Hi Xris, I am feeling similarly at the moment, it's pretty awful. I hate that these feelings come and linger. Sometimes the heaviness in my chest from the anxiety/depression feels so palpable and overwhelming as are the feelings of hopelessness and futility. The past week or so has been very difficult and I have had lingering feelings of feeling very flat and not interested in anything. Things do change eventually but it is hard to see beyond what is going on when you are that down. I find it helpful to write down my feelings and follow some strategies from the book 'The Happiness Trap'. When things get really bad I follow the process below. I typed up my own word document using these headings and save them on my computer to show my psychologist sometimes. I hate having to do it but it is helpful for me. I try to remind myself that I am feeling down because I am thinking in an unhelpful way and believing in unhelpful thoughts such as ' things are hopeless'. I find it helpful to say to myself ' I notice I am having the thought that.....'. I find this helpful because it takes away the power of the thought. Take care
ACTIVATING
EVENT
WHAT,
WHERE, WHEN , WHO WITH, OUTSIDE EVENT OR INTERNAL TRIGGER, REAL OR IMAGINED
BELIEVABLE
THOUGHTS
WHAT WENT
THROUGH YOU MIND AT THAT TIME
CONSEQUENCES
CONSEQUENCES
OF BELIEVING THE THOUGHT.
PICK A
THOUGHT FROM COLUMN B.HOW DO YOU REACT WHEN YOU BELIEVE THIS THOUGHT?
BALANCED
ALTERNATIVE THOUGHT
CONSEQUENCES
OF NOT BELIEVING THE THOUGHT.
HOW ARE YOU
LIKELY TO BEHAVE AND FEEL IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE THE THOUGHT?
DEFUSE
DEFUSION
INVOLVES SEEING THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS FOR WHAT THEY ARE(STREAMS OF WORDS,
PASSING SENSATIONS), NOT WHAT THEY SAY THEY ARE(DANGERS OR FACTS). WHAT
DEFUSION TECHNIQUE COULD YOU USE?
EXAMPLES OF
DEFUSION EXERCISES
-NOTICE
UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS. SAY THEM SLOWLY. WRITE THEM DOWN, SAY THEM IN FUNNY VOICES
-LABEL
UNHELPFUL THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS EG. A JUDGEMENT, A PREDICTION, A FEELING, A
SENSATION, A MEMORY ETC
-PRACTISE
MINDFULNESS SO THAT YOU CAN BETTER NOTICE WHEN YOU ARE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
VERSUS WHEN YOU ARE STUCK IN YOUR HEAD IN THE PAST OR FUTURE
-USE METAPHORS
TO HELP GET A DIFFERENT VIEW OF YOUR THOUGHTS, FEELINGS AND SELF EVALUATIONS
EG. PASSENGERS ON A BUS, THE BEACH BALL, THE RIVER, THE THOUGHT TRAIN, RADIO
DOOM AND GLOOM, MIND MONSTERS, QUICKSAND, STORYTELLER.
-STOP,STEP
BACK, OBSERVE(WHAT YOU ARE FEELING AND THINKING, HOW THE OTHER PERSON IS
ACTING)
