Quick and Easy Ways to Overcome Depression

Depression can feel overwhelming and debilitating at times but if you are motivated to make a change then you can start to feel better faster than you may think. The most important thing to do in order to move into a more positive mood is to simply have the intention to feel better. If you can intend to feel some relief then your brain will start triggering better feeling thoughts and your emotions will follow suit. The next time you feel sad try these simple techniques to start feeling better.

1. When you are feeling at your worst some typical feelings that would be surfacing are feelings or despair, powerlessness, grief, fear, insecurity and guilt. This is the bottom rung of the emotional scale. It really doesn’t get any worse than this. First, as I said before, make a true intention to start feeling better. After you sit with that intention for a minute begin reaching for the feelings of anger, rage, blame, revenge or jealousy. You may think that those feelings are just as bad but in actuality those feelings really feel better. Once you can identify with angry feelings your feelings of depression are immediately lifted and you start to feel some relief. Play around with how it feels to be angry. Pay attention to your thoughts and what type of internal dialogue is going through your head. If you feel like it, stay angry for the rest of the day or carry it on throughout the week. When you are ready to move even higher up the emotional scale make the intention to move higher and start making statements that reflect the feelings of worry, doubt and disappointment. Eventually you will start moving through irritation, frustration and pessimism. From there it is an easy step into feelings of boredom, contentment, hopefulness, positive beliefs, happiness, love and joy.
2. This next one I learned in grad school. What you need to know here is that when you are feeling joy and happiness you typically display the same type of facial expressions. A smile is on your face, and your eyes light up when positivity is running through your body. What you can do is force a smile. If you start smiling then your brain thinks there is something to be happy about and it starts shooting off neurons that tell your mind to get in a better mood. If you are having trouble forcing a smile you should try biting down on a pencil. You’ll get the same effect.
3. Another way to start feeling happy now is to sit down and take out a pen and paper and try to figure out if you honestly believe that things will get better. If you can write out some logical and rational statements about the possibility of feeling better sometime in the future then your spirits will instantly start to lift. If you feel as though you are at a dead end job and your boss is a horrible person try writing down some statements that will create hope of being able to find a new job with an employer you enjoy being around. If you are in a tight financial situation and feel as though there is no end in sight try figuring out if you will ever get to a place with less debt or a bigger savings. Once you can honestly convince yourself that things will be okay pretty soon then you will start creating positive belief systems that will get you through your sadness.

Try these techniques out and let me know how it goes for you.

About the Author:
Jeff Guenther, M.S. is a professional therapist in Portland, Oregon and counsels individuals, couples and families. Visit his website at http://www.JeffGuenther.com or email him at JeffGuentherMS@gmail.com.