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When dealing with depression it can be difficult to have positive thinking when all you want to do is lie in bed and doom scroll on your phone over and over again. Let’s take a Depression Counselling Calgary look at a Step by step-by-step guide To Positive Thinking to support any depression you may be facing right now.

Positive Thinking Step #1 to Combat Depression: Develop Gratitude 

Developing gratitude is a very popular step in combating depression. However, you may not be in a place where you even have the energy to go out and grab a journal and write 2 things daily you are thankful for, however, that is a super way to combat depression. Before even getting out of bed to start your day, begin by thinking about 1 to 2 things you are thankful for. Yes, you might start by discussing how thankful you are that you have a bed. However, consider challenging yourself to every day find and think about something new you have never been thankful for.

Positive Thinking Step #2 to Combat Depression:  Challenge Negative Thoughts

There are so many ways that you can challenge your negative thoughts and therapy can provide deeper insight and tools to develop your skills in challenging your negative thoughts. In the meantime, one way to challenge your thoughts is to begin by recognizing if your thoughts are negative or positive. If the thought you are having is negative then even if you don’t believe the positive thought is possible, still take the time to imagine what the positive thought would be and how it would be said out loud. This will begin to support you in re=training your brain to begin to be open to the idea of positive thoughts over the current negative thoughts spinning around your mind.

Positive Thinking Step #3 to Combat Depression: Challenge Negative Emotions

Thinking about what you are feeling is a great way to begin to take negative emotions and begin to shift into neutral or positive emotions. Neuroscience has known for a long time that by even by thinking and stating how you are feeling using primary emotions i.e. anger, fear, shame, rejection, etc…  the mind will allow the areas emotionally on fire to begin to cool down. This in turn will allow you to self-regulate your emotions more effectively and support you from saying or doing something you might regret.

Positive Thinking Step #4 to Combat Depression: Be around Positive Influences

Unfortunately, much depression is filled with purposeful moments of isolation which in turn causes you to continue to be depressed. If and when possible, surround yourself with positive influences, such as good friends, loved ones, music as long as the message/lyrics are positive, and even the occasional funny online video to bring a smile to your face can be a great way to support your depression

Positive Thinking Tip #5 to Combat Depression: Think About the Next Small Step

The literal next step is to think “what is the next step I need to take?”…and not back to bed if possible. Seriously, taking small physical steps out of your bed, out of your room, out of your house are huge achievements for those dealing with depression. Small steps help to create momentum in your life to get you to the next location you need to be to get out of depression.

Depression can be debilitating, preventing positive thoughts from moving us forward in the day. However, by utilizing these positive thinking tips from depression Counselling Calgary you can begin to take literal steps to combat depression. If you are finding your depression is deeper than you realized or you just need some support to get to the next step and begin to run in positive thinking; it may be time to seek out a qualified counselling therapist, clinical counsellor, or psychotherapist and begin to walk in New Life.