Note: I’m in no way trying to generalize what depression is or whom it affects. I do realize that depression is a very broad subject and that there are many people with very real cases of depression. This post in no way contains any scientific facts nor was it with done with any kind of research and is simply my opinion based on my own personal experiences and from that of friends and family.

Everyone experiences their share of financial instability, troubled relationships, social and work stress at some time or another. Life is filled with ups and downs, but a lot of people mainly tend to focus on only the downs. There are some, who rather than try to correct their past mistakes or focus on building a better future for themselves, waste their entire lives in worry. They spend all their time engrossed in these almost ‘suicidal’ thoughts which only makes matter worse.

Negative thinking is obsessive, almost addictive. In some ways losing oneself in these overly exaggerated flights of mental delusion is a type of automatic defense mechanism, used to shield oneself from the dealing with reality.  It’s used as an excuse to generate self pity so that they don’t have to feel guilty or own up to their failures or mistakes. Depression prone people tend to be sympathy seeking, subconsciously thinking people will overlook their faults if they feel sorry for them. From what I’ve seen selfish self centered people are more susceptible to depression. It’s nothing more than a mask to hide from the real world.

In his article How to Stop Being an Over-Thinker , Craig Harper  provides an insight into the minds of the obsessive thinker:

Some people think themselves into stagnation, frustration, exhaustion, anxiety and even illness. They have an aptitude for making the simple, complex, the easy, hard, the minor issue, a major drama and the pain-less, pain-full. They are adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and also at wasting their time and talent through age-old art of over-analyzing everything and everyone; analysis paralysis. They are experts at misinterpreting what people are saying and if there is a way to have their feelings hurt, they’ll find it. Even go looking for it. Not only do they have a history of almost doing things but more often than not they are obsessive, compulsive with perfectionist tendencies. They worry too much. About nearly everything. They are people-pleasers who want change (different) but the change process scares them. They don’t need other people to sabotage their dreams or goals, they can do that all by themselves. They are highly skilled in the art of self-sabotage and if anyone will get in their way, it’s them. They are… the Over-Thinker.

I’m no expert on the topic but from experience and observation I’ve found that the best way to deal with it is to get involved in some activity. Being in a position of responsibility can help shift the focus from these obsessive thoughts. Being active also means you have less time to worry.

Another much talked about technique I have come across many times on the Internet is to actively monitor your thought so as to not get ‘sucked in’ by them. This way you are more in control and can filter out the negative images.

I read a post in http://lifehack.org which describes the process rather nicely:

The beginning of consciousness and inner freedom is having an ‘awareness’ of our thoughts without necessarily being completely identified with them. Observing them without being ‘in’ them. The relevant picture I have in my mind is of me standing on one side of an old timber fence, with my arms and chin perched on the top. On the other side of the fence my thoughts parade by me like models on a catwalk. They are unaware of me but I can see them clearly. They are mine but they are not me.

In this place, I am merely an observer of my thoughts.

In this place I have the choice of investing time, energy and emotion into those thoughts… or not.