Overcoming the Negative Self-Talk Cycles of Depression

How you talk to others is important and can play a big role in the quality of your relationships. However, how you talk to yourself is equally important. Your state-of-mind and your internal monologue (self-talk) impacts your mental health. The American Psychological Association can assess the quality of self-talk to predict anxiety in kids.  Self-talk doesn’t just impact anxiety; it can exacerbate depression too. According to a study published in the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, people who engage in negative self-talk experience more intense feelings of depression.

Here at Next Step 2 Mental Health, we want to help you overcome both the physical and mental challenges of living with depression. Our multidisciplinary team is experienced when it comes to diagnosing and treating depression — and that includes helping you overcome negative self-talk.

In the meantime, read through this article to learn how to identify common negative self-beliefs and how you can reframe your mindset.

Depression and Negative Self-Talk: What’s the Link?

Sadness is one of the most well-known symptoms of depression. While intense sadness can be debilitating, it’s not the only symptom of depression. Other symptoms of depression include changes to your eating habits (eating more or less), changes to your sleeping routines (sleeping more or less), irritability, fatigue, and physical aches.

Teens and adults with depression might also cling to negative self-beliefs. Self-beliefs are thoughts and perceptions about yourself, and they can be positive or negative.

Negative self-beliefs are faulty, self-defeating thoughts that you hold about yourself and/or the world around you.”

Negative self-beliefs cause low self-esteem. Holding so many negative views about yourself and your abilities can impact your life in many ways.

Negative self-talk might:

• Make it hard for you to think you’ll reach your goals
• Lead you into the faulty thinking patterns that if you can’t be perfect, then it’s just not worth it to try
• Impact your relationships with friends, co-workers, and family members

So what can you do about negative self-talk? The first step in overcoming negative core beliefs is to learn to identify the negative self-talk and then work towards minimizing those thought patterns.

Identifying Negative Self-Talk and Negative Core Beliefs

Negative core beliefs are the faulty things you believe about yourself, and negative self-talk is the way you talk to yourself — that inner dialogue with yourself.

Negative self-talk can sound different to each person, but here are 10 examples.

1. “I’m unlovable.”
2. “I can’t do anything right.”
3. “I’ll never be good enough at A or B.”
4. “I’m not enough.”
5. “I’ll never be a good enough spouse.”
6. “I’m a failure.”
7. “I’m not a good enough parent/brother/sister/friend.”
8. “I’m too weak.”
9. “I’m too lazy.”
10. “I’ll never succeed at work.”

Once you can pinpoint a thought as limiting or negative, you can start to replace negative thoughts with neutral thoughts.

Replacing Negative Thoughts

First, remember that your thoughts don’t necessarily reflect the truth. For instance, just because you think you’ll never be a good enough runner doesn’t mean that you have to stop going for a daily jog.

Negative self-talk wants you to think “I’m too weak, and I’ll never be able to run a 5K.” However, if you focus on neutral thoughts — rather than the negative — you might see a clear path forward.

What does a neutral thought sound like?

Consider this phrase: “Preparing for this race is challenging. I understand now how more cross-training sessions can help me become a better runner.”

Here’s the difference: Negative self-talk limits your ability to believe in yourself to reach your goals. Neutral self-talk can help you see your potential without limiting you. Positive self-talk can take it one step further.

Consider this phrase: “My body is strong. With every training day, my muscles become stronger and stronger. I can follow the training program, and I can complete my race.”

Positive Self-Talk

Multiple studies have shown that positive thinking and positive self-talk can have a real impact on your mental and physical health. For instance, athletes often use positive self-talk to boost performance or even push through more challenging workouts.

Examples of positive self-talk include:

• “I can do this.”
• “I am good enough.”
• “My body knows what to do.”
• “If I try hard, I can get there.”

More Options to Stop Negative Self-Talk

In addition to focusing on neutral and positive self-talk, keep these tips in mind:

• Say your self-beliefs out loud. It might feel silly at first, but it’s actually a lot easier to spot the negative self-talk by saying your thoughts out loud.
• Ask yourself what a friend would say to you. Try to think like your friend. Or, alternatively, what would you say to a friend in your position?
• Insert as much positive self-talk into your day as possible. You can even stick sticky notes on your mirror to start your day on a more positive note.

Remember: Share a little TLC with yourself. Loving yourself starts with how you think about yourself.

Depression Treatment When You Need It Most

At Next Step, we know how profoundly depression can impact all aspects of your life. We also know that it can be hard to free yourself from a cycle of negative self-talk. The good news is you don’t have to go on this journey alone. Our compassionate, non-judgmental team offers a variety of depression treatments, including medication and therapy.

If depression is keeping you from your potential, we can help. Call our Louisville, Kentucky office at 502-339-2442. You can also request an appointment online.

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How Untreated Depression Can Negatively Impact Your Health 

Over 322 million people live with depression, according to the American Depression and Anxiety Association ^[1] . While depression is a common mental illness, it’s not something to brush off. Depression is serious, and those living with it often need treatment to feel better. There are many different types of depression – including major depression, persistent depressive disorder, and postpartum depression just to name a few. Depending on the type of depression you have, you’ll notice that the symptoms suffered may be as individual as you are. Depression may affect your mental health in many ways, from intense feelings of sadness to a loss of interest in the things that you used to love.

In addition to taking a toll on your mental health, untreated depression can also impact your physical health.

At Next Step 2 Mental Health, our team of compassionate providers wants you to know how depression can impact your physical health. In this article, we’ll explore how depression can affect physical health in adults — and what you can do about it.

Depression Causes Sleep Disruptions

If you’re noticing changes to your sleeping patterns, take note. Changes in sleep habits and patterns is a common sign of untreated depression. You might struggle with:

• Insomnia, either difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep
• Sleeping too much

Regardless of which end of the spectrum you fall into, you may never feel quite rested. When you don’t get the quality and quantity of sleep you need, your body is affected. Poor sleep contributes to:

• Fatigue
• Lack of energy
• Daytime sleepiness
• Irritability
• Brain fog
• Poor memory
• Weakened immune system

A chronic lack of quality sleep can also increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease. ^[2]

Depression and Eating Disorders

There is a strong link between depression and eating disorders. Here are a few facts:

• Depression can lead to either overeating or loss of appetite. Weight gain and weight loss are both symptoms of depression.
• 24% of individuals with bipolar disorder also had an eating disorder ^[3]
• Almost 50% of those who struggled with binge eating had depression ^[3]
• Anxiety and depression can trigger anorexia ^[3]

If you or a loved one are struggling with an eating disorder, you can find the National Eating Disorder Association Crisis Hotline information here.

Depression and Heart Disease

We already covered that depression can contribute to sleep disturbances, and a chronic loss of sleep can increase the risk of developing heart disease. The experts at Cleveland Clinic estimate that 15% of people with heart disease have depression. ^[4]

Researchers continue to link untreated depression and heart disease. A 2015 study published in the journal Circulation highlighted that teenagers with untreated major depression were more likely to develop early-onset cardiovascular disease. ^[5]

Depression Causes Pain and Fatigue

Monica Clark, LPA highlights an important point: “Depression is not just in your head.” She continues to share that depression can cause real, tangible pain. This includes headaches, stomach pain, and muscle tension. Depression can alter the way you experience pain, decreasing your pain tolerance. Not only do you feel pain more acutely, but you also might take longer to recover from exerting activities.

Depression Affects Your Immune System

Did you know that depression can suppress your immune system? You’re more susceptible to illness – such as the flu or a cold — when your immune system is weak.

How does depression suppress your immune system? Depression affects your immune system:

• Lack of sleep can weaken your immune system
• Poor nutrition can also weaken your immune system ^[6]

Remember: ~70% of your immune system in created in your gut. ^[7]

Depression and Libido

Unmanaged chronic depression can cause a low (or nonexistent) libido. A low sex drive can be one of the first warning signs of depression. ^[8] Loss of libido can affect both men and women, but it may be particularly profound for women suffering from postpartum depression. ^[9]

Early Detection and Swift Treatment

While we just covered a lot of serious ways that untreated depression can impact your physical health, it’s important not to brush off these symptoms. Even if you can “push through”, depression treatment can help you feel better.

Depression treatment, which can include medication and therapy, can address the mental symptoms. As your depression is managed, you should see that the physical symptoms improve too.

We’re Here For You

Our team at Next Step 2 Mental Health can help you break the cycle of depression using all a multidisciplinary approach that may include medication, therapy, lifestyle changes — or a combination of these.

We’re just a call or click away. Our Louisville, Kentucky office can be reached at 502-339-2442. You can also request an appointment online.

References:

1. https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#:~:text=If%20you%20don%27t%20get,diabetes%20mellitus%20and%20heart%20disease.
3. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/features/eating-disorders#1
4. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16917-depression–heart-disease
5. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000229
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738337/
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3337124/
8. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/low-sex-drive-could-it-be-a-sign-of-depression
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5462380/

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6 Uncommonly Thought Of Depression Symptoms That Shouldn’t Go Unnoticed

When people think of depression, they commonly think of someone who feels sad, lonely, has a bleak outlook on the future, and experiences thoughts of death, dying, or killing themselves. However, depression is a complex mental illness and, while these symptoms are valid and true, there are a host of other ways that you or someone you love may present that also indicates a potential problem with depression.

In this post, we’ll explore the lesser known signs of depression.

Lesser Known Signs of Depression

Below, these symptoms will be explored further:

1. Anger, Irritability, and Mood Swings

While the relationship between anger and depression is complex and not easily understood, research has supported a close relationship between depression and increased feelings of anger, as well as poor ability to regulate emotions, which leads to rapidly changing moods. ^[1] As a result, the individual may experience subjective feelings of irritability and annoyance and may even describe themselves as grouchy or touchy. Loved ones may observe the outward signs of this irritability through increased conflict and argumentativeness. Depressed individuals are biased toward negative information and, as such, will constantly point out the negatives in any situation. Furthermore, they are more likely to ruminate on negative information and thoughts, further exacerbating irritability and anger. ^[1] A person with depression may also experience rapid and unexpected changes in their mood throughout the day, or even rapid changes within the same hour.

They may go from happy to irritable to sad, often without any clear event to provoke the change.

Along with these rapidly changing moods, outbursts of emotions, especially angry outbursts, are not uncommon. ^[2]

2. Feelings of Inferiority and Guilt

Depression can lead to feelings of inferiority and guilt, which leads to anxiety about being unable to cope with day to day life. People with depression worry frequently and may experience recurrent feelings of tension and subjective stress.

Additionally, people with depression may experience other symptoms consistent with anxiety, such as poor concentration and focus, restlessness or difficulty sitting still, ruminating or intrusive thoughts, and difficulties making decisions. An individual with depression may have frequent worries about being a burden to loved ones or may fear being negatively perceived by others for their depression. Frequently, someone with depression may feel unable to identify if they feel depressed or anxious, as the feelings are so closely aligned.

3. Trouble Making Decisions

We all make thousands of decisions each day, often times without even thinking about it. These decisions may involve simple tasks ⁠— such as when to wake up or whether to take a shower ⁠— to more complex decisions, such as what route to take to drive to work. However, despite the automatic nature of these decisions, many people with depression will struggle to make them.

For more complex decisions, such as deciding where to go as a group for dinner, a person with depression may feel paralyzed by an inability to decide. Difficulty making decisions may be related to either internal or external fears. For instance, an external fear may be that their decision would disappoint or create hardship for someone else. Internal fears may include being afraid of making the wrong decision or that they will later regret their decision. People with depression may attempt to relegate as many decisions to others as possible as a defense against their indecisiveness.

4. Loss of Interest

While sadness is most prevalently known, loss of interest in pleasurable activities is a core symptom of depression.

Someone with depression may feel that they have lost the ability to feel joy or pleasure. As a result, they may no longer care about hobbies, social activities, or sex. When presented with opportunities to engage in social activities or hobbies, they will decline, leading them to become isolated or withdrawn. Friends may notice that someone with depression suddenly stops attending group functions or engaging in regular social activities.

5. Alcohol or Drug Use

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse ^[3], people with depression or other mood disorders are twice as likely to abuse substances as those without these disorders. For someone struggling with depression, they may often feel that there is no end in sight and no relief for their symptoms. As such, they oftentimes turn to substances in an effort to self-medicate, combat the symptoms, and find some temporary relief; however, the use of these substances may actually lead to a worsening of depression over time. Other complications may also exist, including becoming addicted to the chosen substance.

6. Physical Pain

Depression is not just in your head.

While depression is most commonly associated with emotional pain, research supports that depression can manifest as physical pain as well. ^[4] Some common physical complaints in individuals with depression include fatigue/exhaustion, decreased tolerance for pain, achy muscles all over the body, but especially muscles in the back and shoulders, headaches, vision problems, stomach pain, digestive problems, and irregular bowel movements.

If You’re Struggling with Depression Symptoms…

At NextStep 2 Mental Health, we provide comprehensive and compassionate depression treatment. Whether you’ve been struggling with depression or another mental health disorder, we can help you feel better. Give us a call at our Louisville, Kentucky office, or send us a message to request more information. 

You can also request an appointment with our convenient scheduling tool here.

About the Author

You can request an appointment with Monica here.  

 

 

 

References

1. Besharat, Mohammad Ali; Nia, Mahin Etemadi; Farahani, Hojatollah. (2013). Anger and major depressive disorder: The mediating role of emotion regulation and anger rumination. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 6, 35-41.
2. Culpepper L. The diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder: Decision-making in primary care. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2014;16(3). doi:10.4088/PCC.13r01609
3. National Institute on Drug Abuse, US Department of Health and Human Services. December 2008, Revised September 2010. Comorbidity: Addiction and Other Mental Illness. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/rrcomorbidity.pdf.
4. Trivedi, M.H. The link between depression and physical symptoms. The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 6(1), 12-16.

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