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Managing Anxiety & Depression
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If you have ever
experienced a panic attack, or, an episode of clinical depression - you could
hardly be faulted for wanting and seeking a final and everlasting "cure."
Some people who experience these conditions never have a reoccurrence. For
others, anxiety and depression are persistent intruders in their lives.
Why the difference? Likely, genetics predispose some of us to anxiety or
depressive reactions as a response to situational stressors in our life.
But that does NOT mean any of us are entirely helpless. Depression and
anxiety are most often manageable. | |
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Powerlessness: Beliefs, Behaviors, & Feelings | |
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A key component to anxiety and depression are feelings
of powerlessness. Perhaps some life stressor or loss has temporarily
overwhelmed or discouraged you. Or, perhaps over time you have developed
ineffective cognitive habits - styles of thinking - that promote your giving
up power. These "distorted beliefs" lead us to have "distorted feelings" and
"distorted behaviors". For example:
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Suzy Somebody held and reinforced over time the distorted
belief that
"No one would be interested in
someone like me."
This distorted and powerless belief led her to behave by isolating
herself from others. Her isolative
behavior and belief that no one was
interested in her, led to predictable
feelings of loneliness. Then,
looking at how lonely she felt and isolated she behaved - she reinforced
the powerless belief that, sure enough, "See there! I told you no
one was interested in someone like me!" And the spiraling cycle of
powerlessness was complete and reinforcing.
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It is much easier to change
the way we think and behave than how we feel. The good news is, if we can
change the way we think (correcting distorted thinking) and behave (powerless
behaviors), then most often what we get is a resultant change in how we feel
(for the better!). This is why cognitive-behavioral therapy is the
treatment of choice for anxiety and depression and why empowering clients is so
important (see empowerment HERE).
People often think of
depression or anxiety as a function of low self-esteem. Actually and more
precisely, depression and anxiety are made worse by low self-efficacy.
What is self-efficacy? Self-efficacy is the belief that I have a
sufficient measure of control and power over my life.
Cognitive behavioral
therapy is an important tool in identifying ways we might be lowering our sense
of self-efficacy, giving up power and control, and thereby
encountering depression and anxiety as a persistent companion in our lives. | |
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Tools for
Managing Depression & Anxiety | |
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Fortunately, we have many tools at our disposal for managing anxiety and
depression. These include:
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Medications which help treat
the biological basis of depression.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy -
changing the way we think and behave in order to increase our self-efficacy.
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Building supportive social networks of friends and activities.
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Increasing self-care habits to help us weather the storms of life.
If you would like support in managing anxiety and depression, help is readily
available. Contact your primary care physician or allied health
professional who specializes in treatment of depression. And if we can
be of assistance, let us know - Contact Us.
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