How to Let Go of the Thoughts that Cause Depression

Depression is different from other illnesses in that, in addition to the physiological symptoms (loss of appetite, nervousness, sleeplessness, fatigue), there are the accompanying thoughts that can be so incredibly painful. For example, when my Raynaud’s flares up, the numbness in my fingers can be uncomfortable, but it doesn’t tell me that I am worthless, pathetic, and that things will never ever get better. During severe depressive episodes, however, these thoughts can be life-threatening: They insist that the only way out of the pain is to leave this world. Being able to manage our thought stream will direct us toward health, as our thoughts are constantly communicating with the various systems of our body, either sending certain glands or organs an SOS in distress, or a note that everything is fine, resulting in calm. But being able to harness this craziness in the midst of depression and anxiety is so very difficult. Here are some of the ways I try to let go of the thoughts that cause depression and anxiety. Some days I am much more successful than others. Identify the Distortions I have benefited immensely from David Burns’ book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy — from doing the cognitive behavioral therapy exercises he prescribes to identifying the various distortions in my own thinking that he presents in his book and his workbook. They include: All-or-nothing thinking – I look at things in absolute, black-and-white categories. Overgeneraliz...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Bipolar Books Depression Health-related Mindfulness Motivation and Inspiration Psychology Self-Help Bipolar Disorder Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Depressive Episode Jon Kabat Zinn Major Depressive Disorder Source Type: blogs