Do you tend to see things on a negative light? Do you negatively react when things go wrong? Do you allow feelings of negativity and hopelessness to creep in your emotional state?
If you are noticing such symptoms, you may be running the risk of experiencing depression. Individuals who tend to think more of the negative things about themselves, their perceptions, and about the world are more prone to going through mood disorders at some point in their lives.
Developing the habit of negative thinking impacts your feelings and behavior, and can trigger a pattern or a cycle leading to a serious condition. Constant patterns of negative thinking can lead to a depressive mood, which in turn develops to more negative thinking and then a more serious level of depressive state.
Based on medical research, a person may develop a condition called dysthemia, which is a mild but prolonged type of depression resulting from a persistent demonstration of negativity lasting for two years or more. Dysthemia can be treated, though, on a medical basis. The very important thing is that the patient or the depressed individual must have the willingness to create a positive shift in thinking patterns.
Overcoming Negative Spin
Depression actually alters your mental perception of things and situations. You are bound to think that good turns into bad and the bad becomes an utter disaster. You find it hard to get out of the depressive state if you keep on framing yourself or others negatively. In fact, the more depressed you become, the harder it is for you to regain your normal perceptions and balance your emotions.
One same event can happen to several people at the same time, but it is how people give meaning and interpret the situation that alters it. That is why those who interpret an event in a negative light actually put a negative spin on their lives. Considering that it is a vicious cycle, putting a stop to the negative spin can help decrease depression.
Having a Sense of Control
A person suffering from depression may not be able to rely much on other people but himself. Sense of personal control over your emotions affects the depressive condition. There are two possible instances of having a sense of control over depression. One is being able to have too little control over it where you tend to discontinue doing the activities that could improve or uplift the situation. The other one is having too much control of depression wherein you push your limits to directing the things beyond your control and may end up becoming frustrated if you fail. If you tend to hold yourself accountable for things beyond your control, your level of depression increases.
So, when you wish to exercise a sense of control out of your depression, work it out on the inside. This means that develop a deeper sense of internal control by managing your thoughts and feelings. There are situations that will leave you with little control such as waiting for the results of the bar exam, and no matter how hard you try to manipulate it, you have no choice but to patiently wait. In this case, take internal control by managing your reactions regardless of the outcome.
Eliminating the Habit of All or Nothing
“All or Nothing” is another negative thinking style closely associated with depression. In the lowest point of your life, when your only choices are all or nothing and black or white, depression will only get worse. You cannot just tell yourself that you are a complete failure and will never change when the truth is you are still more than capable of making a worthy person out of yourself. Do not settle for a one-sided perception of yourself and of things when you know that there are other possible alternatives to deal with your depression. Avoid sticking to only a single belief of not coming out of your depressive state because there are still many ways to relieve yourself of such a condition.
If the case of depression is getting worse, you can always consult a specialist who can help treat your condition with medications and therapy.