JP’s Reviews > Overcoming Depression: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques > Status Update

Types of Self-Bullying or Self-Thinking
1. Self-blaming
2. Self- criticism
3. It-Me
4. Self-hatred
5. Social comparisons
6. The inner bully

To come to terms with [our] feelings we usually have to admit to things we feel guilty about and then learn how to forgive ourselves for them.

“Be in the world but not of the world.”

Typical Types of Thoughts (When Depressed)
1. Jumping to (negative) conclusions
2. ‘I must’
3. Dismissing the positives
4. All-or-nothing thinking
5. Overgeneralizing
6. Egocentric thinking

These can be CHALLENGED SUCCESSFULLY.

The secret of success is the ability to fail.

Feelings are very unreliable sources of truth. So, if you’re depressed, don’t trust your feelings. The strength of your feelings does not reflect reality.

“Our cravings are the source of our unhappiness.” - Buddha

The key here is to try to turn your ‘musts’ into preferences. Try to recognize that reducing the strength of your cravings can set you free, or at least freer.

Writing Things Down: Why This is so Important
1. Writing down is slowing down
2. Attention
3. Catching thoughts
4. Clarity
5. Gaining a perspective

Ways to Challenge Negative Thoughts
1. Rationality and logic
2. Compassion
3. Problem-solving approach

“Challenging but not overwhelming.”

The way we think about things can be highly stressful. If we are critical of ourselves, lose perspective on things, and focus only on the negatives, then this is going to make our depressions much worse. If you can learn to be less critical and more kind to yourself, find ways to keep a sense of perspective and cope, even in dark times, then this just might give your stress system a chance to settle down and heal.

One reason for exploring the social aspects of depression is to highlight that suffering from depression can arise from real social hardships and is not about being a bad or weak person. There may be things in your life that make depression more likely. Once you give up blaming yourself and feeling inadequate, you might begin to see how to make changes.

Indeed, knowing what our needs are, and being able to express them, is important for mental health, especially if we are successful in eliciting supportive signals from others.