Understanding depression is vital if you are going to learn how to reduce lingering symptoms of depression and prevent it from gathering steam. In fact, it’s often easier to look after yourself if you attend to lingering symptoms, even if they are few or mild. Moreover, it is helpful to stay well over time if you act earlier in the process rather than waiting to act until it has really taken hold. To increase the chances that your efforts will make a difference, let’s spend some time getting to know the territory of depression. The next time you start to enter this territory you might recognize the signs more easily and know what to do to look after yourself.
Examples of Negative Automatic Thoughts
One of the well known impacts of depression is how it changes the way we think. During an episode of depression people start to criticize themselves, feel inadequate, believe they are helpless or become pessimistic about things changing for the better.
The term ‘Negative Automatic Thoughts’ is used to describe this way of thinking. It also points out its ‘automatic pilot’ quality, since we may not even notice that we are thinking in this way, until we stop and pay attention. The list that follows provides some examples of Negative Automatic Thoughts
Practice Resources
Negative Automatic Thoughts (PDF)
Your Playlist of Negative Automatic Thoughts
Press Play to learn about how negative thoughts can impact you.
Here is a list of negative thoughts that you may have had when you were depressed. When you are no longer depressed, you might find that these thoughts are not as strong or persuasive, even if they show up from time to time. We have found that it can be valuable to get to know them, because they may signal depression’s return and help you take effective steps to look after yourself.
Let’s see if bringing a little warmth or humor to getting to know them can help you identify which of these thoughts often pop into your mind. One way is to imagine them as song titles, and you’re just picking out a playlist of the top favorites, the ones that often came to mind when you were depressed go along with depression for you.
Can you now list your own top ten thoughts, almost as if they were a radio station hit list, or an iTunes playlist? In later sessions we will focus on ways of responding skillfully to these thoughts, but right now the focus is on noticing them and bringing them into awareness.
Your Personal Playlist
- The items below include a number of different thoughts. Which of these experiences have you had? Check all that apply to create your own list.
- I feel like I’m up against the world.
- I’m no good.
- No one understands me.
- I’ve let people down.
- I don’t think I can go on.
- I wish I were a better person.
- I’m so weak.
- My life’s not going the way I want it to.
- I’m so disappointed in myself.
- I can’t stand this anymore.
- I can’t get started.
- What’s wrong with me?
- I wish I were somewhere else.
- I can’t get things together.
- I hate myself.
- I’m worthless.
- I wish I could just disappear.
- What’s the matter with me?
- I’m a loser.
- I’m a failure.
- I’ll never make it.
- I feel so helpless.
- Something has to change.
- There must be something wrong with me.
- My future is bleak.
- It’s just not worth it.
- I can’t finish anything.
- Why can’t I ever succeed?
- My life is a mess.
- Nothing feels good anymore.
Recognizing Thoughts and Signs
Recognizing These Thoughts
The same thoughts have different meanings when feeling low and feeling well. Bringing awareness of thoughts as thoughts doesn’t change the situation, but can help shift the grip that the thoughts have over you.
Paying Attention to the Signs
We can use different elements of our experience as guideposts on a long highway. These elements may be occasional guideposts that signal movement from one geography to another, symbolizing a gradual change into depression. For example, we might notice feeling fatigued more often, or having thoughts of worthlessness. By paying attention to how such thoughts and sensations change, we can see the signposts indicating that we are entering in the territory of depression.
The Clinical Diagnosis of Depression
How do you know when you might be at the border of entering the territory of depression? If you have been struggling with lingering symptoms of depression, you may be moving out of the territory of depression but have not yet fully left. Finding yourself at the border may help you in recognizing aspects of depression that might be creeping back into your life.
Noticing that your thinking is becoming more negative may be one such important sign. As in any journey, by paying close attention to the sign posts on the road, you will be better able to find out where exactly you are. Knowing this enables you to choose more wisely where to go and what to do next.
The Package of Depression
Sometimes people are surprised to learn that what they considered personal failings are actually part and parcel of what depression is. Interestingly, we often recognize the fact that we’ve become physically ill by seeing a number of changes that tend to occur at the same time. For example, strep throat comes as a package of symptoms that include headache, high fever, and a very sore throat. In seeing these as a package, we don’t blame ourselves for any one symptom but rather, we recognize the whole experience as strep throat.
When it comes to depression, however, it is common to blame or criticize ourselves for some aspects of depression as opposed to seeing it as a whole. For example, when we notice that thoughts such as ‘you are inferior’ or ‘nobody cares about you’ come to mind, we take them to be true, rather than seeing them as just part of the psychological and physical changes brought on by depression. Whereas poor sleep or loss of energy are seen as ‘real depressive symptoms’, negative thoughts are usually taken at face value, rather than being seen as part of the overall package of depression.
The Territory of Depression in an MBCT Group
Click on the questions to hear from each group member.
