What helps with depression: (1) Action
Depression is in a way a kind of turning away from life.
The thing that really gives help with depression is action. Action is the enemy which depression fears above all others. Depression is a slumped, collapsed, inward state in which the person lives in their heads instead of in their bodies, and lives in their toxic imaginings rather than engaging the real world head-on. Action breaks free of that. That is why the depression monster always says “nothing will work.” Action is what the monster fears most. The key remedy is to start to do even tiny things which are enjoyable.
To put the same thing differently, a depressed person is in many ways addicted to saying to themselves things like “Nothing will ever go right,” “I know I won’t enjoy it,” “There’s no point in anything.” The person thinks these things are true, and feels that as a consequence of these “truths,” is it inevitable to feel depressed. Actually, it’s the other way round: these are very depressing things to say you oneself. Repeating them in your head over and over is a toxic negative self-hypnosis: if you say over and over “there is no hope,” then of course you will feel hopeless. And it is wierdly addictive to say things like this to yourself. As you break the addiction to saying them, the depression starts to clear.
Typically, depression zeros in on people who either have very negative core beliefs (“I’m no good”) or who attribute very negative meanings to situations (“If I lose this job I’ll never work again.”) . Again, these thoughts and meaning typically carry a strong sense of unquestionable truth: “this is how things are and I can’t change it.” Hypnotherapy allows the person to step right past these beliefs and meanings and discover their own intrinsic treasury of positive and life-affirming beliefs and understanding, and to re-programme the mind positively.
Types of actions that help treat depression
The action-oriented side of coming alive again involves the following.
- Looking at the future you’d love to have, and working to create it in even tiny steps
- Starting to get your needs met despite every inner voice which tells you you are worthless, don’t matter, a failure, not good enough and so on.
- If necessary, learning how to get your needs met..
- Learning new ways for dealing with people and emotions.
- Doing things which are fun and nourish you.
- PHYSICAL ACTIVITY which your body enjoys is hugely important. Exercise is a great natural cure for depression.
- Pulling free from the depressive suction by focusing on the positive no matter how small at first.
- Looking at how you think about things and the meaning you give to events. (If you don’t get a certain promotion, or if someone rejects you, is that really the end of the world?)
- Recognising that negative thinking is an addiction, not a truth, and breaking that addiction.
- Stop waiting to feel happy and energised before taking action. Waiting and waiting to feel good before you can act, is a trap. Instead, discover that actions, even small ones, bring happiness and energy.
- Coming eventually to a point where you tackle life head-on, and deal with difficult issues and situations: either taking external action to change them, or internal action to accept and let go of them. Some of these may be known about, others may be unconscious.
No matter how long you have been depressed, if you would like to take the first step with the potential of reclaiming your vitality, energy and enjoyment of life, then give me a ring. Please don’t be shy, I’m happy to answer questions or arrange, in Bristol, a free, no-obligation half-hour initial meeting. Please click here for contact information.
