Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Pushing Through

I've felt pretty blah the last couple of days.

This isn't me, but it very well could be...especially with the snack in hand.

I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it's the adjustment back to "normal" life after a nice week of vacation. Maybe it's the reminder that we live in an unstable world full of crazy people that drive trucks through happy crowds of people minding their own business. Maybe it's from letting some of my negative thoughts stick around too long and wreak havoc in my brain.

At our Fresh Hope support group last night we talked about challenging negative thinking. It's a tricky thing for people who suffer with a mood disorder: Is the depression causing the negative thoughts or is the negative thinking adding to the depression?

As someone who has dealt with depression, it's important for me to recognize negative thinking when it occurs. I thought I was getting pretty good at that, but our discussion last night helped me to see that I've been letting some negative thoughts influence my mood.

Here are some ideas to challenge thinking negatively:

• Retrain your brain. Acknowledge the negative thought, but look at it logically and try to change how you are thinking.
• Talk to a trained therapist who can help you learn strategies for replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.
• Write your negative thoughts in a journal. If you like doing this, it can help you to evaluate whether your thoughts are true or not and also notice triggers that get you thinking negatively.
• Relaxation. This can reduce "clutter" in your mind and short-circuit the urge to focus too much on your negative thoughts.
• Work on your physical well-being. Eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, and being around other people can help you feel better about yourself and give you the energy you need to challenge those negative thoughts.

The most important reminder I got last night was when we read the Fresh Hope tenets. We read these basic principles weekly and one sentence really hit me: I choose the support of people who will urge me to "push through."

That's what I want to leave you with this week. If you're feeling blah from depression or just the everyday ups and downs of life, keep pushing through. The negative thoughts, the tough situations, the challenges you think you can't succeed at...all of those will be behind you soon enough if you just push through. You may need help from a loved one or a professional, but it will be worth it. Please, don't give up.  

I didn't feel like writing tonight, but I'm so glad I "pushed through" and did it anyway. I hope you can push through, too, whatever your situation is.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9 NIV)

Do you struggle with negative thinking? How can focusing on God help you to keep pushing through in spite of your negative thoughts and emotions?

*Many of the practical ideas in this week's blog came from Fresh Hope's Topic Card #405 - Challenging Negative Thinking

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Pushing Through

I've had a couple of days of not feeling very good. I'm not sure if it's the new medication I'm trying, hormones, or a failure to think in right ways about the everyday challenges and tasks of life. I'm trying to show myself a little grace and not expect too much as I also try to turn my thinking around.

I'm reminded of an idea I read about in "Fresh Hope: Living Well in Spite of a Mental Health Diagnosis" by Brad Hoefs. One of the principles in the book is the idea of choosing to be well. To "push through" even though you may not feel like doing something. You may not even feel like you want to get well because you feel so miserable or hopeless. Along with medicine and help from others, it's a choice we make to think and act in right ways so that we will get better.

And so I got out of bed at 8:20 even though I felt like staying there all morning. I dealt with an insurance issue even though I had been dreading it. I did the dishes today even though it would have been easier to leave them. I also made sure to do some things just for myself. I played piano and read and just sat and relaxed.

Yes, I got all weepy for a while and this got me feeling worried about the depression and what was going on, but I found out that I didn't have to stay that way all day long. It didn't have to get worse, at least not today. I could make some choices that led to better feelings.

Depression is difficult. It stinks. But it can get better. We just have to hang in there and keep making choices that help us get well.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13 NIV)

Do you have trouble pushing through some days? How can focusing on God help you to make good choices that will lead to more healthy ways of living?