Replies to 'Depression'

Quote From: pinetree

Hi Tammy,   

   

Here are a few condensed hand outs that go along with the CBT tape series.  I would suggest that your daughter read them over once a day, when she is feeling relatively calm and relaxed if possible.  In the beginning she may not believe what she is reading is true, but eventually her mind will accept the information.   The mind will accept anything, whether true or not if it hears it often enough.  She has been reinforcing negative false beliefs, she must replace these false beliefs with rational true statements.   Pat  

   

                               " I Can't Do It " Thinking

   

  

                             

   

  

 

   

  

Regardless of how I feel, I don't ever want to use the " I can't do this" explanation.

   

  

 

   

  

Remember that my brain hears and responds to every word that I feed it.

   

  

 

   

  

Therefore, if you say,  " I can't " my brain believes this statement even if it is FALSE.

   

  

 

   

  

My brain picks these statements up, and sure enough, I CAN'T do these things   

  

because I've programmed it into my mind over and over again.

   

  

 

   

  

In reality, I have lost NONE of my former abilities, what I could do in the past, I can   

  

also do now. 

   

  

 

   

  

 

   

  

                                                 POWER STATEMENTS  

   

  

                          (Rational Questions to Ask Myself Each Day)  

   

  

 

   

  

   WHY SHOULD OTHER PEOPLE'S APPROVAL MATTER TO ME?

   

  

 

   

  

  WHY SHOULD I BE DEPENDENT ON OTHER PEOPLE'S VIEWS OF ME?

   

  

 

   

  

          WHY DO OTHER PEOPLE HAVE ANY POWER OVER ME?

   

  

 

   

  

               WHY SHOULD MY OWN THOUGHTS HURT ME?

   

  

 

   

  

 

   

  

            ANXIETY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ARE ANTs

   

  

 

   

  

                     They can NEVER tell me the truth

   

  

 

   

  

                  So, ask myself these questions every day.

   

  

 

   

  

     WHY DO I ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS TO SWAY ME?

   

  

 

   

  

Why SHOULD other people's approval be so important to me?  Why should I stew,   

  

sweat, and drive myself crazy over what other people think and say?

   

  

 

   

  

I need to rationally ask myself these questions each and every day, so that these   

  

questions will bounce into my mind when my thoughts start to go negative on me.

   

  

 

   

  

I want those "WHY" questions to pop into my mind automatically, so that I can catch   

  

and crunch those old automatic negative feelings and thoughts.

   

  

 

   

  

The more I question my irrational thoughts, the more they will have to go away.

   

  

 

   

  

                                 

   

  

 

   

  

                         EXPECTATIONS ARE KILLERS:

   

  

 

   

  

                                      I must stay away at all costs

   

  

 

   

  

I do not want to "set myself up" ahead of time for feelings of failure and defeat.

   

  

 

   

  

      

   

  

                                             Worry

   

  

 

   

  

                          Worry is never positive.  It never does any good.

   

  

 

   

  

                                      Worry always exaggerates.

   

  

 

   

  

               It always blows things out of proportion and consumes my life.

   

  

 

   

  

                      It leaves a trail of anxiety and depression behind it.

   

  

 

   

  

                                 Worrying only leads to more worry.

   

  

 

   

  

                      Worrying never solves a thing.  There is no solution in worry.

   

  

 

   

  

       I must catch myself when I start to worry and throw off  these thoughts because  

   

  

                                                      they are poison.

   

  

 

   

  

         Say to myself: " Worry never does me any good.  It is only going to hurt me."

   

  

 

   

  

                              Then, go and do something to distract myself.

   

  

 

   

  

 

   

  

                                     Automatic Negative Thoughts  (ANTs)

   

  

 

   

  

          The ANTs thoughts are always wrong.  They can never tell the truth.

   

  

 

   

  

       They are the voice of negativism and defeat.  They will pull me down in the mud.

   

  

 

   

  

       If I don't accept and believe those old fears, they have no choice but to go away.

   

  

 

   

  

       If I believe all these old lies, I'll be stuck in my anxiety and depression.  I'll never get better.  And all because I  believed false, inaccurate, irrational, lies of the past.

   

  

 

   

  

      Don't argue or fight against the ANTs thoughts.  (Notice that "arguing" is coming from the negative emotions.)

   

  

 

   

  

  Instead, ignore them.  If  I don't  pay attention to them, they will Shrink and shrink.

   

  

 

   

  

I'll not give in to the lying ANTs thinking anymore. 

   

  

 

   

  

But remember: Since they are liars, they enjoy making me miserable, they don't

   

  

like to give up easily.

   

  

 

   

  

Instead, I'll say to those thoughts:  "Oh, it's you again. You can't fool me anymore. I   

  

know this is just another one of your tricks to try and increase my anxiety.  I don't   

  

care.  "I'M NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO THESE LYING ANTS THOUGHTS   

  

AGAIN!"

   

  

 

   

  

And then, I'll move on to my strategies and distractions like singing, humming or   

  

exercise, etc., read over this handout, and I won't let them upset me anymore.

   

  

 

   

  

The ANTs voice cannot tell the truth.  The ANTs voice exaggerates ever thing that is   

  

negative.  It lies to me. My ANTs voice hates it when I ignore it and say, "SO   

  

WHAT?"  "WHO CARES?" 

   

  

 

   

  

 

   

  

WHEN I AM DEPRESSED MY FEELINGS LIE TO ME

   

  

 

   

  

This is one of the most difficult concepts to master, but all it really takes is getting started.

   

  

 

   

  

Once I get started, once I've made that first step, everything becomes easier and  my  

  

 positive emotions and positive feelings will always follow afterwords.  I  will be able to   

  

notice and feel  the difference.

   

  

 

   

  

I tend to forget that my feelings do not tell us the truth.

   

  

 

   

  

Stated a different way:  my  feelings are sometimes irrational, just like my thoughts.

   

  

 

   

  

I tend to realize that my thoughts can many times be irrational.  Well, my FEELINGS can be irrational, too.

   

  

 

   

  

A good example of acting against my negative feelings is cognitive therapy for   

  

depression.  When people are clinically depressed, the HARDEST THING for them to   

  

do is to get up, get active, exercise, and move around.

   

  

 

   

  

Yet we all know the solution to depression. Get up, do something active, exercise and   

  

move around.

   

  

 

   

  

The solution to depression ... is NOT to stay in bed and dwell on those old negative ANTs thoughts.

   

  

 

   

  

The solution to depression is to act against my negative, lying feelings.

   

  

 

   

  

If I ACT AGAINST these feelings of depression by getting up and doing something, I   

  

will feel better as the minutes go by.

   

  

 

   

  

Activity is the antidote to depression; but when I am depressed I don't want to be   

  

active.

   

  

 

   

  

This makes it a paradox.

   

  

 

   

  

I must do something I don't FEEL like doing at the time, because I know if  I do it, I   

  

 will feel better.

   

  

 

   

  

Again, this is a real paradox and explains why both anxiety and depression are so   

  

difficult to overcome.

   

  

 

   

  

The solution is to do the thing I FEEL THE LEAST LIKE DOING.

   

  

 

   

  

Anyone who is depressed does not feel like getting up and becoming more active. 

   

  

 

   

  

I know it works because overcoming anxiety and depression are both paradoxes.  If  I   

  

am nervous and scared, the hardest thing to do is to get out there, go to work, be active,  

  

 and keep up my responsibilities, but I must if I wish to get better.