A friend has fought an ongoing battle with depression over the years, bravely experimenting with all manner of treatments and therapies. Happily she's making headway at the moment, working with a coach, and I liked her explanation of what they're doing together - she describes it as aiming to 'flip' her thinking. This makes sense. I'm sure that a lot of low mood is caused, or at least not helped, by negative thinking.
Sometimes we get mired in the kind of thinking that weighs us down, a bit like falling into water wearing a heavy overcoat. Removing it would give you a better chance of escaping, but it's often the case that the negative thoughts won't go away. Of course it's not realistic to imagine that you'll go from Negative Thought City to Positive Town in one step. But that's not to say that you can't begin to turn your bad thoughts on their head. Why not see if you can try a little of that today?
I love the metaphor "city" to "town", partly because one can get more 'lost' and trapped in a city. Quite important to me anyway, is the ease at which I can reach the country-side, allowing for the positive effects of 'Nature'on the spirits
ReplyDeleteTowns are happier for me on this score.
This is my primary problem. So difficult to overcome. CBT has helped a little, but ultimately it is down to myself to combat these thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThat's why CBT is one of the most helpful tools for many psychological disorders including mood disorders.
ReplyDeleteI like the way it was all worded....I have done CBT in the past, with a therapist for over 18 months and I can't honestly say it did very much for me at the time. since then I have had it again to help with pains and tiredness. but I was already being mindful of that so the therapist signed me off that pretty quick. but these words say to me....its ok to feel how you do and accept it and find a way of handling it and improving it.....not YOU SHOULD......but YOU CAN, in your own way and time
ReplyDeleteYes I agree with this. I too have had CBT and whilst during the period of my sessions, I came away thinking this is the best thing since sliced bread, I found after a while without the teacher constantly prodding me into a different way of thinking, the beneficial effects wore off. I then tried anti depressants and wondered why all depressed people weren't on them until the effects of these wore off too. So I have come to the conclusion that acknowledging how we feel and accepting it without being too hard on ourselves and working from that base of acceptance...we are who we are so to speak, we can't all be the same, maybe it's other people who have the problems etc etc, is perhaps the only way forward. Changing a negative thought into something positive does help me as well but I sometimes think I just want to be negative or rather it's more realistic to be negative about some things at any rate.I am trying to get into Mindfulness and so far the reasoning and concepts behind it are making real sense (except for the obligatory 45 minutes of practice 6 days a week!) One thing I read last night in his book has stayed with me. He writes that anxiety, depression and fatigue are powerful mental states which can undermine ones best intentions to he says (practice regularly) but I took that to mean also it undermines ones best intentions to change ones thinking. The powerful mental state bit made a lot of sense to me. I know one person for instance who is not depressed but can of course feel negative from time to time but he can switch to being positive in an instant. He told me that he often puts negative thoughts to the back of his mind and easily switches to more pleasant thoughts just like that and it works for him every time. Not that he needed to do this constantly all day, just occasionally. Even his statement describing this mental action came across as cheery and gung ho whereas if I were to talk about it, I would explain the process as being very hard to do and not always achievable, such a monumental effort etc!.
DeleteI believe I have a short circuit in my brain, Yes it is possible to think positive but for those thoughts to transmit into positive action all the time just does not work! There is a broken relay in there somewhere!
ReplyDeleteI'm a Wheelchair User in Wales. I've been fighting an ongoing battle with Depression myself since 1982.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently going through another, (for the want of a better word, 'relapse'). I went to Bed at Lunchtime yesterday, & frankly, I couldn't be bothered to get out of Bed, until just before 10am today. (Twenty two hours, approx.). I've tried everything that I can think of myself, except, most notably, Group Therapy.
I recently went, (for the UMPTEENTH time), to my Local Medical Centre, where I spoke to one of the GPs, & she said that she would see if anything was available.
She rang me at Lunchtime, three or four days later, suggesting MIND. I went along to visit at the arranged time, & spoke to a Lady working there. She said that I could try 'Group Therapy' after another crack at '1-2-1 Counselling', (Quite why when it's been tried & failed before, I don't know.
Now I'm back to ANOTHER increase in my ADs, (Firstly Satelopram & now, Venalofaxine). Once again, I don't know why though. BOTH are a TOTAL waste.
What is even WORSE, is that I am on a Waiting List until JULY or AUGUST, before ANY Treatment' even BEGIN to 'kick in', would you believe.
I've also yet to try CBT, but perhaps that 'ties in' with what I will be undergoing?.
Hello there. Its good you have posted. Do you do the daily moodscope charts too? I am sorry to hear of your current problems. Do you relate your depression with being a wheelchair user? I was thinking that if you were born with a disability which meant you had to use a wheelchair from a very early age, then this is you and the only life you know. If on the other hand, you started being a wheelchair user later on in life because of an accident, then I would imagine, this could well be a cause of depression. Anyway I suppose depression is the same for all of us and more often than not it's difficult to pinpoint the actual cause and when it started.
DeleteBut I do think you will find Moodscope a great help. By reading Jon's daily blogs and the posts and writing down how you are feeling in the comments section like you did today plus keeping a daily record of your mood on the graph, I am sure you will feel more cheerful. It is a great support network of like minded people who suffer low moods; you take from and give to it whatever you feel like each day. Jon and Caroline can advise you how it works or read the info on the moodscope website. It's good that you posted today after such a difficult 22 hours in bed. That takes courage or something!
A late addition to your post, W.U. I agree with Julia that it was so brave to post that you were in bed 22 hours. I do the same at times, but don't have the same courage to admit to others it's due to low mood and lack of motivation. So.. You have motivated me! I wish you well. I amnot a wheelchair user and can't begin to understand the added frustrations there, but would encourage you to keep enlisting all and any help. I wish I Were near to offer help and a social. Get out if youcan. If only for a coffee in a shop. It works for me. You meet all sorts and learn useful stuff which can help. Good luck
DeleteI like the analogy of city against town as city does sound busier and therefore less personal in comparison. I've done a lot of work with a Clinical Psychologist who has helped me to understand more about my dysfunctional thought and behaviour patterns. I can now use the 'flip' concept which does work if I can catch the negative thought quickly enough!
ReplyDeleteSloganeering like the Ad hawkers do, helps with flipping. So does singing a song. Neil Diamond's Song Sung Blue does it for me and it makes the point life is not a bed of happiness.
ReplyDeleteInvite you all to come to my 76th Facebook Birthday party and book launch bash on March 21. Go here for details. https://www.facebook.com/EMOT.FIT/events