Depression Traps and How to Avoid Falling Into Them - Part 3
This next part of the trap is; Ignoring the results of your coping efforts We all use various coping techniques to attempt to feel better in life.
Things sometimes happen that we cannot control and this can really impact our feelings and make life extremely challenging to say the least.
For those suffering from depression, coping techniques can often become problems within themselves.
We are sometimes lured in by false promises of easing our pain from coping mechanisms such as; alcohol, drugs, overeating, excessive sleeping and avoidance of things that deep down we know are important.
Without going into too much detail about these particular coping mechanisms and their cons, let's look at the side of the coin that is often ignored.
The long-term results.
When you take the time to stop and look carefully at the outcomes of your coping mechanisms, you may find that the difference between your short-term and long-term results is remarkable.
For example, if you wish to feel better in the short-term you might decide to put off that visit to the gym that you were planning and instead decide to stay at home, watch T.
V.
and eat a bag of chips.
Now in the short-term it is true that this may feel better than an hour sweating it out at the gym, however, over the long-term this is simply not sustainable and your energy levels will plummet due to your physical inactivity combined with eating junk foods etc.
When I was going through depression I was also using coping mechanisms.
I used excessive sleeping, alcohol & overeating and I avoided many things that I knew I should have been doing.
When I look back now I can see much more clearly that I had been thinking that these coping methods were working for me when in fact they were not.
The trap was that in the short-term they actually were working to make me feel better, and I emphasize 'in the short-term.
' It was only when I had a look at the long-term results that the real story became clear.
Over the long-term these things were doing much more harm than good and ultimately contributing to prolonging and exacerbating my depressed feelings.
This is how part 3 of the trap can get you.
Once again you are being made a promise that if you use these coping methods you'll feel better, and in the short- term you do! But then over time you find that you have been tricked into seeking transient, feel-good solutions and in reality you are still no closer to the long-term wellbeing and vitality that you ultimately desire than you were before.
The best solution seems to be to make a conscious effort to rely less and less on these short-term, 'band-aid' type, negative coping mechanisms and focus on substituting activities that will help you to feel better in the long run.
I'm very thankful that this became clear to me at some point and I was ultimately able to stop ignoring the short-term results of my coping mechanisms and begin focusing on what was really important and worthwhile.
When I did this I found that my depression began to lift and and interestingly a whole new world of possibilities began to open up for me.
Have a look the article 'Depression Traps and How to Avoid Falling Into Them - Part 4.
' for more on these ideas.
Things sometimes happen that we cannot control and this can really impact our feelings and make life extremely challenging to say the least.
For those suffering from depression, coping techniques can often become problems within themselves.
We are sometimes lured in by false promises of easing our pain from coping mechanisms such as; alcohol, drugs, overeating, excessive sleeping and avoidance of things that deep down we know are important.
Without going into too much detail about these particular coping mechanisms and their cons, let's look at the side of the coin that is often ignored.
The long-term results.
When you take the time to stop and look carefully at the outcomes of your coping mechanisms, you may find that the difference between your short-term and long-term results is remarkable.
For example, if you wish to feel better in the short-term you might decide to put off that visit to the gym that you were planning and instead decide to stay at home, watch T.
V.
and eat a bag of chips.
Now in the short-term it is true that this may feel better than an hour sweating it out at the gym, however, over the long-term this is simply not sustainable and your energy levels will plummet due to your physical inactivity combined with eating junk foods etc.
When I was going through depression I was also using coping mechanisms.
I used excessive sleeping, alcohol & overeating and I avoided many things that I knew I should have been doing.
When I look back now I can see much more clearly that I had been thinking that these coping methods were working for me when in fact they were not.
The trap was that in the short-term they actually were working to make me feel better, and I emphasize 'in the short-term.
' It was only when I had a look at the long-term results that the real story became clear.
Over the long-term these things were doing much more harm than good and ultimately contributing to prolonging and exacerbating my depressed feelings.
This is how part 3 of the trap can get you.
Once again you are being made a promise that if you use these coping methods you'll feel better, and in the short- term you do! But then over time you find that you have been tricked into seeking transient, feel-good solutions and in reality you are still no closer to the long-term wellbeing and vitality that you ultimately desire than you were before.
The best solution seems to be to make a conscious effort to rely less and less on these short-term, 'band-aid' type, negative coping mechanisms and focus on substituting activities that will help you to feel better in the long run.
I'm very thankful that this became clear to me at some point and I was ultimately able to stop ignoring the short-term results of my coping mechanisms and begin focusing on what was really important and worthwhile.
When I did this I found that my depression began to lift and and interestingly a whole new world of possibilities began to open up for me.
Have a look the article 'Depression Traps and How to Avoid Falling Into Them - Part 4.
' for more on these ideas.
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