Kaitlyn Bruneau (Managing Depression)
Learn to manage depression with guidance from a licensed clinical social worker. This video walks you through creating a personal plan by identifying triggers, thoughts, feelings, ...
Select an answer to get started
How can you practice mindful awareness of your thoughts?
Next, practising mindful awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that may be associated with depressive symptoms can go a long way. Can you notice when you are starting to feel sad or hopeless? What types of thoughts generally come up when your depression is getting worse? And are there behaviours that you tend to engage in, such as isolation, that feel great in the moment, but may be contributing to a negative feedback loop with your mood? By identifying the cycle between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, you give yourself several potential options for disrupting that cycle, whether with an alternative thought or a shift in your behaviour in order to maintain your functioning and decrease the impact that your depression has on you.
How Do I Set Goals That Support My Mental Health?
You'll also want to think about your goals and what you would like your life to look like. Ideally, these would be smart goals, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Again, SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. You'll want to identify goals that are rooted in empowerment and positive change, not just the removal of negative symptoms. For example, instead of a goal of be less depressed, you might consider the smart goal of identify and consistently engage in three areas that bring me joy or learn and practise at least two coping skills to balance out the impact of depression on my day to day. Essentially, what would it mean for you to be better at engaging the impact of your depression? In order to work towards these goals, you can then identify the resources that can help you get there. For example, this might be where you consult with a mental health provider, watch a webinar, invest in a workbook or journal or team up with a friend to check in on how you're each feeling. It's okay if you don't feel equipped to tackle your depression all on your own. There are a lot of resources out there and it may help you a lot to find some that work best for you.
What If My Coping Skills Aren't Working?
Part of your personal plan may involve trying out lots of different coping skills to see what does and does not work for you. Try not to get discouraged. If there is something that does not help, it's great that you're able to rule it out and try something different.