Story 3

This person has experienced the power of positive affirmations...

You're not powerless over depression

Even though depression is a mental illness, that is not to say it is something that you are powerless over it. I think the change can only come within yourself. I'm glad I'm not depressed anymore. I have a healthy social life, I'm alert and productive and have clear goals in my life as well. Prior to this I was severely depressed for half a year though and I'm sure it didn't have to last that long...

What seemed to work for me

I can only reflect on an abstract correlation between 'consistency in my life' (measured by getting work done, being healthy socially and mentally, being productive and positive etc) and 'something I started to do' around the same time consistently when things started to get better. All I can say is that I noticed that when I started to do it, things really did start to iron out in my life and where there was no order before there is a lot of order and focus now.

Positive affirmations

I would tell myself everyday (I still do) what I wanted out of life, what I wanted to achieve and that everything was going to be OK. That's all. I didn't care what I was going through at the time. I focused on what I wanted. And sure enough after a week or two, I noticed something different starting to happen. I still do it everyday. I don't tell myself how I'm going to achieve something, but I just tell myself I want it.

Turning point

I believe doing this was a turning point for me. Things really started to iron out. As I did this, every day got slightly better than the last. Every week was an improvement. Every month was an improvement. It was and is a long term thing, a way of maintaining your life. I always still do it.

Depression is curable

Depression is a serious condition but it is curable. I think it arises when you literally are out of control and really feel you have no influence over what's happening to you. Ultimately, I think counselling, medication and many other resources are aimed at providing short term help. It will inevitably recur through taking this approach. Depression must stem from somewhere deep in our brain and we should get to work on the roots.

Instilling self-belief

On the surface, it seems ludicrous to assume that the simple act of 'telling yourself what you want out of life everyday' is going to cure a debilitating mental illness. I believe there are psychological reasons why this work. The most obvious one being that you are probably instilling an attitude of self-belief in your subconscious mind. If you don't believe things will 'get better' they will not because you have already convinced yourself they are always going to be that way.

What have you got to lose?

What's the harm in trying this? It requires little motivation. There's little to lose and a lot to gain. If you want to get better say it to yourself. Just do it regularly. Then passively observe if any change is occurring. Once you have got recognisably better there's no need to stop. It's not a medicine. There is no harm in telling yourself everyday that things will be ok. Try it.