Depression
OVERVIEW
To
think depression is something caused by
factors beyond your control is downright
depressing. Yet that is what many people
believe, including some in the medical
and mental health fields. Although in
some cases medical problems do cause
depression, the vast majority of
depression is fortunately within your own
control. If, however, after you try the
suggestions in this book, you still feel
depressed, I would encourage you to see a
counselor or a physician.
Depression,
like any other emotion, is usually the
body's natural response to what is going
on in the mind--whether consciously or
unconsciously--as well as the body's
response to how a person is eating,
sleeping, and in general, living. Being
in a world with so many unpleasant things
such as illness, death, war, violent
crime, hunger, broken homes, and
homelessness, it can be difficult not to
feel discouraged or depressed at times.
Millions do everyday.
A LESSON
ABOUT DEPRESSION
I
learned more about depression from
something my wife, Shelly, said to me
than from all my school work and reading
combined. I was in graduate school and we
had just moved to Provo, Utah, to begin a
very competitive doctoral program at
Brigham Young University. We had been
married for just two months and I started
a job as a school counselor in a local
district. I also received a Church
leadership position. Soon feeling
overwhelmed, I began to doubt my
abilities as a husband, student, church
leader, school counselor, and so forth.
It did not take long for me to feel
depressed.
For
the first two days, Shelly did everything
she could to encourage me and help me
feel better. She even made my favorite
dinners but to no avail. The next
morning, she lovingly did something that
taught me a great lesson. She asked if I
was going to be depressed that night. Her
question irritated me. She was implying I
had some control over how I was feeling.
Obviously, it was my circumstances, not
me, that was causing me to feel depressed
(or so I thought). I told her I did not
know how I would be feeling in the
evening.
I
came home that night, after a long day at
school and work, feeling pretty crummy.
After another nice dinner, she asked me
again, "Are you going to be
depressed tonight?" I tried to
explain as nicely as I could that I did
not like the way I was feeling either,
but I could not help it. She then gently
indicated she would take care of her
activities in another part of the house
and leave me to myself (a rather
unpleasant thought) until I was feeling
better.
Even
though I could not argue with her
reasoning (I knew I was not very good
company), I still felt hurt and a little
resentful. But something happened to me.
I began to review my options: Stay
depressed and my wife does not want to be
around me, or somehow climb out of my pit
of depression and once again enjoy the
company of my wife. It was as if a light
turned on. Somewhere in the unconscious
resources of the mind, solutions began to
come to me. I could see light at the end
of the tunnel and although I did not
suddenly feel great, I was beginning to
feel better. Shelly was surprised to see
me so soon, when I went and gave her a
big hug.
POWER
OVER DEPRESSION
Despite
being in a doctoral program studying
about emotional problems and solutions, I
fell prey to the popular myth that you
can be rendered helpless against
depression. Fortunately, I was given the
opportunity to learn that you can have
more power over depression than is
popularly believed. Over the years, I
have seen hundreds of people choose to
become free from the grasp of depression
after having believed circumstances or
chemicals beyond their control were
responsible.
Barriers
to overcoming depression
There
are ten common barriers that interfere
with successfully dealing with
depression. By identifying and removing
the barriers getting in your way, you
will be in a better position to minimize,
and eventually control, depression.
- Barrier 1:
Self-defeating goals
- Barrier 2:
Depressed about feeling depressed
- Barrier 3:
Difficulty distinguishing
thoughts and feelings from facts
- Barrier 4:
Exaggerated thinking
- Barrier 5:
Believing life should be .
. .
- Barrier 6:
Difficulty distinguishing between
what you can and cannot control
- Barrier 7:
Asking questionable questions
- Barrier 8:
Questionable nutritional, sleep,
and exercise habits
- Barrier 9:
Shaky self-esteem
- Barrier 10:
Trying too hard to help others
- Summary
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