Three Ways to Ease Depression

Hi,

My name is Andrea Wachter and I want to start out by letting you know that I'll be talking about depression here today.

So if you're struggling with depression,

I want to encourage you to pace yourself and to take care of yourself.

And also know that this is not a replacement for professional support.

And that I really hope if you're not getting support already that you will reach out for support.

There's a lot of help out here in the world.

So if you listen to my courses or some of my talks,

You may already know a little bit about my story.

I struggled severely with depression for years.

I also struggled with severe anxiety,

With an eating disorder,

And with drug and alcohol abuse.

So I am no stranger to battling my thoughts,

And battling with my behaviors.

And that's part of what has helped me become so passionate about helping others,

Because I really lived in a very dark place for a long time,

And I know that there's a way out.

So I want to focus today on three tips.

Three things.

That can help you find some relief from depression.

The first is about your thoughts.

The second is about compassion.

And the third is about hope.

And really those are all about our thoughts because what our mind tells us creates how we feel.

So the first.

Don't believe everything you think.

Especially if you're depressed.

When we're depressed,

Our minds tend to dish out really negative,

Really hopeless thoughts.

And particularly unkind towards ourselves.

So it's really important if you're struggling with depression.

To do your best to question your unkind or unhelpful thoughts.

To soothe them,

To reach out for someone else.

Their support so they can soothe them.

To redirect them,

To find healthy distractions for them,

To upgrade them.

There's lots of things we can do with unhelpful,

Unhealthy thoughts.

But especially if you're struggling with depression,

It's going to be extra important to not believe everything you think.

Easier said than done,

I know,

But that's tip number one that's going to take some practice and it's well worth it.

The second tip is about self-compassion.

It's really,

Really common if we're struggling with depression to beat ourselves up.

To think,

Oh,

If I only tried harder,

How did I get myself into this place,

Or how could I still be in this place?

And all of that is not helpful.

And the truth is,

If you're struggling with depression,

It's not your fault.

It's usually a result of a combination of complex factors,

None of which are your fault.

So you need,

You deserve compassion.

If you're struggling with depression.

We actually deserve compassion anytime,

But especially when you're feeling down.

So that's my second tip.

Do your best.

To be kind to yourself,

To give yourself a break.

To acknowledge that you're trying,

You're here,

You're listening to this talk,

So you are trying.

And you can climb out of this,

And there is a lot of help,

But it's not your fault that you fell into depression.

So self-compassion,

That's the second tip.

And the third tip is about hope.

Very often when we're struggling with depression,

It kind of tends to go along with hopelessness.

Those really dark thoughts that tell us we'll never get through this.

We've always felt like this.

We always will feel like this.

And the truth is,

It's not true.

There is hope.

And there are people who have struggled the way that you have,

The ways that you do,

And they've gotten through it.

I struggled.

Severely with depression and I've gotten through it.

Learned a lot.

And that's why I'm so passionate about teaching others what I've learned,

Because I know that there's a way out.

And it starts with changing your thinking,

Questioning your unkind thoughts.

And offering yourself some compassion.

And it's really important to reach out for support.

Like I said earlier,

There's a lot of support in the world.

There's a lot of resources now.

Hold on to hope.

If you can't foster it for yourself,

You can borrow mine or you can borrow someone else's.

There is hope.

Depression is a chapter.

Sometimes it feels like a really long chapter.

I know.

But it is a chapter.

So those are my tips for you.

I hope they're helpful or helpful reminders.

And I hope you will be kind to yourself,

Compassionate with yourself.

Hang on to your hope.

And don't believe everything you think.

Thanks for joining me.

I'm wishing you all my best.