When it’s more than just a bad day or two, what do you do? How do you deal with depression?
Depression. It’s one of these things that carries so much shame in the name. You might feel it inside but you’re too afraid to say it on the outside. It feels like life is getting worse with no way out, so, what do you do?
It’s not a myth and it’s not just a bad day but it can possibly be triggered by your thoughts. Think of your thoughts as the manufacturing assembly line of your actions. Before you ever actually do anything, or not do anything, it starts out as a thought in your mind. You think it and then eventually you do it. There is so much power in what we think about. We can’t afford to be lazy with our thoughts and just think about whatever comes to mind or whatever we see. We have to choose, deliberately to think right thoughts.
What are right thoughts? Right thoughts are positive thoughts that do not negate the reality of your present world. It might be true that you’re 48 and still single but rather than ending that with something negative, you could say, “I’m 48, still single, but I’m believing that I’m going to meet someone wonderful someday. In the meantime, I will enjoy my life and be the best me I can be.”
Of course not applying right thinking is not necessarily the sole source of depression but it can certainly be a trigger that amplifies it into something worse than it already is. Choosing to think right thoughts can be an exercise that you apply to your mental daily workout. It starts when you first wake up. Choosing to declare something good over the day and over yourself are game changers especially during times like these. For example, you can try saying, “Today is going to be a great day. I’m going to do something wonderful today. Good things are coming my way. I have something wonderful to offer this world.”
Coupled with right thinking is gratitude. Of course we all know we should be grateful but truth be told, we don’t always feel grateful. I encourage you, just like you don’t always feel like working out, but you do it anyway, think of gratitude as another daily mental exercise to apply to your life. Deliberately choose to lose the mental weight that’s pulling you down by confessing aloud what you’re grateful for. When I do this exercise, I just start off by looking up. If there’s a roof over my head, then I say, “Thank you for a roof over my head.” Get practical with it. Do you have running water? Food in your fridge? Family and friends? Are you breathing? It may feel “fake” for you to say so many things that you’re grateful for at first, but that’s only because it’s a new exercise for you. Think of it like learning to swim. In the beginning you’re flailing your arms, barely going anywhere, afraid you’re going to drown and you look a mess. But sooner or later, the more you practice, you’re swimming laps like a pro. Gratitude is like this.
Conclusion? Okay, so not applying right thinking and gratitude are not necessarily why you’re depressed. But, when that weighted blanket of depression tries to creep over you and it feels like it’s trapping you in a dark place where you don’t want to be, try thinking something positive or saying aloud what you’re grateful for and see what happens. On my worst days, sometimes this has helped me more than anything to move through the trials of my life and not stay stuck. If these things don’t work, try talking to someone about it. If you don’t feel like you want to tell your family or friends, call a mental health hotline and just say how you feel or write down your feelings in a journal so that they no longer harbor up space in your mind. You’re going to get on the other side of this, just hold on and don’t give up. You’re pretty, freaking special and I’d hate it if you were not here on this planet with me. Hold on my friend, we’re walking through this together.
