Self-Management of Depression

Have you ever found yourself staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m., replaying a conversation from years ago or questioning your reactions in certain situations? This moment of reflection can either propel you forward or keep you stuck. The difference lies in understanding whether you are engaging in productive introspection or falling into unproductive rumination. Recognizing this distinction is the key to breaking free from emotional stagnation and unlocking genuine personal growth. Introspection: The Upward Spiral Introspection, also called self-reflection, is the process of examining your own thoughts and feelings with a sense of curiosity and purpose. Think of it as being a mental explorer. When you introspect, you ask "what" questions: What am I feeling right now? What triggered this reaction? What are the steps I need to take in the future to do a better job? According to Trapnell and Campbell (1999), introspection is often driven by a healthy interest in the self. It is ...

Have you ever felt like a fraud in your own success story, despite your achievements screaming otherwise? Welcome to the world of impostor syndrome, where even the most accomplished individuals second-guess their abilities and fear being exposed as a ‘fake.’ Emerging from the shadows of self-doubt, this phenomenon affects both men and women and is often rooted in early family dynamics and personal perceptions of worth. But it doesn't have to define your journey. Here, we explore seven strategies that can help you break free from the grip of impostor syndrome and embrace your true capabilities.  1. Name your inner critic: The voice of impostor syndrome is your inner critic, sowing the seeds of self-doubt. This inner critic, like a broken record, irrationally makes you underestimate your capabilities. Although it may seem to be arguing in your best interest, it thrives on fear-based, unrealistic thinking. Label your thoughts or feelings sparked by your inner critic as they occur. Be ...

What is Recovery? The dominance of the medical model in mental health often reduces recovery to merely reaching a certain score on rating scales like the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which is commonly used to measure depression. This narrow perspective overlooks other vital aspects of recovery beyond clinical response, as shown by many studies (Andresen et al., 2003; Jorge-Monteiro & Ornelas, 2015). Some of these overlooked facets of recovery include: Hope for the future. Re-establishment of a positive identity. Establishment of personally meaningful goals. Taking responsibility for one’s life. Feeling included and connected to others. Feeling empowered. Contributing to community life. Building on this broader understanding, recovery involves managing one’s mental illness, transcending its negative impacts, and striving for a meaningful life. The concept of recovery can vary among individuals, and some common expressions people use to describe their recovery include the ...

Approximately 30% of individuals with depressed mood develop a chronic course as defined by the criteria for persistent depressive disorder (PDD) (Struck et al., 2021). Research shows that depressed individuals have difficulties in handling another person's negative state or suffering, getting overwhelmed in emotionally tense situations, a condition called empathic distress. This leads to an avoidant interpersonal style due to fear of interaction with others, which in turn deprives these individuals of positive interpersonal experiences, thus perpetuating depressive symptoms (Struck et al., 2021). Situational analysis is a technique used in the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP). CBASP is one of the few psychotherapies effective for chronic depression and PDD (Wiersma et al., 2014; Wiersma et al., 2021). CBASP combines behavioral and cognitive strategies with a problem-solving focus and emphasizes interpersonal issues. Its primary goals are to help indivi...

We have all heard the phrase “every cloud has a silver lining,” which suggests that there is something good in every outcome, no matter how difficult or challenging the situation may be. This is also relevant when it comes to using optimism as a tool to overcome depression. When going through the throes of depression with its propensity to see everything in a negative light, being optimistic can be challenging. However, one can still find optimism even in adversity and suffering as did Victor Frankl during his years in the World War II Nazi concentration camp (Frankl, 2006). Frankl describes “tragic optimism” as: Feeling optimistic in the face of tragedy Making the best of any given situation Turning suffering into a human achievement and accomplishment Using guilt as an opportunity to change yourself for the better Using the knowledge that life is transitory as an incentive to take responsible action If you can learn to identify something good in a bad situation, then finding the one...

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most proven psychotherapies for depression and anxiety. It involves identifying, challenging, and replacing irrational thought patterns, also called cognitive distortions, with rational thoughts. However, not everyone is successful in doing so. A key reason for this is when one harbors deeper irrational thoughts, called core beliefs, which are harder to change as they sit at a subconscious level.   While identifying your superficial irrational negative thoughts, also called automatic thoughts, as a part of CBT, you may realize that some of these thoughts can be lumped under common themes. These underlying thinking patterns are called core beliefs or schemas. Whereas automatic thoughts are at the surface of your awareness and more straightforward to recognize, core beliefs are not that readily accessed or easily articulated. Core beliefs or schemas represent a set of attitudes, assumptions, conceptions, preferences, goals, and va...

Imagine you are invited to a friend’s house and, upon entering, you see a group of people laughing loudly. You can react to this situation in a couple of ways. You might think something is wrong with your appearance, making you feel that people are laughing at you. Alternatively, you might interpret their laughter as a sign that they are having a good time, and you feel ready to join in the fun. This situation can evoke two responses: one makes you feel embarrassed, while the other makes you happy. So, what causes people to experience various emotions in the same situation? It’s all about how you interpret the scenario. Your beliefs influence your interpretation, which is the “B” in the “ABC” framework we will explore next. Albert Ellis (1962), the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), introduced the “ABC” framework as a cognitive model for depression. “A” represents an activating event to which an individual responds. This can include current or past events, thoughts, f...

What is loneliness? Loneliness is a fundamental aspect of life; at some point, everyone will experience it to varying degrees. Even though it is recognized as a public health concern (Office of the Surgeon General, 2023), there is still a need for more discussion about what the experience of loneliness entails and how to recognize it in oneself or others. For starters, loneliness is the distressing feeling you experience when there is a discrepancy between the interpersonal relationships you wish to have and those you currently have (Peplau & Perlman, 1982). It is not the number or frequency of social contacts but your subjective appraisal of the quality of relationships and the satisfaction with the relationships that influences loneliness (Heinrich & Gullone, 2006). Moreover, loneliness is not synonymous with social isolation, nor is it an inevitable consequence of being alone. You can be in the company of others and still experience loneliness, whereas you may not feel...

In layman’s terms, hope is the expectation that your future can somehow be better, no matter the present circumstances. In contrast, psychologists define hope in a more structured way so that they can measure this attribute. According to them, hope is the pursuit of your goals with the knowledge that you have the capacity and the motivation to achieve them (Snyder et al., 2006). In other words, hope has two key elements: 1. A sense of successful determination in meeting past, present, and future goals. 2. A sense of being able to generate successful plans to meet the goals. The first element is called the agency , and the second element is called the pathway , which, in layman’s terms, translates into the will and the way, respectively. These two components of hope are reciprocal and work synergistically but are not synonymous (Snyder et al., 1991). People with the will to achieve their goals may not have the ways to do it and vice versa. Both the will and the way are necessary...

Procrastination is putting off tasks for another day or doing unproductive things as an excuse for not doing what is essential. While some procrastinate in certain situations, it becomes a habit for others. They leave dishes in the sink, don’t respond to e-mails, don’t pay bills, put off completing paperwork, finish assignments just before the deadline, or ask for extensions. In the latter group, procrastination becomes a form of avoidance. Psychologists consider avoidance as a maladaptive coping style that relieves one from the mental and/or physical effort of doing a task, reinforcing this behavior. Procrastination can be driven by irrational thought patterns, and sometimes, these are associated with depression and anxiety. The common irrational thoughts that foster procrastination include: “Nothing works.” “This is boring.” “I don’t know where to start.” “I can’t do this.” “This is too hard.” "I am not cut out for this." “I don’t have the time to do this.” “I don’t have th...

With resilience promoted as a must-have skill set, individuals are bombarded with various pop-psychology iterations of what is needed to bounce back from daily setbacks, acute adversities, or chronic stressors. However, there is no proven pathway to resilience, and we don't know why some individuals are more resilient than others. The best one can gather from research are the predictors of resilience. The salient predictors of resilience include the following: 1. Demographic predictors: Contrary to the popular notion that older adults are at greater risk following a potentially traumatic event, research suggests that older adults suffer relatively lower psychological costs than younger adults. In addition, the male gender is a consistent predictor of resilience in numerous studies, with the possible explanation being that women tend to experience more significant initial threats during a traumatic event subjectively (Bonanno & Diminich, 2013). 2. Personality predicto...

Clarifying one’s values and having value-based actions is one of the core tenets of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based treatment for depression. Values are our heart’s deepest desires for the way we want to interact with the world, other people, and ourselves. They are what we want to stand for in life, how we want to behave, what sort of person we want to be, and what sort of strengths and qualities we want to develop (Harris, 2009). Values are subjective; what one may consider as a value (e.g., being famous) may be considered as being cocky by another person. Compared to thoughts and behaviors, values provide a far more stable compass to motivate you to achieve your goals, even when faced with personal adversity (Hayes et al., 2012). An exercise that may help you clarify your values and find meaning in life is to imagine that you are eighty years old, and you are looking back on your life. Then finish the following sentences (Harris, 2008): I spent too much ti...