The 10 Best-Ever Depression Management Techniques by Margaret Wehrenberg

Author:Margaret Wehrenberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Published: 2010-06-08T16:00:00+00:00

COMMENT ON THE POSITIVES IN OTHERS: AWARENESS AND ACTION

Another possibility for a small step with big results to end isolation is to become more aware of others’ positive qualities or actions. Although you cannot control what other people do, you can control what you pay attention to. No matter what caused it originally, once your depression is present, it alters your awareness, filtering life experiences to catch all the negatives while the positives go unnoticed. And that altered awareness can lead you to withdraw from others, because if all you see is the negative in people, why would you want to be around them?

There is only one way to start reversing this trend: Look for positives on purpose. Noting what is good or pleasing in others requires purposefully replacing the negativity filter with a positivity filter. When you comment on the positives you see in others, it has the double effect of boosting not only the other person’s self-esteem but also yours. When your deliberate action of saying a word of praise or appreciation causes the face of the person you are appreciating to light up, you will feel reciprocal pleasure. You will know you did something good.

Commenting on the positives in other people has other benefits for relieving depression:

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