Outsmarting Depression

Action to take

If you become depressed, vividly remind yourself of an upbeat, resourceful
memory before imagining the future. If a friend, co-worker, or family member
is depressed you can seamlessly use the same sequence to help him or her
feel more hopeful about the future.

Why

Depression is the common cold of mental health. When researchers have
depressed people imagine the future, it is usually bleak. If you’ve ever told
someone “Cheer up, tomorrow will be a better day,” you got that look that
says, “Yeah, right.”

Our minds are capable of logically understanding that the death, job loss, divorce,
etc., eventually will not sting as much and new positive events will occur.
But when we try to imagine the future, we almost invariably base emotions about
the future on the emotions we are feeling now. I.e., our minds are brilliant at imagining events
or even things we have never seen, but have great difficulty imagining emotions other
than our current feelings.

But there is a solution–a way to help your mind have more optimistic feelings
when thinking about the future. Think back to a time when you felt good and felt
hopeful and optimistic. Perhaps it was a time when you felt unstoppable.
Vividly remember what you saw, felt, and heard. Now while you are feeling these
positive emotions, imagine what will happen tomorrow, next week, or next year.
If you slip back into current depressed feelings, mentally take yourself back to
the resourceful time.

When a friend is talking gloomily about his future, slide in a
“Remember the time when we….” Revel in the fond memory.
Then you can ask what his plans are for next week.
With someone you don’t know as well you can ask about
better times or the best times of his life.

Certainly more severe cases of depression may need additional interventions
such as psychotherapy, exercise, better nutrition, addressing drug and alcohol
abuse, or anti-depressant medication. My analogy for anti-depressants is the
time when you left your car headlights on overnight and your car refused to start.
You got a jump start, drove it for awhile, fixed anything that was draining the battery,
and the car worked again. Of course, in some severe cases people need to stay on
anti-depressants permanently.

Depression is a miserable experience that impairs relationships, impairs
work performance, and makes us more vulnerable to illnesses.
The simple strategy of vividly experiencing positive memories before
contemplating tomorrow can prevent a lot of pain and get people more
hopeful and productive. Just as we all know we need to exercise and
eat healthily, the trick is having the presence of mind and discipline to do it.
This strategy is a lot easier than getting motivated to exercise or saying no
to that pastry. It’s free, it only takes a few minutes, and it works.

Quotes

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
Shakespeare; Hamlet Act II, scene ii

Depression is really just anger without enthusiasm.
~Flo & Friends cartoon by Campbell Bigel

Humor

Statisticians say one out of four people are mentally ill.
Check three friends. If they’re OK, you’re it.

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.