Process - Physician - Fraser Health Authority

THINKING REALISTICALLYStep 4: Practice realistic thinking.It’s not enough to come up with a fair and realisticthought just once. Depressive thinking gets repeatedover and over, sometimes for years, until it becomesautomatic. More balanced thinking will help you tofeel better, but it won’t be automatic – at least not fora while. The good news is that changing depressivethinking doesn’t take years: in fact, depressed peopleoften begin to notice emotional differences after onlya few weeks of practicing this antidepressant skill.Certain kinds of situations can really trigger depressivethinking. Situations likely to trigger depressive thinkingmight include meeting with your boss, attending asocial gathering with people you don’t know well, orhaving a disagreement with a family member. In orderto get the greatest benefit from this approach, youmust catch yourself in situations that normally triggerdepressive thoughts for you.1.2.3.Try to think of a few situations where you often have depressive thoughts.Write them here:SELF-CARE DEPRESSION PROGRAM37 ANTIDEPRESSANT SKILLS WORKBOOK