When we feel our mood change,
there is always a reason; something has happened to make us feel
this way. Even when we are sliding into a major depressive episode
and we know that the depth of our depression is far out of proportion
to the event that caused our change in mood, we can take comfort
in the fact that there was an event. We have reasons to feel the
way we do; we are not crazy.
If you don't believe this, or
if you can't identify the precipitants to your changes in mood,
use the Mood Journal (see "Tools") regularly. It won't take long
for you to begin to penetrate your own defenses and see that, for
instance, the depression that took you down for no apparent reason
yesterday evening probably has something to do with a difficult
conversation with your mother yesterday morning. In the evening,
you "forget" about the conversation, but the Mood Journal reminds
you.
Sometimes the event is obvious:
a loss, a disappointment, a setback. Sometimes the event will be
obvious to others; we attempt to deny its importance, but we still
feel the hurt. This is where friends, loved ones, and a support
system can help. Sometimes the event is a memory, a dream, an association
sparked by something we read or heard. This is where a private journal
can help.
Knowing what's made us feel
bad is the first step toward recovery. When we understand what's
causing us distress, remember there are only three choices: Alter,
accept, avoid. Try to change the situation, try to avoid the situation
in the first place, and if you can't do either, work on accepting
it.