[Onward2wards]

I find it really useful to be aware of how I think when I am feeling down. When I do this, I can think of ways to challenge the state next time.

Observations:
* Tendency to focus more on negative things, to the point they "seem more real", just because I am paying so much attention to them I am not thinking of comforting or pleasant things at all.
* This "tunnel vision" leaves no room for natural curiosity. Being curious about our environment allows us to consider new possibilities and learn new things. Life is boring when you feel depressed, and boredom itself feeds back into feeling bad.
* Urges towards physical passivity. The worse I feel, the less I want to do (in fact, the less I want to even MOVE!). Physical inaction breeds a sort of "creeping paralysis" where thought and feeling is completely disconnected from actually DOING anything. Again, the process sustains itself unless it is disrupted.
* The natural tendency to withdraw from socializing when stressed becomes exaggerated. It breeds loneliness, but it doesn't occur to me to get rid of loneliness by overriding the withdrawal urges.
* All these things interact with one another until it becomes one big undifferentiated feeling of "EVERYTHING is wrong, EVERYTHING hurts". "Globalizing" thinking errors take hold, eg. "This whole day sucks, what a waste", because I am not thinking in terms of SPECIFIC things being unpleasant.

Homework time for you and I! (gee what fun lol) ... what methods can we think of to disrupt these processes? It may be hard when we're IN the depressed state, but surely we can program ourselves with simple reminders to disrupt the state next time it goes beyond critical mass? Your best methods may not be the same as mine, which is why I wanted to start a thread for brainstorming.

[flours]

expect something good to happen. It's hard. and very irrational. maybe just something small to begin with.
for me it's hardest to accept that it is irrational and do it anyway. because everything tells me this is absurd. but it does work if you manage. it's taking a lot of energy.

[ManOfConstantSorrow]

My meds help with the worst of what you describe, but under pressure I go into defensive mode, so I am trying to build a delay into my responses so I can take stock of what is going on before I bite.

[Altered Moment]

For me when very severely depressed....patting myself on the back for achieving the smallest of goals. Not setting goals I just won't achieve and then beat myself up. I mean things like brushing my teeth.

Self acceptance. Accepting myself exactly how I am in this moment depression and all. This paradoxically frees up lots of energy to change. Let go of shame, it's a killer. Fear as well. It's the mind killer. Stay in today and my anxiety goes away.

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[ForeverLonelyGirl]

I agree with all you said OP. I have such severe boredom that sometimes I think I am going to lose it just because of that.

Plus I have been sort of trapped the last 19 months, almost housebound due to my withdrawal off klonopin. So now that I am trying to get out and do things, I feel that "creeping paralysis" and get so extremely tired doing normal things I used to do, I feel almost ill. I hurt all over and just have fear of doing more. Seems like a vicious cycle for sure.

I would like to know someone's honest opinion if I might be able to get back to doing more physical activity without getting sick. I washed my car one day and felt really shaky all over for a while...? Went out shopping for about 3 hours straight and got so tired I had to stop somewhere and rest, drink some tea and relax before I felt like I could get home.

Depression sure can take over one's life and be devastating.

[vital]

Originally Posted by Onward2wards

I find it really useful to be aware of how I think when I am feeling down. When I do this, I can think of ways to challenge the state next time.

Observations:
* Tendency to focus more on negative things, to the point they "seem more real", just because I am paying so much attention to them I am not thinking of comforting or pleasant things at all.
* This "tunnel vision" leaves no room for natural curiosity. Being curious about our environment allows us to consider new possibilities and learn new things. Life is boring when you feel depressed, and boredom itself feeds back into feeling bad.
* Urges towards physical passivity. The worse I feel, the less I want to do (in fact, the less I want to even MOVE!). Physical inaction breeds a sort of "creeping paralysis" where thought and feeling is completely disconnected from actually DOING anything. Again, the process sustains itself unless it is disrupted.
* The natural tendency to withdraw from socializing when stressed becomes exaggerated. It breeds loneliness, but it doesn't occur to me to get rid of loneliness by overriding the withdrawal urges.
* All these things interact with one another until it becomes one big undifferentiated feeling of "EVERYTHING is wrong, EVERYTHING hurts". "Globalizing" thinking errors take hold, eg. "This whole day sucks, what a waste", because I am not thinking in terms of SPECIFIC things being unpleasant.

Homework time for you and I! (gee what fun lol) ... what methods can we think of to disrupt these processes? It may be hard when we're IN the depressed state, but surely we can program ourselves with simple reminders to disrupt the state next time it goes beyond critical mass? Your best methods may not be the same as mine, which is why I wanted to start a thread for brainstorming.

I've found a way to understand and deal with thoughts like that that really works spectacularly well, at least for me. Instead of combating each individual dysfunctional thought pattern, go after the underlying process that makes them all happen in the first place.

http://forums.psychcentral.com/depre...n-escaped.html

[Altered Moment]

I think a big problem is that so much of our thoughts and behaviors are sub conscience. Automatic pilot. It takes a lot of work and awareness to bring them into consciousness where we can then do something about them. That is why CBT and meditation is so effective over time. They bring awareness.