My Self-Imposed Therapy

by Aly Kat
(Waterloo, ON, Canada)

As a person who has been diagnosed with clinical depression, I've made a conscious decision to be positive in everything I do. I'm using the knowledge that I've gained as psychology undergraduate study to impose my own therapy.

Bad things happen, people annoy us, there are plenty of reasons to be down. The important thing is to remember that very little that happens around us is meaningful. If someone is talking too loudly, if there is some bad news in the newspaper, I tell myself that it doesn't really matter to me, this minute, and that me feeling bad will not make anything better.

Sometimes we get bad news. Our bills are too high, our work was rejected and we have a bad hair day. This happens to me a lot, or so it seems. I have a solution - I focus on how things could be worse. I think about the problems that other people have, and remind myself "If this is the worst thing in my life, I've got it pretty sweet".

Another tactic I use to stay positive is to be proactive in my social work. Instead of waiting until something bad happens to me to start cheering myself up, I do it while I feel good. This usually means doing charity work, because helping others is a good way to feel better about yourself. When your heart and mind are focused on someone else, the world seems more fair and your problems don't seem as monumental.

These techniques have helped me return to school and live with myself for 3 years. I hope they help you too!