Myddfai Reiki: Coping with Depression (from Amy Poehler's Smart Girls site)
Out Comes The Sun: Coping with Depression
Depression is a nasty bugger. It’s sneaky, showing up when you
least expect it. It’s humorless, draining your days of laughter. It’s a
liar too– it convinces you that things might never get better, that
whatever you are going through just won’t ever end. It’s tricky, making
you feel like you won’t be understood. Depression has a way of making
you feel like you are all alone, that no one is going to understand you,
and even worse, no one is going to be able to help you.
Depression is a jerk. Depression is not your friend.
Sometimes depression is circumstancial. It may come from grief over something or someone you have lost, or from your plans and goals being messed with, or a heartbreak you just didn’t see coming. Sometimes it doesnt even have a cause. Sometimes it’s just a part of your life, showing up uninvited, for no good reason. It doesn’t matter what caused it, it just matters that you believe it wont last forever.
In an article for NPR, David Yeager, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, says, “It doesn’t help that stressed-out teens often fall into hopelessness. When kids have hard things happen to them, they think it’ll be like that way into the future.”
“What if we could convince kids that things can change for the better — would that help mitigate the high rates of depression?” Yeager tested that out. The results of his latest study, published in Clinical Psychological Science, suggests that it does. The study divided 600 ninth-graders into two groups. Half participated in a brief intervention program designed to help them understand that people and circumstances can change. These teenagers were shown several articles, including one about brain plasticity, and another about how neither bullies nor victims of bullying are intrinsically bad.
“We didn’t want to say something to teenagers that wasn’t believable,” Yeager says. “We just wanted to inject some doubt into that problematic world view that people couldn’t change.”
If you or someone you love is currently struggling with depression, there are lots of resources and ways to reach out to get the help you need. Contacting your doctor, a parent, a teacher, a friend, someone you trust and feel safe around to discuss how you are feeling is a wonderful first step.
Resource list for websites and hotlines:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/cryforhelp/episodes/resources/hotlines-and-web-sites-for-teens/?p=11
Image credit: Unsplash | Pixabay
Depression is a jerk. Depression is not your friend.
Sometimes depression is circumstancial. It may come from grief over something or someone you have lost, or from your plans and goals being messed with, or a heartbreak you just didn’t see coming. Sometimes it doesnt even have a cause. Sometimes it’s just a part of your life, showing up uninvited, for no good reason. It doesn’t matter what caused it, it just matters that you believe it wont last forever.
In an article for NPR, David Yeager, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, says, “It doesn’t help that stressed-out teens often fall into hopelessness. When kids have hard things happen to them, they think it’ll be like that way into the future.”
“What if we could convince kids that things can change for the better — would that help mitigate the high rates of depression?” Yeager tested that out. The results of his latest study, published in Clinical Psychological Science, suggests that it does. The study divided 600 ninth-graders into two groups. Half participated in a brief intervention program designed to help them understand that people and circumstances can change. These teenagers were shown several articles, including one about brain plasticity, and another about how neither bullies nor victims of bullying are intrinsically bad.
“We didn’t want to say something to teenagers that wasn’t believable,” Yeager says. “We just wanted to inject some doubt into that problematic world view that people couldn’t change.”
The sun will come out
Depression is that little black rain cloud that Winnie the Pooh sings about, floating over you and casting a melancholy shadow over your days. When you’re stuck under it, it’s incredibly hard to remember that depression is a thing that is happening to you, it isn’t you. The sun will come out, and it will look like the faces of your family and friends, it will look like love and support and kindness.If you or someone you love is currently struggling with depression, there are lots of resources and ways to reach out to get the help you need. Contacting your doctor, a parent, a teacher, a friend, someone you trust and feel safe around to discuss how you are feeling is a wonderful first step.
Resource list for websites and hotlines:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/cryforhelp/episodes/resources/hotlines-and-web-sites-for-teens/?p=11
Image credit: Unsplash | Pixabay
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