Importance of focusing on Positive with Depression & Anxiety.

sounds good i find my solo rides even help a lot dont ride in groups as i loose them on hills

I am glad to see that biking helps you. Personally my (almost) daily short ride (5 to 10 miles) has been I think literally a life saver. I cycle normaly by myself on a recumbent Terratrike. I greet almost everyone with a smile and a "Good Morning!" as a part of my "therapy" and at least 50% reply equally cheerfully. It is hard to be depressed when you are smiling and exchanging pleasanteries! I also mutter "positive affirmations" to myself several times a trip.....muttering "no pain,great muscles," etc must sound wierd coming from an almost 80 year old man with scoliosis, stenosis and neuropathy BUT it actually helps. It is all to do with neuroplasticity I think. It wasn't easy in the beginning of course but after a few weeks of tears and blues on the trike and studying mindfullness in the evenings my brain "clicked into gear" and the daily chore of cycling gradualy became something I looked forward to. I often take coffee in a flask and a book with me and have a break soaking up the sounds of nature and reading for 10 minutes or so. (This might be more difficult if you live in a busy Urban area but there are often parks, church yards and the like.). All the best for 2020!

I'm finally figuring out in my life that missing out being a Child when I was a child has finally come back in a vengeance much later in my life. I retired in 2013 but since then I have had periodic very angry outbursts that I was clueless to why they were happening. I finally had suicidal thoughts and depression like I never had before and went into the ER before I either hurt someone or myself. I came out and got into therapy again and with my doctor and my therapist I am moving in the right direction again. I was diagnosed 7 years ago with GAD and have been taking Lexapro. This week I was diagnosed with PTSD from childhood. I have been living through my childhood and didn't know it. I'm finding out more as I talk to my siblings. MY dad was scary and ruled his kingdom inside the house with fear and doom. I was afraid everyday of my childhood. He beat my Mom and when she left the house when it happened he would say that we were next. I was always protecting my Mom from him and had night terrors when I was a child. My childhood was taken from me by him.

Thankful for your thoughtful replies and I hope you are all seeking help for your mental health issues. It’s been Very revealing to me that it’s taken me decades to find out what has been bothering me subconsciously. I’m in good hands now like I’ve never been before. I’m moving toward the light finally after years of denial.

To add to something that helps me and my husband get up in the morning and staring at the same four walls everyday most of the time was the decision to get a good dog. I have been seeing a therapist and a psychologist for years because of my husband who has PTSD really bad for the past 14 years. he had to endure many many years of black operations that he can't even speak of. When he doesn't sleep I don't sleep. It's even gotten to the point where I feel like they should diagnose me with a secondary exposure of PTSD but I know there's no such thing. I have read tons of responses from people that can't get out of bed every morning and stare at four Walls everyday. and maybe even sometimes not shower for up to five to seven days. And their family one by one disappears over time and then that person is left alone. Im not a doctor but living with someone and being someone myself with depression and mental instability I can say one thing that is true. A pill does not fix everything. Most of the time talking to a person even when you think you know him does not fix everything because they're not there all the time. But what I do know that I do not hear many people talk about getting pets. Pets always love us, always greet us with a smile never giving us grief or judgment. I do realize that dogs are expensive and a lot of work but as a human being we know it's worth it because it's out of the house it makes us meet new people. It helps put the light back in our lives. But at the same time they make us laugh, they give us a shoulder to cry on, they get us out of the house, and even sometimes they bring us to others. I know it's not always a simple answer...but I think it needs to be mention more on this website. Anywhere from pain, depression, weight gain, pretty much you name it. It's actually be proven pets help us live longer. Everyone today wants a quick fix or pill. But what I have learned from being married to my husband for 14 years and he is in pain 24/7 and barely sleeps or leaves the house. he got off of all the bad pain medicine over a year ago that the VA put him on. And now he's doing more herbal therapies and when we got a dog it changed everything. His pain levels are still very very high but I can see a difference his attitude and overall well-being and spending more and more time with his family. Thank you for listening and hopefully people will read this.

Hi All: I just read this article from Mayo Clinic regarding ways to develop positive thinking. Here is part of the article.

Identifying negative thinking
Not sure if your self-talk is positive or negative? Some common forms of negative self-talk include:

Filtering. You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all of the positive ones. For example, you had a great day at work. You completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented for doing a speedy and thorough job. That evening, you focus only on your plan to do even more tasks and forget about the compliments you received.

Personalizing. When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. For example, you hear that an evening out with friends is canceled, and you assume that the change in plans is because no one wanted to be around you.

Catastrophizing. You automatically anticipate the worst. The drive-through coffee shop gets your order wrong and you automatically think that the rest of your day will be a disaster.

Polarizing. You see things only as either good or bad. There is no middle ground. You feel that you have to be perfect or you're a total failure.

Focusing on positive thinking. You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking.

The process is simple, but it does take time and practice — you're creating a new habit, after all. Here are some ways to think and behave in a more positive and optimistic way:

Identify areas to change. If you want to become more optimistic and engage in more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you usually think negatively about, whether it's work, your daily commute or a relationship. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way.

Check yourself. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.

Be open to humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.

Follow a healthy lifestyle. Aim to exercise for about 30 minutes on most days of the week. You can also break it up into 10-minute chunks of time during the day. Exercise can positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. And learn techniques to manage stress.

Surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.

Practice positive self-talk. Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Think about things you're thankful for in your life.

Here are some examples of negative self-talk and how you can apply a positive thinking twist to them:

Putting positive thinking into practice

Negative self-talk Positive thinking
I've never done it before. It's an opportunity to learn something new.
It's too complicated. I'll tackle it from a different angle.
I don't have the resources. Necessity is the mother of invention.
I'm too lazy to get this done. I wasn't able to fit it into my schedule, but I can re-examine some priorities.
There's no way it will work. I can try to make it work.
It's too radical a change. Let's take a chance.
No one bothers to communicate with me. I'll see if I can open the channels of communication.
I'm not going to get any better at this. I'll give it another try.

Practicing positive thinking every day. If you tend to have a negative outlook, don't expect to become an optimist overnight. But with practice, eventually, your self-talk will contain less self-criticism and more self-acceptance. You may also become less critical of the world around you.

When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you're better able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking.

What do you think about these ideas?

Hi All: I just read this article from Mayo Clinic regarding ways to develop positive thinking. Here is part of the article.

Identifying negative thinking
Not sure if your self-talk is positive or negative? Some common forms of negative self-talk include:

Filtering. You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all of the positive ones. For example, you had a great day at work. You completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented for doing a speedy and thorough job. That evening, you focus only on your plan to do even more tasks and forget about the compliments you received.

Personalizing. When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. For example, you hear that an evening out with friends is canceled, and you assume that the change in plans is because no one wanted to be around you.

Catastrophizing. You automatically anticipate the worst. The drive-through coffee shop gets your order wrong and you automatically think that the rest of your day will be a disaster.

Polarizing. You see things only as either good or bad. There is no middle ground. You feel that you have to be perfect or you're a total failure.

Focusing on positive thinking. You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking.

The process is simple, but it does take time and practice — you're creating a new habit, after all. Here are some ways to think and behave in a more positive and optimistic way:

Identify areas to change. If you want to become more optimistic and engage in more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you usually think negatively about, whether it's work, your daily commute or a relationship. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way.

Check yourself. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.

Be open to humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.

Follow a healthy lifestyle. Aim to exercise for about 30 minutes on most days of the week. You can also break it up into 10-minute chunks of time during the day. Exercise can positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. And learn techniques to manage stress.

Surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.

Practice positive self-talk. Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Think about things you're thankful for in your life.

Here are some examples of negative self-talk and how you can apply a positive thinking twist to them:

Putting positive thinking into practice

Negative self-talk Positive thinking
I've never done it before. It's an opportunity to learn something new.
It's too complicated. I'll tackle it from a different angle.
I don't have the resources. Necessity is the mother of invention.
I'm too lazy to get this done. I wasn't able to fit it into my schedule, but I can re-examine some priorities.
There's no way it will work. I can try to make it work.
It's too radical a change. Let's take a chance.
No one bothers to communicate with me. I'll see if I can open the channels of communication.
I'm not going to get any better at this. I'll give it another try.

Practicing positive thinking every day. If you tend to have a negative outlook, don't expect to become an optimist overnight. But with practice, eventually, your self-talk will contain less self-criticism and more self-acceptance. You may also become less critical of the world around you.

When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you're better able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking.

What do you think about these ideas?

OUTSTANDING!
SUNDANCE(RB)