Free Depression Self Help - Part 4: Depression Traps
Welcome to Part 4:
This series is dedicated to helping you understand what depression is and how to overcome it without the need for therapy.
I am a depression specialist and author of:
Content Page:
This guide is split into 4 parts. Each with a video, worksheets and tasks.
Part 4 - TRAP and TRAC:
Hopefully, you have watched parts 1-3 and have done all the activities so far. You might even be noticing improvement in your depression. Well done!
However, you may also have noticed some set backs along the way. Times when you planned in a task, only for the Depression to win and for you to fail to follow through. That is normal. Depression likes to fight back. You can not win every battle. But lets look at a tool for helping us win the war.
Its called “TRAP and TRAC”
Watch the video below to understand what this this.
4 - TRAP and TRAC:
TRAP and TRAC might sound a little strange at first but it’s just about helping you look at the short term and long term consequences of your Avoidance Patterns.
Usually Avoidance Patterns seem attractive in the short term. That’s why you use them. They are the path of least resistance. They are easier.
However, in the long term Avoidance Patterns just reduce the quality of our life. They reduce our rewards and increase our stressors and cause us to feel Depressed.
If you can recognise this in the moment you are using them, it gives you the motivation to stand up to your Depression and try an more helpful action instead.
The second half (TRAC) is all about looking at the the short term and long term consequences of your a more helpful “Alternative Coping” to replace your Avoidance Patterns. This “Alternative Coping” is usually harder in the short term as they require more motivation, energy or taking a chance on trying something new but in the long term they give you an increase in rewards and helps you reduce your stressors. And starts to reverse and stop your Depression.
TRAP and TRAC should be used alongside your Activity Scheduling.
Keep planning in things and if you start to notice an Avoidance Pattern fill out the worksheet to help you decide to “Follow your plan, not your mood”.
Click on the image to download the worksheet.
Try this out for a while.
Keeping working on all of the strategies you have learnt. Once you replace your Avoidance Patterns with more helpful coping strategies you will chip away at your depression day by day.
Hopefully you have found this series helpful. Practice the strategies for a while.
If you still feel you need more help after the free course, I have written a detailed step by step on how to use this strategy as well as others to overcome depression.
I recommend the paperback version over the e-book as it gives you access to all the worksheets you will need.
Click on the image to go to Amazon.
Need more help:
Or book in a session with myself to really get to the core of your depression and we can overcome it together.