Don’t get stuck in your cave

Everything you do involves the minds – yes the minds.

You have one physical brain but 2 minds, the conscious rational thinking mind which deals with data and facts and the unconscious mind which deals with emotions and the stress response patterns of depression, anger and anxiety. These three stress response patterns date back to primitive times and were responsible for survival.

Imagine during the winter months when primitive man looked out of his cave and saw torrential rains and winds, he would stay inside and wait for the outside conditions to improve. He knew hunting and going to visit his friend in the next cave would be potentially dangerous against the inclement weather. Instead he chose to stay inside, opting out of normal everyday life, seeing no-one whilst he waited for life outside the cave to improve – he would sleep and eat.

When we experience depression in the modern world we also often react in the same way as our primitive ancestors, we opt out of everyday activities, withdraw from friends and retreat to our ‘cave’ often eating and sleeping too much while we wait for life on the outside to improve. Primitive man had no influence over the weather and so could only wait. When we are depressed we focus on what’s wrong in our lives and we take no action but instead we retreat to our caves and wait for things to improve. We wait to lose weight, to feel more confident, for our job to improve, for relationships to fix themselves – however these are all things we can influence and can change but only when we are proactive.

Depression focuses our attention and our thoughts on the negative and blinds us to the fact that things change and improve when we take action. Taking action is empowering and allows us to feel a sense of control. Action comes in many forms, taking exercise, consciously looking for the positive, meeting a friend, deciding to focus on solutions, getting help – action creates momentum and momentum creates optimism.
Staying in the cave was appropriate for our primitive ancestors, they had no choice, but today in the modern world, staying in the cave is inappropriate because we do have choices, many choices which allow us to make positive change and enjoy life.   If you would like help to lift your mood and break the cycle of depression call 07899 625 156  to make an appointment and start enjoying life again!