Mindfulness and Depression: Mindful Practices for Relief
As we enter into the colder and darker months of fall and winter, many people experience an increase in depression symptoms. You may have heard it as “seasonal depression.” Perhaps you are someone who has experienced a shift in mood due to changing seasons; someone who experiences episodic depression; or someone who experiences long-term depression. Regardless of whichever depression camp you find yourself in, there is something that people with each experience have in common: they want relief. To experience relief from depression, therapy is recommended to address and alleviate symptoms. You might be wondering, “What are some tools that you can start using at home to feel some relief?”
First and foremost, what are some symptoms one with depression may need relief from?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, common symptoms of depression could include:
∙ Feeling sad or having depressed moods
∙ Feeling worthless or guilty
∙ Change in sleep schedule – oversleeping or difficulty sleeping
∙ Changes in appetite – eating more or eating less
∙ Loss of energy or an increase in fatigue
∙ Losing interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed
∙ Difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
∙ Thoughts of death or suicide
While depression may feel very black and white, the experience of it is much more grey. What I mean by this is, as complex human beings with different relationships; friendships; families; health; finances; communities; jobs; homes; and histories; there is not a one-size-fits-all answer to treating depression. It is not always concrete, but rather a fluid journey that each individual with depression embarks on by discovering techniques, exercises, therapy approaches, and coping skills. My goal for this blog is for you to learn a few tools to assist on your journey.
What is mindfulness and how can it help with depression?
To be mindful, we must understand the importance of grounding. Grounding and mindfulness go hand-in-hand as they both help you focus on the present moment. Grounding consists of techniques that help you emotionally regulate when you are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty focusing and concentrating. This is different than mindfulness because being mindful is the practice of being aware of the present and current moment. Grounding techniques can increase the experience of mindfulness by alleviating overwhelming emotions to help feel the tranquil benefits of being in a mindful state. While practicing mindfulness, we focus on and acknowledge our thoughts, emotions, and bodily feelings and accept those experiences. In other words, grounding is necessary when you feel like you cannot tolerate your emotions and need to be regulated, mindfulness can occur when the heavy thoughts and emotions are tolerable and regulated. Grounding and mindfulness can help alleviate or regulate our thoughts, emotions, and bodily feelings by calming our nervous system by being grounded in our present body. Mindfulness is linked to decreasing ruminating thoughts and worry. The effective connection between mindfulness and depression has been scientifically supported for years.
How do I practice grounding and mindfulness?
One of my favorite grounding techniques for depression, anxiety, and other stressors is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. This technique has you do the following:
∙ Identify five things you can see.
∙ Identify four things you can touch.
∙ Identify three things you can hear.
∙ Identify two things you can smell.
∙ Identify one thing you can taste.
Focus on Characteristics
If you want to go deeper into this technique, you can focus on the characteristics of what you identify. For example, if one of the things you can see is a tree, focus on the shapes of the leaves, the color of the bark, and the sway or movements. If something you feel is a blanket, you can focus on the texture and thickness. This technique helps our mind stray away from any heavy thoughts that are causing us distress. When we focus on our five senses, we will become aware of our bodily sensations and feel more connected to our body when our mind is not being so kind to us.
Make a Favorites List
Another technique to alleviate upsetting thoughts is making a “favorites” list in your mind of your favorite things. For example, you can think of your favorite foods, favorite weather, favorite movies or TV shows, and how these favorite things make you feel when you get to experience them. Focusing on our favorite things in distressing times helps bring optimistic thoughts that will help us look forward to the future.
The Rainbow Technique
If you are experiencing a depressive episode, and it feels impossible to think of anything you enjoy, let alone a “favorite”, another grounding technique, is to allow yourself to lean into a state of mindfulness where you can simply become aware of what you are experiencing, is called The Rainbow Technique. When utilizing this technique, you will use the colors of the Rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Purple, and find objects around you that correspond to the color you are on. For example, I can identify the red pen next to me, the orange glow of the lamp I am writing under, etc. Bringing yourself to the present space you are in is one way to help you disconnect from the depressive thoughts you may be ruminating on.
Other mindfulness activities you can do to decrease feelings of depression include:
∙ Getting out in nature and feeling the grass.
∙ Journaling your thoughts.
∙ Visualizing your favorite place.
∙ Doing yoga or another exercise.
∙ Deep breathing.
If You Are Lost in the Sea of Depression, Reach Out and Start Therapy for Depression in North Richland Hills, TX Today!
If you feel depressed, overwhelmed, or lost on how to get started with mindfulness, you can reach out to me to walk with you toward the healing you need to fit your needs and experience. At Luxx Therapy we offer a safe nonjudgmental space to process and come to terms with the emotions you are feeling. Follow the easy steps below to get started.
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OTHER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AVAILABLE AT LUXX THERAPY
In addition to Therapy for Depression, we offer a wide range of services at Luxx Therapy geared towards meeting you where you are in your mental health journey including Therapy for Anxiety, Trauma Therapy and Couples Therapy. We will walk the path to understanding and healing with you whether you are in need of Individual Counseling, Couples Counseling, or Family Therapy! Reach out to us today.