Like we often say at The Depression Project, just because you have a negative thought, it doesĀ notĀ mean that it's true. And, particularly when youāre viewing everything through depressionās critical, distorted lens thatās causing you to think much more negatively than you otherwise would, many of your negative thoughts are likely going to be false.
With that being said, in this blog post, we'd like to share with you a free excerpt from one of our cognitive behavioural therapy-based journals that outlinesĀ two distorted thinking patternsĀ which can falsely convince youĀ "I will never overcome depression".
Are you ready?
Free excerpt
āCognitive distortionsā are distorted thinking patterns that are grounded in some form of bias, and which commonly result in you viewing yourself, the world, and/or a situation much more critically, negatively or pessimistically than you otherwise would. And, when you have the negative thought āIām never going to overcome depressionā, youāre almost certainly thinking in a cognitively distorted way without even knowing it. For this reason, itās extremely important that you identify- and bring awareness to the ways in which you may be doing so.
Why?
Because if youāre able to recognise that the negative thought āIām never going to overcome depressionā is indeed a cognitive distortion ā as opposed to being an accurate perception of reality ā then it will suddenly become much easier for you to dismiss it and push it from your mind (or at the very least, this negative thought will likely lose some of its power over you).
With that being said, letās now identify some cognitive distortions that the negative thought āIām never going to overcome depressionā is commonly grounded in.
A Common Cognitive Distortion That Can Falsely Convince You "I Will Never Overcome Depression": Fortune Telling1
Fortune telling is where you make a prediction about the future and then assume it to be true. And, when you have depression, this most commonly involves making a negative prediction about the future ā such as when you predict āIām never going to overcome depressionā. However, what happens in the future is yet to be determined, and the major, major problem with making a prediction like āIām never going to overcome depressionā is that it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and actually keep you trapped in depression.
How?
Because if you predict āIām never going to overcome depressionā, then moving forwards, youāre much less likely than you otherwise would be to take the actions that can ultimately lead to you overcoming depression ā such as going to therapy, reading self-help books, breaking out of unhealthy habits and replacing them with healthy habits, practicing self-care, and/or making positive lifestyle changes, for example. This is because if youāve convinced yourself that youāre never going to overcome depression anyway, then you likely wonāt see the point in taking any of these actions. And, as a result of not taking any of these actions to overcome depression, itās much, much less likely that youāll ever end up doing so.
However, letās say that instead of making the definitive, all-conclusive future prediction āIām never going to overcome depressionā, you had a more open-minded view of the future, such as:
- āWhile I donāt know what the future will hold, I will do everything in my power to overcome depression.ā
- āIām going to set myself the goal of overcoming depression, try really hard to achieve it, and then see what happens.ā
In each of these cases, because you have more optimism about the future and believe that itās yet to be determined as opposed to a fait accompli, then youāre much, much more likely to see a reason to take the actions that can ultimately lead to you overcoming depression. And, as a result of then taking those actions, youāre much, much more likely to actually do so!
Another Common Cognitive Distortion That Can Falsely Convince YouĀ "I Will Never Overcome Depression":Ā The Fallacy Of Control1
This cognitive distortion can, among other things, involve thinking that you have no control over your situation, your life and what happens to you in the future. For example, it can be present in negative thoughts like:
- āBeing depressed is just the way I am, and the way Iāll be for the rest of my life.ā
- āNo matter what I do, I will never overcome depression.ā
- āI am never going to overcome depression, so thereās no point in even trying to.ā
However, in each of these examples, the fallacy lies in the underlying belief that whatever actions you take will make absolutely no difference to anything, and that you have absolutely no power or ability to positively influence your future. However, like weāve already mentioned:
- You are not powerless;
- Your actions do make a difference;
- You can influence your future in a positive way!
End of free excerpt
We really hope you've found this free journal excerpt helpful.
All our love,
The Depression Project Team.
P.S. If you'd like more helpĀ coping with and overcoming the negative thought ļ»æ"I'm never going to overcome depression",Ā ļ»æthen please click the button below to learn more about ourĀ You Can Overcome DepressionĀ journal.