How to Break Out of a Depressed Mood | Being Well

Forrest Hanson
Forrest Hanson
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Publicado 2024-07-22
About 30% of people will experience depression at some point in their lives, and most of us know what a depressed mood feels like. Because depressive episodes are common, there’s no lack of good advice out there. But depression is so challenging in part because it attacks our ability to do anything about it. Depression saps our energy, is demotivating, and makes it difficult to actually put that good advice into practice. In this episode, ‪@RickHanson‬ and I explore what we can do about this, and how we can break out of an episode of depressed mood.

We start by talking about what causes depression, introduce the biopsychosocial model, and identify an overall framework for most depressive episodes. We then explain the vicious cycle of depressed mood before focusing on what a person can do practically to break the cycle. Topics include identifying mindsets, changing how we interpret information, fully experiencing our emotions, rumination and ruminatory processes, taking in the good, and creating openness to possibility.

Key Topics:
0:00 Introduction
2:10 Distinguishing a depressed mood from MDD
7:20 Causes of depression
12:30 Absolutist beliefs and self-compassion
18:05 The paradox of motivation, and small ways to break the cycle
24:40 Fully experiencing your feelings, and emotional release
31:00 Discerning between thoughts and experiences
38:20 Rumination, finding evidence of positive change, and interoception
42:45 Recognizing what you don’t know, being receptive to love, and simply being
52:00 Recap

I'm not a clinician, and what I say on this channel should not be taken as medical advice.

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Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.

You can follow me here:
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🌍 www.forresthanson.com/
📸 www.instagram.com/f.hanson
Todos los comentarios (10)
  • @myfuturepuglife
    Although it can be difficult to help ourselves with the brain fog that comes with MDD, I am grateful to hear this message. Thank You.
  • @constantinaolstedt
    Just in this process...winter and spring was like swimming in tar....this episode came very timely, thankyou from Stockholm, Sweden 💐
  • @foreigndaruma9825
    Thank you for this, woke up today after a few days of sneaky anhedonia brought on by poor sleep and felt like I'd been hit by a freight train. Been trying to get back up, and felt like I had, after a long Swedish winter, but it's rarely that easy with depression. Today, I'm just holding the line and this episode is really helping with that, along with journaling, mindfulness and clumsy attempts at self-compassion. Hope you're doing well and, again, thank you.
  • @barbarajean7208
    This was spot-on, guys. Crossfit really helps me to get out of the rut, even if momentarily. I appreciate the practical tools that are easy to remember: mindfulness, self compassion and other compassion. I intuitively knew that fostering a dog would help me through this current rough patch. Thank you!!’
  • @andrewbaker8373
    The most realistic and professionally grounded explorations of this subject and field. Thank you
  • @jencart207
    Even cleaning the room can be too much. But sometimes just clearing off one small table and maybe putting some wildflowers or a a new ornament on it can be a start
  • @JohnLeggio
    I appreciate the thought, effort and consideration that you two put into these vids. Thank you! But I can't help but worry about the plant that's over your dad's right shoulder 🤭. What is the other plant getting that the limp one isn't? Maybe my depression causes me to identify and relate with the wilting plant... Honestly, the stark contrast between the two plants also resonates with me. Many around me are thriving like the vibrant plant, yet I wilt and wither (while I stand right beside them). I wonder if the healthy plant wishes it could help its anemic neighbor.
  • @gdmnsdgl
    talk about a pertinent topic lol