EIGHT STEPS TO ERADICATE DEPRESSION

1. REALIZE that you have a treatable problem and that there is hope.

People suffering from mood disorders frequently don’t realize they have a problem.

They struggle with the storm of negative thoughts blowing through their mind, and they don’t understand that their state of mind is abnormal.

They think feeling down and depressed is the way their life is supposed to be.

They don’t know that they can feel positive and enjoy each day. They don’t know that there is no limit to how good their life can become.

Until they realize that they have a treatable problem, and that there is hope, they will never get better.

2. REESTABLISH command and control.

Either you control your mind, or it controls you.

If your mind controls you, if it continually bombards you with chaotic racing thoughts that you don’t want to think, if negative and twisted thoughts dominate your mind, then it’s time to reestablish command and control.

You need to take command of your mind and control the thoughts that you find there.

Reestablishing command and control sometimes requires medication.

If you are trapped in deep depression, you may need medication to reestablish command and control so other types of therapy are effective.

If you have a milder mood disorder, you may be able to reestablish command and control without using medication.

Cognitive therapy alone may be effective in breaking the back of the negative and depressing thoughts that thunder in your mind.

3. RECOGNIZE your cognitive distortions.

You must be able to recognize the distorted thoughts that bombard you when you feel negative or depressed.

You need to identify your twisted thoughts and call them out by name.

Depressed individuals must become proactive and take responsibility for the treatment of their depression.

When you are able to recognize twisted and distorted thoughts, and call them out by name, you are on your way to winning the battle of the mind. It won’t be long before you are feeling better and your life improves.

4. REJECT your cognitive distortions.

Once you recognize that your twisted thoughts are abnormal, you can get rid of them.

Only the truth can set you free from your cognitive distortions.

As soon as you face the facts and reject your abnormal thoughts, you are on the way to becoming a healthy, happy person.

5. RENEW you mind with new thoughts.

Cognitive therapy is effective because that is the way God designed your mind to work.

Your thoughts (cognitions) create your emotions, and when you change the way you think, you also change the way you feel.

The Bible says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

The Bible recognizes that you need a new way of thinking.

You must establish a program in which you regularly put positive things into your mind.

God gave you a mind, and He expects you to fill it with good things.

Each day your job is to fill your mind with good things.

One of the best resources you can use to renew your mind is the positive self-talk found in my book, Maximum Strength Positive Thinking.

You can change the way you think and feel by changing what you say when you talk to your mind.

6. REPROGRAM your mind with a positive operating system.

Your mind performs most efficiently when it has a positive operating system.

Positive thinking works because it’s the natural software for your mind. God made your mind so that it functions best when it’s dominated by positive thoughts, and it’s your job to install a positive operating system.

7. RADICALLY shift your focus to God’s love.

God’s love is the most powerful and most positive force in the universe, and when you focus your mind on it and his love flows into your heart, it changes the way you think and feel.

You receive sufficient power to overcome life’s greatest challenges.

God’s love points you in the right direction and gives you the power to make the trip.

When your mind is full of thoughts consistent with God’s love, your thoughts are healthy, and your mind is exactly the way God means for it to be.

When your heart is full of emotions consistent with God’s love, your emotions are healthy, and your heart is exactly the way God means for it to be.

8. REPEAT these steps whenever you need to regain the high ground in the battle of the mind.

The war for a positive mind is fought on the battlefield of focus.

A persistently positive focus creates a consistently positive mind.

Depression is not going to give up without a fight.

These eight steps are your battle plan, and if you relentlessly repeat these steps, get professional assistance, and use medications when indicated, you can win this battle.

Negative thinking doesn’t go away on its own.

You must take charge of your mind if you want to change the way you think and feel.

If you want to get better and stay that way, you need to go all the way in the treatment of your problem.

Recognizing and rejecting your cognitive distortions isn’t enough.

You must advance to the next level and develop a whole new way of thinking and feeling.

The goal of this book is to take you to the next level.

Although it’s important to recognize and reject your twisted and distorted thoughts, it’s even more important to learn how to transform your life by putting powerful positive thoughts into your mind.

You need to have a positive operating system up and running all the time, and you need power.

After you have the insight and knowledge to deal with your problem, you need power to make the trip.

The most positive force and most powerful force in the universe is God’s love, and it has more than enough power to take you from where you are to where you want to be.

You are not in this battle alone. God is on your side, and with his help, you can get a new way of thinking and feeling.

God’s love will point you in the right direction and give you the power to make the trip.

You decide whether negative thinking and depression control your life.

You can make your life as positive as you want.

If you faithfully follow these steps, your life will become better each day, and you will discover there is no limit to how good your life can become.

If you want to have a mind free from depression, nobody can stop you.

If you want to learn more about how to win the battle against depression, you can read Zero Tolerance to Negative Thinking by Dr. Dave.