Lack of confidence is something I experience on a daily basis. Perhaps it is related to my depression, perhaps not. However, I can feel my comfort zone gradually shrinking so that I am reluctant to try news things and risk fresh failure…
exercise for depression: how to get the benefits without the pain
There is plenty of evidence that suggests regular exercise is good for our mental (and physical) health. It makes sense for most people with depression to include exercise as one of the strategies they use for getting and staying well.…
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for recurrent depression – new research
The Guardian and others reported on a study published this week which compared relapse rates between two groups of patients who had experienced three or more previous major depressive episodes and were on a therapeutic dose of maintenance antidepressants. One group continued…
mindfulness for depression: pay attention, this is important
What mindfulness is A ‘working definition’ of mindfulness is awareness that arises from: paying attention, on purpose in the present moment non-judgmentally (says Jon Kabat-Zinn in the video below) It is difficult to pay attention like this without a great…
cogitus interuptus: break the thought-mood-behaviour cycle
It’s odd but i feel like I’m under a spell, like in the song That Old Black Magic When that elevator starts its ride Down and down I go, Round and round I go Like a leaf that’s caught in…
returning from the brink, and holding out against prozac
The last two weeks have been difficult, due to persistent low mood combined with random symptoms of depression taking it in turns to assail me. One day it’s tiredness, the next terrible memory/brain power, then poor concentration, then tearfulness, then listlessness etc etc.…
Lab report 3.2.15: barriers to mindfulness
Several exciting new experiments are cued up in the Lab, including The Lipstick Strategy and Too Hot Not to Cool Down (with apologies to Cole Porter), but for now it’s mostly mindfulness. More details over on the Experiments page. Mindfulness course…
treatment for depression: an overview
Not to get too caught up in definitions, the term “Things That Help” used within Depression Lab covers a whole range of stuff that is thought to be useful in tackling depression, including formal treatment. But unlike most of the Things…
Lab report 26.1.15: mindfulness and kindness
Current Depression Lab experiments include learning to practice mindfulness, courtesy of an 8 week NHS course Mindfulness for Recurrent Depression the counting kindnesses intervention There’s more detail over on the Experiments page, but the week’s highlights are as follows: …
in pursuit of mindfulness pt 2
To follow up a previous post, I have been accepted for my local NHS mindfulness course, which starts next week. I had an ‘orientation session’ with the therapist who leads the course – to discuss any queries and concerns (his and…