When writing stories, authors know that there are generally 6 types of conflict.
- Man vs. Man – a fight between two or more people.
- Man vs. Self – a fight between a person and their inner world.
- Man vs. Nature – a fight between a person and the natural world (animals/plants/kaiju).
- Man vs. Society – a person fighting with a group of people.
- Man vs. Supernatural – a person fights with fantastical/alien enemies
- Man vs. Technology – generally me against the printer.
When it comes to therapy, we often see the first 4 types of conflict, and maybe the last one from time to time.
For this blog’s antagonist, we want to better understand the enemy Depression.
What is Depression?
The American Psychological Association defines depression as, “a negative affective state, ranging from unhappiness and discontent to an extreme feeling of sadness, pessimism, and despondency, that interferes with daily life.”
In other words, depression is a range of feelings, from a light sadness all the way to hopelessness and despair.
Depression is an enemy that most of us will face at some point in our lives. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 5% of the world suffers from Depression. Women tend to suffer more than men (6% compared to 4%). While this may seem to be a small number on a global scale, I think it important to remember that this is thought to be at a given time, not that only 5% of the population will be the only ones who suffer from Depression.
How to recognize Depression?
To fight our adversary, we must first know how to spot it. Depression isn’t just feeling sad. When therapists look to identify depression, they look for the following symptoms:
- Loss of interest or lack of pleasure found in activities/hobbies once enjoyed.
- Feeling down, depressed, hopeless.
- Trouble falling asleep/staying asleep or sleeping too much.
- Daily fatigue or low energy.
- Not eating enough, or eating too much.
- Feeling like a failure, either failing yourself or those important to you.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Thoughts you would be better off dead, not existing, or hurting yourself in some way.
- Moving/speaking slower than normal or the opposite being more fidgety and restless than normal.
- Isolating yourself from others.
Battle 101:
When you can recognize the signs and symptoms of depression, you can begin planning out a strategy to overcome your enemy.
I find it important to ask yourself these questions:
- When did I first start feeling this way?
- What was I thinking/doing at that time?
- Who was around me and what were they saying/doing?
- What in my environment may be triggering these feelings?
Once we understand how the feelings came about, we can look at retelling the story of what just happened.
Bear was sitting at home alone when he called his friend. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail. Bear had an automatic thought come to him, ‘They must be avoiding me.’ This thought led Bear to feel bad about himself, like he failed at being a friend to them. After a few minutes, Bear remembered how to recognize depression. Bear then decided to look at the story he was hearing in his own head. “There are other stories to this! Perhaps my friend is in the shower or they left their phone at home today and went out shopping. Perhaps they were waiting for my call, but fell asleep.”
By retelling a story to himself that challenged the original automatic thought, Bear is able to fight back against the voice of Depression.
There are also other techniques Bear can use, such as thought stopping (Just because I think something doesn’t mean it’s true) or mindful breathing exercises or journaling.
What are some techniques that you have used to rewrite your own story or fight back against the voice of Depression in your own life?