Seductively your mind cycles through another struggle in life and reacts with pain and suffering of the mind. We lay trapped in a place of solitude and regret, “Oh no, here it comes again!” You can almost feel yourself slipping off the edge of a mental cliff, falling into the bottomless thought pit of depression. What pushed your over this edge? What is really to blame for this painful time in your life?

Although initially far fetched , lies are to blame for this suffering. Lies that have become so ingrained in your mind that you can hardly differentiate them from the truth. The deception of these all too familiar thought processes that you have built over years have been edging you away from happiness and joy in life. Not to worry though, you will soon dissolve some of these self fulfilling lies that have kept you sick.

-1-
I have tried everything, and nothing seems to me feel better

- One of the easiest solutions to depression is not via pill, drink, drug, or psychiatry but simply placing yourself in an environment where people are full of happiness (authentic people). Always remembering we become a product of the environment we place ourselves in. So why not chose to place yourself with people who seem to have mastered the skill and feelings that you are chasing after so diligently?

-2-
It’s a chemical condition that I am completely powerless over

- In severe cases, medication is 100% absolutely suggested, but the facts have been proven through scientific (not funded by big pharma) experimentation and study that drugs work only slightly better than placebo. The biggest progress doctors have made in mental health is through the use of cognitive behavioural therapy. Yes… rewiring your brain through thought change!

-3-
I will feel much better when I get that car, house, job, girlfriend

-One of the most insightful things that has ever been told to me is “You will never be happier than you chose to be in this moment”. We wait for moments to arise to be happy and it never works out in our favour. The moment is usually short lived and never as exciting as we once imagined. The easiest thing to do is make a list of 10 things you have to be grateful for and hone in on those items all day. Gratitude can evolve into a feeling of happiness that is equivalent to the feeling that you are chasing or hoping to arrive at. You can do this every day when you wake up and it costs you absolutely nothing! Give it a try, you will be amazed how it can influence the direction of your day.

-4-
I have failed and made a lot of mistakes in life. Maybe I’m not worthy of happiness

-Who determines worthiness? Is it someone you work with? Your family member? What about your friends? Or is an internal message you reference all the time, the story you keep telling yourself over and over. Holding on to the idea that you won’t ever be forgiven is perfectionism and self-centerdness at it’s finest. There is not one successful person in this world who has not failed their way to success in life by making mistakes over and over again. This principle and process is not exclusively held for a certain class, but is available to anyone who is willing to hold a slight change of personal view. You are forgiven, always and forever. Learn from the falls, by refining your reactions to the world around you and not the world itself.

-5-
My life would be great if only “__ABC___” would change. Anyone with that problem/experience/family would be depressed

-Picture yourself going to pick up your favourite shirt from the dry-cleaner. You get home and quickly put the shirt on. You have spent a lot money on this stylish piece of linen and always love to receive complements for it. Just before leaving the house for your social gathering, you check yourself out in the mirror and realize there is a pen -sized hole in the shoulder. The hole is approximately 2 mm in diameter, barely noticeable, but instantly your heart sinks to your stomach and your emotions crumble as you dwell on the hole in frustration.

Having no time to change you leave the house in a frantic dash to the car and speed away to your destination. People greet you with the same positive tone that they have done in the past, but you now lack the ability to receprocate the interactions with as much positive energy. Discomfort flows through your whole being and your reaction to the world totally changes. When speaking with people you position yourself awkwardly in attempts to hide the minuscule hole, spending the night tense, always on guard from someone noticing the slight imperfection.

Did anyone notice? Was it a bad night? What changed?

The hole being was insignificant that it never caught the attention of any of the guests, and only pleasant compliments were given to you about your wardrobe. Instead of embracing the night with open arms like you usually would, you sat back in a passive manner in fears of judgment of your clothing. You spent the whole night worrying and dwelling on the one small unrecognizable hole in your shirt and neglected all the incredible people and experiences that were taking place all around you that night.

Is that not typical of life? We zoom in on a weakness in our life and magnify it to be of the largest point of attraction for our attention. Regardless that the majority of your life may be full and in abundance in comparison, we hold onto the problems and neglect the blessings. Who or what is now to blame for your depressed feelings? Is a simple change of perception and attitude all that is needed to elevate your mood and thinking? Don’t allow your mind to dwell on the small details in life that aren’t perfect, create a mental lens that magnifies the beauty and successes.

The focal point of depression is thoughts. Feelings establish themselves from a base of thought. The body then reacts accordingly to these closely held thoughts. Now if you are anything like me, you sit in disbelief and deny and validity of this idea.

This knee-jerk reaction is experienced by everyone at first. All it takes to silence this critical analysis is a slight adjustment to daily thought, a practical test if you will. Correlations between your feelings of depression and prior activating thoughts will start to reveal themselves.

It 100% within you to change how you feel if you commit yourself to this new lens and lease on life. Trust in the process!

How many of you out there have applied small adjustments of thought that have slowly created a new light in your life?

Author's Bio: 

Kael Ranschaert – www.GrowthGuided.com

Mindset expert Kael Ranschaert is the founder of GrowthGuided.com. He is creating a place for people to gather and share ideas on personal development. Follow Kael on Twitter @GrowthGuided for messages of motivation, inspiration, and knowledge