Overcoming Depression
- Tanner Dagenais
- Aug 12, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Dec 2, 2020
Depression is very common today and it is important to realize why. Today we are disconnected from nature and are constantly being bombarded with negative influences. We are living in a sick society that promotes consuming toxic foods, drinks, TV shows, movies, and drugs. Many people have turned these into negative habits that rule their life. Many things contribute to depression and most of them you have control over. It is important to make goals and dreams and to work towards achieving them. If you are stuck in a rut, feeling depressed, and are doing the same routine every day – it’s time to think about making a change. As Einstein once famously said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Overcoming depression may seem like it is impossible, but if you take the time to take care of yourself and make positive lifestyle changes then I promise you it will get better.
One of the most impactful actions you can take is to monitor your inner dialogue and self-talk. What we say to ourselves becomes reality and this is because our subconscious mind is always listening. As the subconscious mind listens, it simultaneously creates limiting beliefs. We are never taught about the subconscious mind in school, even though it is the most powerful part of our mind (90% total brain power) and it can influence our conscious mind. Think about what kind of limiting beliefs you may have in your life that are holding you back. Common limiting beliefs I’ve heard in my life are: “money is evil”, “I do not want to be wealthy”, “if you are wealthy, you have to sacrifice your relationships with your loved ones”, “eating healthy is too expensive”, “eating healthy does not satisfy me”, “there is no one out there for me”, “I am not experienced enough”, “life is hard”, “I do not like to work out”, “I need coffee to wake up in the morning”, etc.… There are so many more I could list off, and I am sure you have thought of some already. You could have learned these beliefs from others in your tribe, like your parents, friends, TV shows, movies, or books you read. And some of them were formed from an experience you had in life.
You may be asking yourself, “how do I reverse and get rid of these limiting beliefs?” The subconscious mind gravitates towards the familiar, which is good news. Make positive influences and thoughts familiar in your life, and your subconscious mind will start working for your dreams and goals instead of against them. I recommend making a list of your limiting beliefs so you can work on positive self-talk to counter the negative. For instance, to increase your wealth you can say, “I welcome money into my life, and use it to benefit others as well as myself”, “I am a money magnet, money flows towards me in a multitude of ways.” It is important to keep your self-talk in the present because the subconscious mind doesn’t understand future or past talk. So, if you say, “I will be rich” then your subconscious won’t understand it, instead you should say “I am rich.” If you find yourself saying negative things, do not be upset instead just replace it with a positive thought and be glad you noticed. Something to consider is what other influences in your life contribute to a negative outlook. You are programming your subconscious mind every day, every moment, so it is important to evaluate what you are watching, reading, and listening to. The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between reality and fiction so you can use positive podcasts, and books to help reprogram your mind.
Now you may be wondering is there something wrong with my subconscious mind? No, indeed it is working exactly how it should, its main job is to keep you safe inside the tribe (i.e. society). You are alive and that means it has succeeded. The problem is that safety doesn’t always mean happiness, most of the time it’s the opposite. As you start to break free from the tribe, the subconscious mind senses danger. Thousands of years ago, if we left the tribe we were more vulnerable to attacks from wild animals, other people, and weather. The tribe will also do its best to keep a tribe member from leaving because there is safety in numbers. Today those same, ingrained beliefs do not make sense; however, the program is still running inside our subconscious mind. This means if you dare to be better than others around you, you will feel resistance from your subconscious and your tribe. You need to give yourself as much positive energy and positive influences as you can, so you do not succumb to these negative influences.
Another thing that will help with depression is exercise. Jim Kwik, an expert on the brain, always says, “As your body moves, your brain grooves.” Exercise can help form a positive self-image, give a sense of accomplishment, release endorphins (which boosts mood), and promote a good nights sleep. It’s important not to abuse your body with exercise and take it at a pace that is right for you. If you don’t ever work out, or don’t walk much, a good starting point may be parking at the end of the parking lot and walking into stores until your body gets acclimated to the exercise. As you start to increase your exercise make sure you increase the amount of rest you get as well.
For deep restful sleep make sure to get to bed before 10:30 PM. Avoid caffeine after noon, and do your best to avoid screens (TV, Computer, Phones) for at least an hour before bed. We as a species are programmed to go to sleep with the sun and wake up with it as well. I recommend at least 8 hours of sleep a day. While you are getting ready for bed and when you are waking up is a great time to say positive affirmations. I have one I always say which is “I expand in abundance of love, energy, wealth, health, success, intellect, confidence, and spirituality every day as I inspire others around me to do the same”. You can feel free to use mine or adapt it to something that fits your goals and dreams. Also, something important to note, when you are starting to fall/awaken from sleep your brain passes through theta state. Theta is great for listening to positive affirmation recordings because it is a state of hypnosis. This is why many people listen to recordings as they fall asleep, it can help reprogram your limiting beliefs.
You do not need to make all these changes at once. Take it at your own pace and celebrate the progress you make. Remember the Einstein quote from the beginning “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Don’t hold yourself hostage in the same routine and expect your depression to get better. I know these things work because they have helped me tremendously in my own life. I also encouraged two people close to me (my wife being one) to try the same things, as they both have struggled heavily with depression over the years, and it has worked for them as well. You are not stuck with depression, do not limit yourself any longer. Power Up your life and dare to be better!
I am here for you if you want to talk about your progress or would like more guidance. I can also provide a one on one coaching session. I am a certified self-sabotage coach. I specialize in understanding the subconscious mind and personalize each session to the individual. I am also a holistic lifestyle practitioner with the CHEK Institute and, will provide tips on how to reduce toxicity in your life. Please reach out to me by email at tadagenais@comcast.net if you are interested in a free consultation.
There are some other things that contribute to depression, which I have written about in my other articles.
You are what you eat, and this can impact your depression as well. In this article, I go over how our bodies deal with toxins.
Food is the best medicine.
Read about how alcohol is preventing your best life.
Coffee is more dangerous than you think...
Read my self-sabotage story.
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