Tell yourself the truth.

“I am depressed, and my depression will not last forever.”

 

Positive thinking often fails those of us who suffer from severe depression because it’s bullshit.

But the notion that depression is just a feeling or just a brain disease is bullshit too. The entire difference between grief (which is healthy) and depression (which is potentially fatal) is the thought process surrounding the emotional state.

The central delusion of depressed thinking is that the depression will never end. When you grieve, you know it will pass. But your depression lies to you, and tells you that the depression itself is eternal.

So if combating the lies depression tells with the lies of positive thinking hasn’t worked for you, try repeating the truth like a mantra: Yes, I am depressed. And this depression will not last forever.