WELCOME!
I’m delighted that you’ve decided to join me on your journey of overcoming depression. Please subscribe to my blog in the right sidebar to receive my latest blog in your email inbox.
In this course, I will share links on my site with you so that you can read through the relevant information in the correct order. Take your time – your depression has taken a long time in the making and there’s no quick fix. The tools I’ll share with you can change your life forever. They changed my life and that is why I am so excited to share them with you. I use these tools all the time to keep my thinking on the right track.
You don’t need to work through this course alone as I am available for online counselling. Make an appointment at any stage while you work through the course.
STRESS IS THE CAUSE DEPRESSION
There are many different types of depression with different causes but STRESS is the one factor that they all have in common. We all experience stress at various stages of our lives but our success in dealing with stress is dependent on how we think.
SELF-TALK
What does your self-talk tell you? Does that voice in your mind tell you that you’re useless, that you’ll never succeed? Or maybe other words that pull you down. If you believe these words to be true, it’s not surprising that you’re depressed.
Thoughts are a bit like the white noise of the fan or the traffic. You don’t hear the noise until you stop and listen. It’s the same with our thoughts, It takes practice to listen to what our thoughts are telling us. Usually they chatter on unheard in the background making our lives miserable. Practice listening to that little voice in your head that directs your behavior, even though you’re not aware of it.
Unhappy thoughts lead to unhappy feelings which lead to depression.
Happy thoughts lead to happy feelings which lead to a happy mood. I’ve never heard of unhappy thoughts leading to a happy mood!
To conquer depression you’ll need to accept the following statement as true.
When you’re depressed your thoughts tend to be negative and out of touch with reality. |
So often we keep ourselves miserable by insisting that our thoughts are true, without really examining their validity. Your thoughts may seem very, very real to you, but if you can accept the idea that your thoughts might not represent the truth, you’ll be in a better position to change how you think.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS COURSE
- Get a notebook as it helps enormously to put your thoughts onto paper.
- Start becoming aware of your thoughts and write them down. For example, ‘What were your thoughts when your friend forgot your coffee date?’ ‘What were your thoughts as you prepared to go for the job interview?’ ‘What were your thoughts when ….’ Write down the event and the thoughts associated with what happened. ‘What are you thinking now?’ Write it down!
- Schedule some fun activities. This is important as it can lift your mood!
What to expect
When you’re ready have a look at Part 2 of this course. I’d love to hear from you so if you have any questions or comments, please write these in the comment box and I’ll reply as soon as possible.
Helpful extra reading from my website.
Is Depression a Physical illness?