Depression Thought Patterns

Depression can take over our lives, in many of the same ways addiction can. In a sense, many of us with depression are addicted, not necessarily to substances, but to certain thought patterns. Here are some common ones we share and suggestions for how to transform them.

Pessimism

Many of us default to thinking about the negative, in any given situation. We think in worst-case scenarios. We anticipate the outcomes we don’t want. Oftentimes we live with an overarching feeling of dread. We are so accustomed to this way of thinking that for many of us, it can be obsessive or neurotic.

We can begin to reprogram our subconscious minds with new thought patterns. Practice repeating affirmations such as “I choose to see the good. I allow good things to happen for me. I can manifest the outcomes I want.”

Over-worrying

We are human. We worry. We are always going to be concerned, and we are always going to care, about the things and people that matter to us. Over-worrying is taking that concern and allowing to go haywire. The energy of worry is an energy of fear. Fear can paralyze us, keep us stuck and make us act in irrational ways. When we are consumed by fear, we have a harder time accessing our intuition, hearing guidance from our higher power, and following our instincts.

We can transform our heightened anxious over-worrying energy to one of faith and hope. We can allow our concern and love to guide us rather than our fear. Meditate with affirmations like “Everything happens as it’s meant to. Everything in divine timing. I am hopeful. I have faith. Things are always working for our highest good.”

As we focus on thinking positively and hopefully, we are attracting what we want. When we allow ourselves to get lost in worry, we attract what we don’t want.

Insecurity

When we are depressed, we often don’t feel grounded or centered- in our purpose, our sense of self, our direction in life. We can feel insecure about any aspect of our lives- our personality, our past, our illnesses. We suffer from wounded egos and low self-esteem. We are self-conscious, we seek external validation, and at the root of it, we do not love ourselves.

Self-hate is factor in so many of our problems, including depression. We can start the crucial work of loving ourselves by talking to ourselves differently and consciously choosing thoughts of self-empowerment. “I love you. I believe in you. You are strong. You are capable. You can make your dreams come true.”

We have been defaulting to our painful thought patterns for most of our lives. Undoing them takes time and effort. Practice, practice, practice. We can heal our depression, and retraining our minds is an important step.

At Enlightened Solutions, we offer therapy, mentoring, recovery planning and more. Call (833) 801-LIVE  for more information.