Stockport Psychotherapy provides counselling for depression and low mood.
Our minds are brilliant entities producing a multitude of thoughts second by second; capable of solving life’s mysteries, creating masterpieces and spoon feeding our internal personal demons. Thoughts can be a contributory factor in maintaining emotional problems such as depression and anxiety and ensuring their residency.
Counselling for depression can help challenge negativity…
Don’t fear though, counselling for depression can help you understand your thoughts. In therapy your thoughts can be examined, understood and their negative potency can be diluted. With insight you can begin to develop thought recognition skills to combat negative thinking patterns for once and all.
When I’m providing counselling for depression I share some of the common unhelpful thoughts that often fuel depression and anxiety. And if you read the list below thinking “I do that!” Next time you do “that” remember this article as a means of preventing yourself from going to that negative place.
1. Mind reading – This is when you believe you know what others are thinking about you. E.g. I just know everyone thinks I’m a loser because I’ve been unemployed for 6 months.
Ok, Mind readers, you will look for signs to prove you can read minds, like if a friend looks away when you’re talking you may think “I knew it, they’re totally bored!” . Mind reading gals and guys remember it’s not all about you. Ok other people have their own lives, their own worries and their own demons to deal with.
2. Fortune Telling – Have you ever thought: there’s no point applying for that job/asking for that favour/talking to my boss/ going out for my friend’s birthday because things are going to go wrong? Yes well you are believing you can predict the future and you can’t! This may be based on past negative experiences or worst case scenarios but these thoughts need to be tackled. Be scientific and test doing the things you think might go wrong. Remind yourself that each situation is new and has countless possibilities.
3. Catastrophising – You should’ve been going to the cinema tonight with a friend but she cancelled on you. Suddenly your mind is flooded with negative thoughts such as: she hates me/I bet she’s gone with other people and changed her mind about seeing me/what if one of her family has died/maybe I smell and she didn’t want to sit next to me because I stink. Basically catastrophising is when you begin to despair and write off a situation or event becuase of one small thing; such as a friend cancelling a date. Stop and pull back some perspective. Look at the factual evidence you have for your negative thoughts and don’t confuse this with your opinions.
