Practising Positive Habits
Skills for a happier life
You can learn happiness skills! You don't have to be affected by depression to benefit from practising these positive habits as a foundation for a generally happier life. Nearly everyone could do with improving their relationships with themselves and others.
Which positive habits will you work on?
Depression is squeezed out of our lives when we put some energy into practising positive habits. Some of the most important "life skills" are:
Relaxation
In busy modern lives, we often expect relaxation to just "happen" when we knock off work for the day, or stop rushing about for a minute. Paying a bit more attention to conscious relaxation techniques can make an enormous difference to brain chemicals, mood levels, sense of control and basic wellbeing! Positive relaxation habits are a vital tool in reversing the depression habit spiral.
Assertive communication
Assertiveness can be a misunderstood word. It is not about selfishness and getting your own way. It is about learning how to be more in touch with what you feel and need in any given situation and consciously choosing whether and how to communicate this. Again, this skill can make an enormous difference to mood levels through promoting a sense of control and agency. Practically speaking, identifying and communicating your needs makes it more likely they will be met.
Social skills
Nearly everyone could do with feeling more comfortable and confident in their ability to talk to new people, make friends and interact easily and freely with others. A few simple skills and techniques can help build up this confidence, providing a foundation for more complex social skills like speaking up in formal group situations.
Relationship skills
Depression tends to place an enormous strain on friendships and relationships. Understanding the basics of sustaining constructive relationships and working to re-introduce these measures into your relationships helps to rebuild old bridges and construct new, stronger ones. This skill is vital for ending the isolation and loneliness within which depression thrives.
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Links
More about how depression works: why me?, the depression habit spiral, depressed thinking, stress, anxiety & anger
More about other positive habits: learning self care, increasing exercise, understanding food and mood
More about what relaxation helps with: managing stress levels, sorting out sleep patterns
More about what communicating and relating skills help with: building support networks, getting support and help
