10 Day Challenge!

“What are you depressed about?”  It seems the obvious first question…. (to someone who has never been depressed).  By the time depression sets in, your mind is a web of negative and scary thoughts.  You are not depressed about anything. You may be ruminating over a particular problem, but that is a symptom, not the cause.  

The average person has about 70,000+ thoughts per day.  For those who are prone to depression and anxiety, the bully controls about 90% of them, busily creating habitual negative thought patterns that get reinforced over time.  The longer it goes on, the more ingrained the patterns become, which is why episodes often worsen as you age.

The good news is, studies are beginning to show that you can condition your brain to quiet the bully and replace the patterns with new and better thoughts that will empower you.  If you nurture these new patterns, they grow, and after a while, you will find that they have (mostly) wedged out the old.  When this happens, you will be on your way to a better, happier and depression free life!

There are plenty of strategies from which to choose to break the cycle, and we will go through them one-by-one on this site. But first, in order to change your thought patterns, you have to notice them.

How do you notice your thoughts when they are hiding in the shadows of your mind?  You have to shine a light on them.  Here’s how.

For the next 10 days, set 2 alarms on your phone – one in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening.  When the alarm rings, stop what you are doing and put pen to paper.

Seriously, pen to paper.  Writing directly engages your brain more than typing on a computer, and there is no screen to dilute your attention. Now simply start writing – anything.  Let your stream of consciousness spill out onto the paper.  Don’t worry about what comes out.  Sometimes writing with your eyes closed can help the process along.  After a short while, you will start to notice that specific thoughts are showing up – thoughts that you probably didn’t realize you had.

This is all you have to do for now.  Don’t judge your thoughts, and don’t try to fight them.

After a few days, you may notice that it has become easier to decipher your thoughts.  If it is taking less time, and it is not a chore, you can bump it up to 3 times a day.  If not, don’t worry. You will get there.

Eventually, you will notice the web of thoughts beginning to unwind.  You may even find them weakening. You are shining a light on the bully, and once you do, he can no longer hide and sneak up on you.

Congratulations!  You have taken the first step on the road to a better life!

Now it’s time to begin the process of training your mind and changing your brain.  Start by trying out some of the practices posted on this site, and let me know if you need help tweaking them to best suit you. More will continue to come, so keep checking back. If one doesn’t work for you, try another. Remember, consistency is key, and it is best to vary your approach so that you don’t get bored or discouraged and quit.

Please share your progress and any additional tips you find along the way in the comments below! We can all use encouragement along the way!