How to Think Positive When Depressed?

Being a mental health disorder, the feeling of being depressed or depression is a condition which causes the patient to feel hopeless almost all the time. Feeling down or sad for a little while is not the same as depression as the latter can be a serious health issue which requires therapy, counseling and medications to be treated. Learn how to think positive when depressed and slowly say no to negativity.

Studies reveal that thinking positive when depressed or keeping all types of negative thoughts at bay can not only help cure depression but also prevent several mental illnesses.

• If you are depressed and negative thoughts such as those of hurting yourself are occurring to you then you need to consult your therapist or doctor without delay. Depression is a dangerous disease which can force you to do any extreme activity including suicide. Stay positive and owning a positive approach to everything is very important when depressed.
• CBT or cognitive-behavioral therapy can be of great help in replacing negative and bad thoughts with encouraging and positive thinking when depressed.
• Negative thoughts are a common symptom of depression and can worsen the disease tremendously. If you learn to think positive when depressed, it can aid in the treatment efforts.
• Changing the way you think from negative to positive does not happen overnight as it is a slow and gradual process. In order to think positive when depressed, you will have to practice is every single day. It is only then that healthy and positive thinking will start coming naturally to you.

Whether or not you are being treated for depressed, even if you have mild depression, learning to stay positive can help in every way. Know how to think positive when depressed and keep yourself healthy, both mentally and physically.

Here are some ways, which will help you think positive when depressed and prevent you from falling prey to negative thoughts.

One of the best ways to think positive when depressed is by noticing your negative thoughts and stopping them immediately. Make use of ‘self-talk’ technique wherein you try to understand what you believe about yourself and the experiences you have. It is a kind of introspection about oneself. If your ‘self-talk’ is rational then it will help you overcome negative thoughts and work towards positive ones while a negative ‘self-talk’ will not be helpful and instead cause you to become more negative. This is an effective way to think positive when depressed.

The next important step is to analyze whether your thoughts are helpful or not and if it is making your thought process negative. Though several kinds of irrational and useless thoughts will continue to fill your mind, you will have to take time out every day to analyze it and do away with the negative ones. This is also known as filtering which is a process in which you filter out the bad and focus only on the good. This too is a great way, when you wonder how to think positive when depressed.

Sometimes when you are depressed, you set pre-conceived notions as to how you ‘must’ act in a given situation. This often leads to negative thinking and you might be forced to do something which you did not wish to. You need to understand that if any action forces you to think or act negatively then you need to not do it and instead focus on things which are positive and of your liking. Try looking at the brighter side, without following your fixed beliefs or losing the battle before it begins. Decide to take a step in the positive direction, the path will follow on its own.

Choosing a positive and happy thought is very crucial when you are depressed as compared to a negative one. For example, if someone was supposed to meet you at a place but is unable to do so, instead of blaming the other person, it is important to realize that there may have been a valid reason for such an instance and empathize with the person. This is an important part when you want to think positive when depressed.

Most negative thoughts stem from the fact that we think only about our own worries and desires or are discontented with our life in some or the other way. But if you put yourself into other’s shoe, you may see a different picture. Practicing this can reduce the discontentment in your life and can give you a chance to appreciate the better things that are already there in your life.

One of the best ways to think positive when depressed is to maintain a journal and write down all your thoughts in it. This will help you stop negative thoughts from entering your mind and you will be able to choose positive and good thoughts more easily and consciously. Write down all the negative and positive thoughts that you have during the entire day along with all the irrational and sudden thoughts as well. Every time you write a negative thought immediately write a positive one right next to it to correct the negativity and turn it into positive.

Doing this every day will allow positive and good thoughts to start coming to your mind naturally as your mind will know that it will be corrected every time a negative thought gets written down in the journal. This will help to bring a positive change in your mind and slowly in your actions too. This is a great way to think positive when depressed.

Replacing negative with positive thoughts is the key to think positive when depressed. No one said it would be easy and you should be ready to fight a tough and long battle with your own self to turn negative into positive. However, with strong will and determination and the urge to prevent negative thoughts from ruining your life, you will be able to eliminate all the negativity in your brain and allow only good and positive thoughts to enter within.

Now that you know how to think positive when depressed, you can take the right action. However, if it is a clinical condition, it is also necessary to follow the medical treatment and therapy to treat depression. It is imperative to consult a trained physician and a therapist who will not only offer you the best treatment plan but also be instrumental in training you to think positive when depressed.