Empathy for Self helps to our Depression

There are a lot of good ideas present here. I know a lot of people like that who could really use some self help but just make a habit of ignoring it.

Once upon a time, a university junior student trying to make an appointment with a girl for a counseling session revealed that in the days past he had experienced suicidal ideation, and now that he was feeling much better he had determined to give the girl a phone.

A fast glance at the girl calendar revealed that the girl had an eight o'clock opening the next day. The girl shared with him this news, and there was a break on the other end of the line. He then thanked me, and asked if the girl had an opening on the weekend, for the reason that he had to be at work the following day. This question asked for a break on the girl end, and then the girl asked,
"If you had killed yourself, would you be at work tomorrow?"

Depression can be best described as anger turned inwards, a conundrum of buried feelings that refuse to die. In the story told in the previous paragraph, this person had gone so long in disregarding his needs, that even though he had experienced thoughts to end his days, and he was now being proactive about the situation, he still measured his well being less of a priority. Beating depression isn't an easy process, but it is a highly probable one, with the probability of a human being overcoming depression being higher as that person develops a genuine sense of self empathy.

There once was a doctor, who set out on a mission. His mission was to get more adult men coming in for more physical tests, at least twice one year. Therefore he launched a media campaign, and I happened to listen to one of his interviews on the radio. In the hour long segment, where he transitioned between answering the interviewer's questions and the questions of callers, he made a statement which made an impact on me. He said,
"Most of us spend more money on taking care of our cars, than we do on our health".

I would say yes with that report, and a similar occurrence happens with most of people who suffer from despair. They don't put much value in themselves, even when others do. This also ties in with why depression is also about buried emotions. If you don't put too much stock in yourself, why should you bother listening to your feelings? After all, feelings simply help assign a meaning to what's going on, with or around ourselves.

For those who suffer from depression, when they realize that they are struggling with depression, it can feel like a sudden onset. Particularly with the pronounced feelings of desperation, loss of motivation and interest, and perhaps a pronounced sense of sorrow. In truth, the depression has been there for some time, and getting worse as each negative feeling goes unprocessed, and buried on top the other.

With an bad economy, made no better for those in the gulf coast region affected by an ongoing oil disaster, there are a number of external triggers that can trigger a gradual build up of depression in most people.

The problem with depression is that for those who are struggling with the condition, their perspective on life becomes unpromising. This is because they find themselves routinely consumed in their dark state of minds, and not thinking outside the box and reaching out to others.

One of the number of strategies I use with clients who struggle with depression, is to enable them to develop a feeling of empathy for themselves. Take for example, a usual question I would ask would be,
"So if you were your friend, and you walked in on yourself, sleeping late and at risk of missing out on school or work, what would you do for your friend?"

Because customers learn to do for themselves what they would do for a companion in need, they unavoidably make a renewed feeling of hope for themselves, which will lead to a much needed feeling of relief from their depressive mind sets. For example, just the easy act of "doing" will present with a new set of consequences. This can be particularly beneficial, if the act of doing were healthy and productive, even on a little level.

Coming from a long time of family and my own depression, it is hard to spot especially when going for help is frowned upon. But I have learned to dispell it forgiveness and practicing being in the here and now.Walking and activity really helps but also a very good boo hoo crying time like a day or two, to get it released out of my system before it manifest into a life threatening illness like cancer, hypertension, imbalance of sleep and not sleeping.