A simple therapy for depression you can do yourself

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This idea will strike some as so simplistic as to be insulting, but lend an ear. Often people who are badly depressed are doing none of the things they love. They have too little energy to get started, or they say to themselves, "What's the point?" Or they may simply have forgotten activities they used to do.

An element of behavioral treatment for depression is to place more occasions for pleasure into one's life. We are indebted to Peter Lewinsohn at the University of Oregon for this approach. You use a simple checklist of things you do that are sometimes enjoyable to some people. Not everyone feels each activity is enjoyable, so you select your own list. For instance, a hot shower is enjoyable to some and torture to others.

Once you have generated a list of things you enjoy, you can set a very simple goal: "Today I will do three things on my 'enjoyable' list."

This does several things for a person. First, you get activated to actually DO something. Second, even if you enjoy the activity only a little, that's better than not at all. Third, it gives the ownership of the process and the results to you, and if you find you are being helped, you can have a sense of success and achievement.

Try this approach if you are having a rough time. The link goes to a list of events you could check off. It seemed awfully long to me. When I used to offer this to people in a support group for depression, I used an abridged form.

http://thecarenavigator.com/wp-content/uploads/2016-04-Pleasant-Events-Schedule-Person-Centered-Care.pdf

Sometimes, truthfully, "simple is better."

When things get complicated, things tend to get bogged down.

Depression is like that....it's sometimes a state of being "bogged down" with complicated feelings.

This is actually really good advice!

Careful, a handful of those things could potentially lead to either serious social consequences or arrest (which tends to exacerbate depression)...

18. Going naked
28. Getting drunk
47. Taking powerful drugs
76. Driving fast
97. Shoplifting
108. Gambling
110. Smoking marijuana
222. Shocking people, swearing, making obscene gestures, etc.
229. Being in a fight

I feel most people, and depressed people, tend to use their common sense.

Common sense winning against depression is a risky gamble. I don't understand why such enticements are even offered.

Maybe a better starting point would be this online manual:

http://www.ori.org/files/Static%20Page%20Files/ACWDadolescent_workbook.pdf

In the PDF, search for "pleasant events." There are other useful exercises in that workbook, as well.

I think it is designed to be used in conjunction with a guided class or therapy with a professional, but it's freely available online, so live it up. No self-help method is meant to eliminate the need for a therapist. But I think there are many techniques we can use to have a more positive outlook, both during a depressive episode and in general lifestyle.

Enjoy!

"Enticements" are offered because people have to start somewhere.

How is one to get out of depression....if one doesn't start the process?

I understand people can get angry....like I'm trivializing depression.

But.....how is one to get out of an abyss if one doesn't take the first step?

I used the term enticements advisedly -- the ones I listed were bad ideas. There are plenty of other options that don't require illegal activity. What's the use of stealing, fighting, doing drugs, reckless driving etc. to get out of depression if it destroys your (or someone elses') life?

Of course not. Obviously, I wouldn't advocate the bad stuff which was listed. That's "common sense."

Bea has a truncated version of that list----most likely without the stealing, lying, assaulting, etc......

I was seriously getting confused/worried when I thought you were advocating for those things.
Thank you, that's a huge relief to me.

Correct - I was actually surprised when Exuvian pointed those out. I certainly wouldn't advocate shoplifting. Some of the others are lifestyle issues. It wasn't reckless driving, but fast driving. Some people do like to do strong drugs. Gambling is not necessarily bad if it is not a compulsion. Etc. (everybody who buys lottery tickets is essentially gambling, for instance.)

Yeah, some of what I listed merely has the potential to harm the individual (legally/socially) depending on the circumstances. Others are hard to see an ok context for*. Driving fast (eg. 75mph) on a highway is often ok. In a school zone it's reckless.

The other linked book contains some vaguer rephrasings of the more controversial options.




*-Ok, I guess if your job is foundation repair and you're hired to lift the sinking edge of a shop, you're probably in the clear.

I like how you always come up with practical solutions.

Was that to me? Thank you, if it was.

Bea,

This is very true! Many people forget the things they love to do when they feel awful. Such was the case with me about two weeks ago. A friend suggested I write a fan letter to one of my favorite tennis players, Denis Istomin, the one who inspired my user name. I wrote and mailed it and my spirits lifted. I am excited about the prospect of getting a reply.