Depression Doesn’t Own You!
The therapists and counselors at Milford Counseling work with teens, children and adults who are feeling depressed.
Depression can be a constant struggle and zap the joy right out of your life. If it continues, the ramifications of chronic depression can be serious. Does your thinking keep you up during all hours of the night? Do you experience body sensations that cause tension and discomfort? Are your emotions on a roller coaster sometimes and everything seems overwhelming and out of control; grasping and reaching for some kind of relief but never quite getting to a safe destination where everything feels calm and relaxed.
It’s a problem when your depression seems normal.
These feelings and symptoms are very common in our fast driven culture that believes success is doing and having more. The result is exhaustion, depression and a stressed person just trying to get through their day. Usually, by the time a person with depression seeks therapy, the behavior patterns of suffering have been occurring for a very long time and it seems normal. It’s a problem when your depression seems normal. If you feel this way, I can assure you that you are not alone in this arena. Depression in our society is more prevalent than it has ever been and it becoming the norm because so many are going untreated. People usually come to me looking for relief from pain but are not fully aware of the conditions that cause the pain.
Here’s a couple of exercises to improve your mood right now. The first exercise that can provide benefit is what I like to call “watching”. Watching is a term I learned from 12 step recovery that I have expanded on in my own therapy practice over the years and have worked to help teach others in my clinical practice. The great thing about the “watching” exercise is that it is very effective with lowering depression symptoms and increasing your mood. “Watching” is making a mindful observation of yourself; primarily your thoughts, feelings, perceptions, sensations and actions. It’s like you are seeing yourself from an observational third person. Let’s take a look at perception as an example. The brain likes to label everything it sees immediately. When you perceive something, become aware of it, the brain follows a pathway to a label and description that is used most.
The “watching” exercise is very effective with lowering depression.
For example: a common perception of Monday is that they are busy, stressful, long and not very exciting or fun. The automatic label of Monday, without any thought, is labeled as a difficult day. Therefore, you start your Monday off without even considering that this is the narrative being chosen by your brain. The Monday label isn’t real “Watching” gives you the ability to catch these negative perceptions before they manifest in your day. When you “watch” yourself label things automatically, you have the choice to correct it. You can change your perception and thinking to something that serves you well. Example: “Monday is the day that I start my week off and get things going in positive direction that helps me”. Or, “Monday is the day I create a positive momentum to have a good week.” Building a strong awareness of your thoughts and thinking is a skill that you can begin working on today. A counselor or therapist can help you take it further.
The second step you can take to improve your mood right now is an extension to the “watching” tool. Have you ever heard the expression, “I am going to hit the pause button”? There is no such thing as a pause button. But there is a “zoom” option that allows you to take a closer look. By “watching” your thoughts and perceptions you can begin to “zoom” in closer to your feelings and how affecting your emotional well-being. After all, they may not be serving you or those around you very well. If this is the case, you have a golden opportunity to “zoom” into the emotion and “watch” the thinking together. “Watch” and “zoom”. This will help you unlatch negative thoughts and emotions that are contributing to your depression. It can be instant relief.
You have a choice to change your thoughts and feelings.
“Zooming” in to old feelings you will begin to discover they are fixed patterns that you have repeatedly reinforced in your brain’s neural pathways that have very little to do with reality or your present circumstances. This is good news for all of us. Because that means that the conditional negative response we are perceiving is not as real as we think it is. Remember the thoughts and feelings with Monday and how stress and negativity attached to it was not real.
You can “watch” and “zoom” into Monday a little more and discover your heart is beating and our lungs are breathing. We are alive today and this means you are a warrior. A survivor. So “zoom” and “watch” your thoughts and feelings. Shine a bright light on all of it so you can have a new experience that isn’t obscured by old perceptions that don’t apply or serve you best.
Milford Counseling has the solution to end your depression and we are ready to serve... You can eliminate your depression and get on with your life. We invite you to call us (248)529-6383 to schedule a session with a therapist. It would be an honor to work with you and help!
Related Posts
