Why do we focus only on negative things in depression forgetting all the positive and strong things we have?
25 Answers
Moderated by Sarah Robb, LISW-S (Licensed Independent Social Worker, Supervisor Designation) and LICDC (Licenced Chemical Dependency Counselor)
Updated: Jan 5, 2021
CherishedDreams
on
Nov 9, 2015
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Mostly because negative things usually are more powerful than the positive ones so our minds tend to have a hard time thinking more on the positive side
AshlynDPowell
on
Mar 3, 2015
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Because when we strive for perfection, we see the negative things as things that need to be fixed, but the positive things are pushed away because there's nothing that needs to be done there. But with depression, it is hard to control perfectionism, and it can lead to people becoming consumed in their faults and discouraged when they feel there is no way to fix them. However, we're here to remind them of those great and positive qualities that they have discarded, so they can feel renewed and distracted from their problems, if only temporarily.
BeastIsTheBeauty
on
Jan 5, 2016
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Sweety, it's called "Depression" for a reason, not "Neutrality". It's not something you can just be like "Oh, look, a rainbow! I feel so happy!" It's a mental issue and usually based on chemical imbalances. It's not so much a choice to think on the negative but a force making us think on it. It takes time and lots of patience and practice to overcome depression and even then it doesn't go away like a rain-cloud, it just becomes more manageable.
Anonymous
on
Nov 14, 2017
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Because you feel bad for one thing and after that everything is bad for you. You see negative in everything. You just need to start seeing good things in everything and stay positive
freshLove97
on
Jun 13, 2016
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Because the chemicals in our brains, that usually make us happy, aren't released when we're depressed. Therefore we can't see the positives anymore.
AmethystUnicorn
on
Jul 2, 2018
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When you are feeling sad it is hard to focus on the positive. Your mind grabs onto the negative and holds it tight, which makes you more upset. Depression tried to get you into a cycle of sadness by not realizing the good.
Paraglyder1921
on
Aug 4, 2015
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Because when we have it, we tend to forget that depression isn't the only thing that makes us. Depression is like seeing through a pair of broken smudgy glasses. It's hard to see what's really going on.
EmmaSupportiveListener
on
Mar 1, 2015
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CBT, a form of psychotherapy, believes that the reverse is true. i.e. it is the focusing on negative thoughts and experiences (rumination) that causes depression. CBT also believes that we have a set of core beliefs that can cause depression or not.
If we have unrealistic or unhelpful core beliefs it can cause suffering. One core belief might be 'People should be nice to me, if I'm nice to them'. The problem with such a core belief is that when it doesn't happen we feel upset.
Anonymous
on
Apr 9, 2015
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Maybe because that's how depression works. It wants you to focus on this negative side. I covers the every positive thoughts wherein all you could see is the darkness. It overpowers us that's why we forget every positive and strong things we have.
Anonymous
on
May 12, 2015
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Depression can be very overwhelming and can be over come with the proper help from professionals so that you do not spend so much time on the negative things and can think more strongly on the things that are positive,
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