Depression traps can vary from person to person, but what they do have in common is that they can serve to worsen your mood, perpetuating a vicious cycle. Here are some behavioral pitfalls that can often accompany depression and how you can steer clear of them as you work on getting back on track.
- Social Withdraw: It is the most common telltale sign of depression. “When we’re clinically depressed, there’s a very strong urge to pull away from others and to shut down,” says Stephen Ilardi, PhD, author of books including The Depression Cure. Pulling away from others is the exact opposite of what you really need. “In depression, social isolation typically serves to worsen the illness and how we feel,” Ilardi says. “Social withdrawal amplifies the brain’s stress response. Social contact helps put the brakes on it.”
The Fix: Counteract social withdrawal by reaching out to your friends and family. Make a list of all the people in your life, who you want to reconnect with.
- Rumination: This involves dwelling and brooding about themes like loss and failure that cause you to feel worse about yourself. It is a toxic progress that leads to negative self-talk. It can also cause you to interpret neutral events in a negative fashion.
The Fix: Redirect your attention to a more absorbing activity, like a social engagement or reading book.
- Self-Medicating with Alcohol: Turning to alcohol or drugs to escape your woes is a pattern that can accompany depression and it usually causes your depression to get worse.
The Fix: Talk with your doctor if you notice that you drinking habits are making you feel. Alcohol can also interfere with antidepressants and anxiety
- Negative thinking: When you are depressed, you’re prone to negative thinking and taking yourself out of trying new things. “That’s a huge trap,” says Goulston, psychiatrist . “If you race ahead and anticipate a negative result, which then causes you to stop trying at all, that is something that will rapidly accelerate your depression and deepen it.”
The Fix: Don’t get too attached to grim expectations. “You have more control over doing and not doing, than you have over what the result of actions will be,” Goulston says psychiatrist . “But there is a much greater chance that if you do, then those results will be positive.”