Have you ever had someone tell you to “Just cheer up?” Well, that has never worked. In fact, it dismisses the struggle so thoroughly that it can make the depression feel worse.
The typical treatment plan for depression starts with increasing activities to elevate your mood, challenging your automatic thoughts, identifying the negative thinking and biases, and then changing primary attitudes. That is a very cognitive behavioral view, which has been effective.
However, a large number of Today CBT psychologist don’t agree with the original proposition that you have to throw away all of your negative thoughts just to be able to overcome your depression. Acceptance and commitment therapy combines mindfulness training and other CBT techniques to help depressed clients except the negative thoughts as ways that your brain think and thoughts that flow through your mind rather than valuable guides for behavior or decision. As you increasingly accept the negative thoughts for what they are, just thoughts, it’s easier to navigate your life. This has been extremely effective and why you see psychologist, like myself, constantly recommending meditation for all sorts of mental issues because it gives you a calmer moment in your head to get a handle on your thoughts.
With help you can overcome and challenge those negative thoughts and ease the pressure that keeps you from moving forward.
We also explore negative, core beliefs that you have about yourself and help you restore your worth and self-esteem. We work on coping skills and help you improve motivation and interest in what you love. Depression is common and it can be treated with the right approach and therapeutic relationship. You are enough and you deserve to feel happy.
There are ways to life your sadness, together we can restore hope for your present and future. Depression feels overwhelming whether it is seasonal depression, mood swings, persistent depression, or postpartum depression. The depressive feelings can be felt from the moment you wake up and remain an issue until you fall asleep. You may feel like you do not have the energy to even plan the things you want to accomplish. With active depression you may feel sadness, fatigued, emotionally drained, creatively blocked, and have recurring thoughts of hopelessness and helplessness.
Self-Care Day. Even when not depressed, give yourself a weekly “spa day.” Take a bubble bath, use the good towels, cook something you only make for guests, and remember that recharging yourself makes you better the rest of the week.
Therapy. Go to therapy. Having someone to be accountable to can feel overwhelming if you are depressed. It can also help to hear a professional tell you how well you are doing at handling the challenges.
Music. Make a playlist of songs that remind you of happy times. No matter how long ago that was. Listen when you are feeling really good to set up the association in your brain between the songs and the mood – then use it as medicine when you need it.
ECT. Electro convulsive therapy can be a very effective and fast acting intervention for unipolar depression. They attach two electrodes to your head and run electricity through the brain for up to 70 seconds. After a half a dozen to a dozen treatments over about a month most patients feel less depressed. Carrie Fisher, Princess Leah, had ECT on a couple of occasions and mentioned during interviews that not only was her depression gone but so were some of her memories (a common side effect). That sounds flippant, but to many losing memories sounds like a release and not a burden if it helps with overwhelming despair.