from friends and family.
In fact, research shows that having social support decreases stress[25] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source and can help find solutions to problems, especially for those who are struggling with depression. [26] X Research source Furthermore, social support is the number one way to combat loneliness because it can help you feel connected to others and connected to life. [27] X Research source
Pinpoint who you will call and have a plan about which kind of outside help you will seek if you do reach a point in needing acute care for depression. This type of plan is a safety plan and will include names of friends, family, doctors, and emergency numbers to call if you need help. For example, you can type up a list that includes several important phone numbers: phone numbers for your mother, your best friend, your doctor, and an emergency nurse or hospital. Also include the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number (988), and the phone numbers for local police and 911.
