In his ground-breaking book from 1979, "Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders," Dr. Aaron Beck (the father of cognitive therapy) provides us with a detailed description of how to fight symptoms of depression. Today, cognitive therapy is considered to be one of the most effective methods of challenging the debilitating effects of depression. In your efforts to fight depression symptoms, you can benefit from the discoveries cognitive psychologist have made. These seven techniques, pulled from cognitive psychology, address the negative or pessimistic ways of thinking that accompany depression.
Step 1
Write a list of your reasons for making change. Start a journal in which you describe your specific reasons. This is your motivation. Keep your journal in a safe place and review your motivations on a regular basis. Add new motivations for creating change as you discover them.
Step 2
Set specific goals. It's very difficult to fight depression without some specific goals. Setting goals helps you measure your progress as well. Goals such as "get up every morning and get ready on time" or "spend more time with my friends" are specific and can be measured.
Step 3
Set priorities. Once you know your specific goals (try to set about 10 such goals), prioritize them according to what is needed first. For example, you will have to reach your goal to wake up on time and get ready for your day before you will have time for your friends.
Step 4
Create a daily activity list. Structure is crucial to any fight to work on your goals and move forward. Divide your daily activity list into two sections: a to-do list and an hourly schedule. Follow your hourly schedule as closely as you can. Include meal times and a specific time to go to bed. Schedule things that you used to do spontaneously, such as taking a walk or watching a movie.
Step 5
Practice cognitive rehearsals. One of the most powerful symptoms of depression is a sense of helplessness. Practice successful accomplishments in your imagination. Imagine how you would act to achieve certain tasks. Imagination exercises give you a mental "map" you can use later when facing a challenging task.
Step 6
Create constructive distractions. When depressive symptoms are strong, taking time away from negative and pessimistic thinking becomes a necessity. Create distractions such as sports, exercise, hobbies or entertainment.
Step 7
Record your accomplishments. Depression has a way of distorting our perception so that we don't think we are achieving anything. Challenge this distortion by keeping a list of your accomplishments. It does not matter how large or small the accomplishment is--what matters is that you achieved something, and focusing on this is a great way to fight the sense of helplessness that comes with depression.
References
- Aaron T. Beck, M.D.; Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders; 1979
