Self-Management of Depression

When asked about  their meaning in life, most people launch into a rambling monologue about the  sources  that create meaning in life, such as family, relationships, work, hobbies, and spirituality . Or, after a nervous chuckle, they try to change the subject. Truthfully, what exactly meaning in life means is not easy to define and, not surprisingly, meaning in life often gets confused with other states of mind or psychological constructs. It gets mixed up with happiness (which is more akin to pleasure and immediate satisfaction), identity (which involves a more global sense of self), well-being (which is more reflective of quality of life), and the search for meaning (which involves seeking meaning) (Hill, 2018). Why is this abstract concept of meaning in life so important? Research shows that having meaning in life helps you interpret and organize your experiences, build a sense of your own worth, identify what matters to you, and direct your energies more effectively. ...

What is boredom? Boredom is an everyday experience. You feel this while waiting in traffic, watching TV, twiddling on your phone, or surfing the internet. Of all the psychological phenomena known to mankind, boredom perhaps has the least consensus on what really defines this experience (Eastwood et al., 2012). One view of boredom is that it is a state of longing for activity, but at the same time, being unaware of what it is that one desires. The existential school of thought views boredom as an unpleasant experience characterized by inaction, emptiness, paralysis of will, and a sense of meaninglessness. Another take on boredom is that it results from the mismatch between one’s need for arousal and the availability of environmental stimulation. Finally, the cognitive model of boredom emphasizes that a bored individual perceives the environment as lacking opportunities for satisfying activity and themselves suffers from an impaired ability to concentrate. The common thread between all t...

Have you ever been so engaged in an activity that you lost touch with your surroundings and felt intense joy and satisfaction after the activity was over? Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes this experience of highest satisfaction as being in a state of “flow” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Csikszentmihalyi, 1999). According to him, an individual in a state of flow- Exactly knows what they have to do moment by moment, either because the activity requires it, or because clear goals are set at every step of the way. Gets immediate feedback on their performance either from the activity itself or from their internalized standards. Feels that the activity matches with their skill set, it being neither too hard and nor too easy so as not to lead to anxiety or boredom, respectively. Athletes, painters, and other creative people have described this state as an ecstatic feeling or a feeling of contentment. The person in a state of flow pays undivided attention to the task at hand to the ex...

Much has been written about how work-related stress is associated with burnout and depression. Burnout has become a buzzword that has spawned a modern-day cottage industry of one-size-fits-all wellness programs. Before we discuss the remedies for burnout, let's examine what causes it in the first place. From a psychological perspective, the hazardous effects of the work environment on health, aka burnout, have been explained by the effort-reward model . According to this model, the imbalance created by high “costs” (spending high effort at work or over-commitment) and low “benefits” (in terms of monetary gratification, career opportunities, esteem, respect, and job security) produces emotional distress affecting both mental and physical health (Siegrist & Li, 2016). In fact, research shows that this effort-reward imbalance is associated with a 1.5-fold increased risk of depressive disorders (Rugulies et al., 2017). In this context, the concept of “job crafting” is a ...

When was the last time you savored an experience in its true sense, or stopped to smell the roses if you prefer the more poetic expression for savoring? With our lives wrapped around multitasking at work, caring for our loved ones, and keeping up with social media chatter, savoring has undoubtedly taken a back seat. While savoring can be construed as an art, a lot of evidence-based science extols this phenomenon's benefits. Psychologists define savoring as the ability to tune into, appreciate, and enhance enjoyment associated with a positive experience (Bryant & Veroff, 2007). There is a strong consensus amongst researchers that those inclined to savor report more optimism, life satisfaction, value fulfillment, self-esteem, and intensity and frequency of happiness. At the same time, these individuals also report fewer feelings of guilt, loss of pleasure, hopelessness, depression, and unhappy or neutral emotions (Bryant, 2003). If you plan to rediscover how to savor, below...