Ok, so I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm a real believer in the importance of using 'talking therapies' and natural methods for overcoming depression.
This isn't because I'm some barefoot, Eastern-New-Age believing hippy type. No, it's because they worked for me. After fighting with increasingly debilitating bouts of depression for 22 years, I thought that finding emotional and mental health within the space of a year just through talking and changing my mindset, and though changing what I ate was amazing. Spectacularly successful.
So I thought I'd quickly chat about one of the most effective and well-established talking therapy available, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – or CTB.
CBT is based on the idea that the way we think, and what we think about creates, or at the very least alters, our mood.
Have you ever felt perfectly content and happy then thought about something sad that made you feel unhappy or disturbed? Well for someone who struggles with depression those unhappy thoughts can spiral out of control and drag them down from unhappiness into desperation.
On the other hand, have you ever felt a bit down, but then started concentrating on something pleasant fun, or remembered a fun event that made you smile and start to feel better?
Well there you can see already how much our thoughts – what's going on in our imaginations – can have a pretty profound influence on our moods.
The thing about CBT is that it doesn't only assist the depressed person through dealing with the feelings they have, such as feelings of hopelessness, sadness, grief or anger. It also works by helping the person find ways to actually change the way they think about life and what's happening to them. So they start to recognise the pessimistic thought patterns, unrealistic expectations, critical self-talk and so on that not only bring on depression, but often makes it worse and makes it stay around for longer.
CBT is all about helping a depressed person work out how to have a healthier way of thinking about the world and about themselves. For someone who's struggling with incredibly low self-esteem or chaotic thinking (as I did), this can be the key to getting out of the rut that depression keeps you in.
If you want to try CBT, make sure that you search for a qualified, certified and experienced therapist. If you're already under treatment from your doctor, he or she may be able to recommend someone to you.
Wishing you health, wealth and true happiness.
Lorraine
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