Do The Opposite Of What The Depression Voice Suggests
The automatic, unhelpful voice in your head may talk you out of self-help. However, if you can learn to recognize it, you can learn to work through it.
If you believe an event wont be fun or worth your time, say to yourself, You might be right, but itll be better than just sitting here another night. You may soon see the automatic thought isnt always helpful.
Creating Your Own Abc
Creating your own model will help you reflect on your own behaviour and treat depressive symptoms. Ready to begin?
The easiest way to start an ABC model is with the B. The B could be a harmful habit, something youre avoiding or something that causes problems in your life. It can be basically anything. It depends on what you have learned throughout life. Here are some common examples of Bs:
- Staying in bed for too long.
- Over- or undereating.
- Avoiding a conflict.
- Cancelling plans.
So, can you think of anything you do or dont do that causes problems in your life? To find your B, ask yourself this question:
- Whats my problematic behaviour that I would like to change?
Lets continue with A, and this one often requires some thought. The A is the situation that triggers you to act in a way that causes problems. Maybe you think about or see something that causes you discomfort. To find your A, ask yourself this question and write down the answer:
- What kind of situation usually triggers this problematic behaviour?
Now, lets have a look at C, the consequences. There is a reason why you keep performing this problematic behaviour. In a way, its perfectly logical. The only reason we want to change it, is because it creates more difficulties in the long run. Short-term, you probably have something to gain, for example a quick feeling of relief or less discomfort in the moment. To find your C, ask yourself these questions and write down your answers:
Healing From Depression The 6 Proven Non
Depression steals people. So far, despite the colossal investment of resources, there is still no reliably effective treatment. What we know for sure is that antidepressants just arent working. According to Dr Stephen Ilardi, respected psychologist, university professor and author of The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression Without Drugs, antidepressants only have about a 50% success rate. Out of the people who do find relief, half of them will relapse, taking the actual recovery rate to 25%. Then there are the side effects, such as emotional blunting, weight gain and sexual dysfunction.
When antidepressants fail to deliver, the hopelessness that lies at the heart of depression becomes even more brutal. If we could immunise ourselves and the people we love against depression, wed be lining up. There is no immunisation, but a growing body of research is finding that there are ways to protect ourselves from depression and alleviate any existing symptoms, particularly for mild to moderate depression.
Its about certain lifestyle factors six of them and the difference they can make to each of us, depressed or otherwise, is phenomenal. The claims may sound extravagant, but science is proving them over and over. The evidence is too compelling for us not to take notice.
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Try Supplements Or Change Your Diet
Changing your diet or taking supplements is definitely a long-term strategy. Research shows certain supplements or nutrients can help anxiety reduction.
These include:
However, it can take a few months before your body is actually running on the nutrition these herbs and foods provide. If youre taking other medications, make sure to discuss herbal remedies with your doctor as there can be adverse reactions.
Using Simple Coping Strategies
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Create A Morning Pampering Routine
When you live with depression, you may notice your personal care starts to decline. You might start by skipping the shower. Brushing your hair may feel like a chore. Maybe you dont remember when you last brushed your teeth.
A small, cross-sectional study found married women who self-pampered were less likely to experience depression compared to married women who didnt self-pamper.
Its possible, however, like with diet, that people who pamper themselves more are more likely to have other beneficial mental and physical behaviors, which might explain lower rates of depression.
Where To Buy Bullet Journal Supplies
- The Bullet Journal Store. Here you can buy the official Bullet Journal notebook. It contains an eight-page guide, an index, a custom key page, and prenumbered pages so that you can get right down to business.
- Amazon. has an incredible selection of affordable bullet journal supplies. From notebooks and gel pens to washi tape and stencils, youll find everything you need in one place.
- J B Welly. This snazzy web store specializes in high-quality notebooks and pens and features many popular bullet journaling products, including the official Bullet Journal.
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Enjoy The Emotional Benefits Of Exercise
Exercise offers physiological benefits that can help people going through depression. Physical activity relieves stress and can make you feel great. Plus, the satisfaction you get from finishing an engaging and challenging workout can boost your self-esteem as you get stronger and more physically fit. When you fight depression with a regular exercise routine, youll feel better emotionally and physically.
Stay Connected To The Outside World
Socially, you might also be tempted to shut yourself away, saying no when friends or family ask if you want to meet up with them. This is reaction is completely normal, but being present at social events, and spending time with other people, will help to reduce your symptoms of depression and help keep them at bay in the future.
Social media and video calls are a convenient way to do this, but if youre able to then a face-to-face meeting will have the most positive effect. You could try taking small steps with the goal of a meeting in a public location being the end goal. Whatever you try, make sure you only commit to what feels comfortable for you.
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Coping With Depression Challenge Negative Thinking
Coping with depression is difficult for most people because depressed people experience a lot of negative thinking. Negative thinking is when you evaluate yourself, your behaviour, events, things around you in a negative way. Negative thinking makes everything look tougher, heavier, uglier, not exciting and literally drains your energy when you only think of it. By challenging negative thinking you are effectively coping with depression, if you do it right. But first things first:
Why Is Dealing With Depression So Difficult
Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to take the steps that will help you to feel better. Sometimes, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like exercising or spending time with friends, can seem exhausting or impossible to put into action.
Its the Catch-22 of depression recovery: The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do. There is a big difference, however, between something thats difficult and something thats impossible. While recovering from depression isnt quick or easy, you do have more control than you realizeeven if your depression is severe and stubbornly persistent. The key is to start small and build from there. You may not have much energy, but by drawing on all your reserves, you should have enough to take a walk around the block or pick up the phone to call a loved one, for example.
Taking the first step is always the hardest. But going for a walk or getting up and dancing to your favorite music, for example, is something you can do right now. And it can substantially boost your mood and energy for several hourslong enough to put a second recovery step into action, such as preparing a mood-boosting meal or arranging to meet an old friend. By taking the following small but positive steps day by day, youll soon lift the heavy fog of depression and find yourself feeling happier, healthier, and more hopeful again.
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Reaching Out To Others
How To Deal With Depression
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- Take care of yourself: You should try to live a healthy life, eat right, and balance activities to avoid too much stress. Getting enough sleep is usually underrated, but sufficient sleep actually helps improve the mood. You also need to identify the things that cause you the most stress, and come up with ways to avoid or overcome these. Finally, relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga do actually help develop a saner and more peaceful mind.
- Exercise: Getting enough exercise will not only make you look good from the outside, but is also a good tool in dealing with depression alone. An increased energy level works as an anti-depressant, and increases mood-enhancing neurotransmitters.
- Know your limits: Sometimes, professional help is required to overcome depression. There is nothing shameful about seeking help knowing your personal limitations and acting on them are actually signs of a strong personality. Certain kinds of depression may not be dealt with without medication, especially if it involves a chemical imbalance.
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Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
Also known as SSRIs, these typically have fewer side effects than other types of antidepressants. Fluoxetine , sertraline , and escitalopram all fit into this category.
Depression is linked to low levels of serotonin . SSRIs work by preventing your blood from absorbing some of the serotonin from your brain. This leaves a higher level of serotonin in the brain, and increased serotonin can help relieve depression.
Changes In Appetite And Weight
Weight and appetite can fluctuate for people with depression. This experience may be different for each person. Some people will have an increased appetite and gain weight, while others wont be hungry and will lose weight.
One indication of whether dietary changes are related to depression is if theyre intentional or not. If theyre not, it may mean that theyre caused by depression.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
People who die by suicide usually show symptoms first. Often people will talk about it or make a first attempt before succeeding in ending their life. If you think someone is at immediate risk of self-harm or hurting another person:
- Stay with the person until help arrives.
- Remove any guns, knives, medications, or other things that may cause harm.
- Listen, but dont judge, argue, threaten, or yell.
If you think someone is considering suicide, get help from a crisis or suicide prevention hotline. Try the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
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Learn To Recognize Negative Thinking
Sometimes these thoughts can be obvious, such as times when you berate or criticize yourself. Other times, they can be more subtle. You might find yourself engaging in things like catastrophizing or all-or-nothing thinking.
Catastrophizing involves always anticipating negative outcomes. All-or-nothing thinking means that you think of things as either successes or failures with no in-between. Once you get better at recognizing these cognitive patterns, you can start working on some healthier replacements.
Signs That Someone May Be Depressed
Depression has lots of possible symptoms.
You may notice that someone:
- has lost interest in doing things they normally enjoy
- seems to be feeling down or hopeless
- has slower speech and movements or is more fidgety and restless than usual
- feels tired or does not have much energy
- is overeating or has lost their appetite
- is sleeping more than usual or is not able to sleep
- has trouble concentrating on everyday things, such as watching TV or reading the paper
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To Start Your Bullet Journal Practice
This how-to video is where it all began. Ryder Carroll not only goes through what you need to know about the process, but sets up a sample bullet journal so you can see for yourself how the basic framework comes together.
The trick is to take the techniques he describes for a spin, and then modify them to suit you. In time, your personal bullet journaling style will take shape.
Meet Yourself Where You Are
Depression is common. It affects millions of people, including some in your life. You may not realize they face similar challenges, emotions, and obstacles.
The key to navigating depression is to be open, accepting, and loving toward yourself and what youre going through.
Every day with this disorder is different. Its important to take your mental health seriously and accept that where you are right now isnt where youll always be.
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Signs Of An Anxiety Attack
These are some of the more common mental and physical symptoms of anxiety:
- feelings of danger, panic, or dread
- nervousness or restlessness
- numbness or tingling in your extremities
- feeling hot or cold
If you notice that quick tips havent been working, you may want to consider seeing a professional for help. Especially if you believe you have GAD and its interfering with routine activities and causing physical symptoms.
A mental health professional can help with streamlining the process of identifying your triggers, maintaining long-term strategies through behavioral therapy, medications, and more.
Anxiety may always be a part of your life, but it shouldnt overtake your day-to-day. Even the most extreme anxiety disorders can be treated so that the symptoms arent overwhelming.
Once you find what treatment works best for you, life should be a lot more enjoyable and a lot less daunting.
Start A Journaling Routine
Depression comes with an array of unwanted thoughts and feelings. Journaling about what youre feeling can provide a useful outlet for your emotions, giving you some distance from unhelpful thoughts. This distance can help you to process difficult emotions.
If you feel able to, try sitting for a few minutes and writing out what youre thinking and feeling. Allow yourself to meet those thoughts with acceptance. They might feel bad, but feeling them doesnt make you bad.
Journaling can also help you keep track of things, people, or places that make you feel better or worse, so that you know what to move towards and what to avoid next time.
Journaling can also help you step out of negative thought loops. Writing about what youre feeling can help you to become aware of unwanted thoughts, so that you can let them go and ultimately replace them with helpful ones.
Like any habit, making regular time for journaling can help you get the most benefit from it. You might consider downloading a mood tracking app to measure your mood over time or setting aside half an hour each day to sit down and write whatever comes to mind.
There are some great worksheets and self-help guides out there. These resources aim to help you learn about depression, get in touch with your emotional health, and give you tools you can use to start feeling better.
You might like to try out these free, online self-help guides:
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