Self-Management of Depression

Self-Help Vs Self-Management You probably have heard the term “self-help” and may have also read a few self-help books. When it comes to treating depression, most self-help books focus on the acute treatment of depression based on a particular model of therapy, usually the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). While the self-help approach tries to address a particular condition using a focused treatment modality over a short period of time, self-management is learning new ways to manage an illness over a longer period of time. In other words, self-management is using the resources and learning the skills to “positively manage” an illness (Lorig et al., 2006). Self-management, besides treating depression, also prevents relapse of depression and helps an individual maintain good mental health on a day-to-day basis. Lorig and colleagues (2006) further elaborate on self-management: it is a “management style” wherein you are a positive self-manager who not only uses the best trea...

We all like getting approval and recognition from others. Approval-seeking is good as long as it remains a desire or a want. For example, your boss approves of your work and you feel happy about it. When approval-seeking turns into a need or a necessity, then you become a victim of the “approval trap” that will either make you vulnerable for depression or, if you are already feeling depressed, will make your depression worse. If you have low self-esteem, which is not uncommon in depression, and seek approval to give yourself a temporary boost, then you are setting yourself up for the “approval trap.” The trap works somewhat like this:    Depression causes you to feel worthless → when you get approval from others, you feel better and less worthless → you try to seek more approval → in seeking more approval, you do things you don’t want to do to please others and avoid your own needs → others get used to your approval-seeking behavior and stop approving your behavior → you ...

You may have a hard time saying no to other people because you are afraid that you will hurt others, appear selfish, look as if you don’t care, or risk a relationship. You may also want people to like you and, especially if you struggle with self-esteem issues, saying "no" may be contrary to your subconscious approval-seeking tendencies. However, you may not have the energy or motivation to do what others want you to do. You then struggle to accomplish what you have said “yes” to, which drives more guilt. You can break this guilt cycle by learning to say “no.” Why is it okay to say “no”? Here are a few good reasons why it is okay to say “no”: Accept that you are not a superhuman who can do everything that everyone wants. Saying “no” doesn’t make you selfish, as you have said “yes” several times to several people in the past. By saying “no,” you are only trying to strike a balance between how much responsibility you can and cannot handle. Pleasing everyone every time b...

We have all faced the modern-day malady of analysis paralysis. We think and plan, but when it comes to putting the plan into action, analysis paralysis creeps in and prevents us from executing the plan. This then leads to a sense of failure, triggering mental exhaustion leading to more analysis paralysis - a vicious cycle. One of the core symptoms of burnout is mental exhaustion and a key driver of this is, of course, analysis paralysis.   So, what happens in analysis paralysis? Here are some common attributes of this state of mind: You work on solutions to a problem but are overwhelmed by the available options. You feel you don’t have the “perfect” solution to a problem. You are afraid of picking up the “wrong” solution. You overthink about the possible solutions and believe that the problem is too complicated. You are afraid that you don’t have all the facts to make a decision. You may never have all the facts and the...

Feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem represent key symptoms of depression.  Self-worth is how you value yourself as a human being or your overall opinion of yourself. Self-worth has also been equated with self-respect – having respect for one’s abilities. People with depression experience feelings of worthlessness or low self-esteem in thoughts as: “I am worthless” “I am inadequate” “I am incompetent” “I am bad” “I am a failure” “I am a loser” “I am ugly” “I am no good” “I am immoral” “I am stupid” “I am a fake” In depression, most thoughts of worthlessness represent irrational thinking patterns such as all-or-none thinking, overgeneralization, labeling (putting negative labels on self), and magnification (blowing things out of proportion). For example, you get an average evaluation in one area of your job performance compared to above average in other areas and you start feeling that you are incompetent. Or worthlessness can be also be trigge...

                                SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. SWOT analysis is a tool businesses and organizations use for strategic planning. The tool serves as a guide for organizations to take advantage of their strengths, work on their weaknesses, explore external opportunities, and protect themselves from external threats. You can use the same tool to strategize your life goals and treatment goals. This tool will enable you to appraise your positive and negative attributes regarding a particular goal or situation, the impact of external factors on the goal or situation, and guide you to make rational choices based on this analysis. SWOT is described below: Strengths: These are your tangible or intangible internal positive attributes that you have control over. Besides your character strengths, your strengths also include your knowledge, skil...

Change is not easy, especially when trying to break bad habits or desiring to keep the good ones going beyond a few days. Most people blame this on lack of motivation. Researchers have written at length about types of motivation such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, but most of these discourses fall short of realistic ways to enhance motivation. In this context,  DARN offers a simple yet practical tool to increase one's motivation to change.  DARN  is an acronym which stands for: Desire , Ability , Reasons , and Need . These represent four types of self-talk that people contemplating change engage in (Miller & Rollnick, 2013). Use this approach to ask yourself evocative questions that tap into your intrinsic motivation.  Desire:   Desire is wanting to have something or wanting a change. Examples include, “I want to exercise more” or “I would like to eat healthy.” Ask yourself the following questions to elicit your desire to change. What am I h...