Depression Guide Lesson 3: Interpretation of Problems
Two things really stand out to me in this lesson:
One:How we understand our problems has an effect on how we cope. Our interpretation of the problems is influenced by thoughts (beliefs, images, memories), moods, behaviors, physical reactions, and environment (past and present). Notice that the five areas are interconnected as shown in the image below. The connecting lines convey that each different aspect of a person?s life influences all the others.
I like how it illustrates we are all interconnected. Our biology can impact our thinking. Our thinking can impact our social etc. I know for me sometimes I can feel a little more depressed or anxious and it is often because I simply haven't been sleeping well. When I start sleeping well again my mood increases or my anxiety drops.
The second piece I like here is the ABC exercise. Have any of you used this before? Want to work through a couple of examples?
how we interpret our problems is very very important to how we end up feeling. There is something called rational emotive therapy (ABC)
A-activating experience- what do you think happened
B-beliefs about experience- what did you tell yourself
C-consequences- how did you act/feel
Everyone goes through the abc even without realizing it and how we interpret those steps decides how we feel. Being more aware and asking yourself questions when an experience happens (bad or good) can help change the way you look at your experience causing the way you feel to be different. This is a really great way to deal with situations and help train your brain to see things in a different way
