Over the decades, researchers have been looking for ways to put an end to depression or, at the very least, significantly improve it. What experts have discovered is that there is no simple, one-fits-all solution to this psychiatric illness. One thing has come to light recently, however: self-compassion may be able to relieve the symptoms of depression for many sufferers.
Here is a step-by-step guide to how self-compassion is done for those dealing with depression:
1) Write Down Your Negative Thoughts
One of the easier parts of self-compassion is writing down all your negative thoughts on paper or on an electronic device. Focus not on writing paragraphs but rather a list of several one- or two-sentence thoughts.
Some examples might be: “All my friends and family hate me,” “I’ll never be able to find a job,” or “My life is horrible and can’t be fixed.”
2) Observe Your Thoughts Without Judgment
As hard as this part may be, it’s one of the most critical.
Take some time to read through the negative thoughts you wrote or typed. Accept these negative thoughts as they are. Don’t judge yourself for feeling these thoughts. Instead, try to view these thoughts through a kind or neutral approach.
If you do feel yourself judging your thoughts, remember: they’re just thoughts; they don’t necessarily mean they’re true just because you believe them. If it helps, when reading your negative thoughts, try to read them as if you’re reading the thoughts that someone else wrote down.
3) Counter Your Negative Thoughts
The next biggest challenge of self-compassion is countering the negative thoughts you wrote down. This means coming up with an opposing response to each negative thought. That means turning that negative thought into a positive thought.
One example of a counter to a negative thought like, “I’ll never be able to find a job,” might be something as simple as, “I will find a job in time.” A more specific response might be, “If I continue applying for more jobs, I will be able to find the job that’s meant for me.”
Again, if this part is hard for you, try to respond as if you’re responding to someone else’s thoughts other than your own.
You’re welcome to list multiple responses per thought if you come up with more than one. After all, there may be alternative perspectives or “solutions” to your thoughts.
Are you experiencing depression? Or perhaps you’re suffering from comorbidity with mental illness, like depression and alcoholism. Either way, self-compassion may be able to help, even at least a little. Best of all, it’s completely free for you to try. The entire point of it is to try to get you to challenge your own thoughts and see that negative thoughts aren’t an end all, be all.
Conclusion
No two sufferers of depression are going to be able to be helped in the same way. Research has made that evident. But thanks to recent research, self-compassion may be one way those with depression may be able to relieve their symptoms, all without costing a dime.
