Overthinking & Depression, 5

Many people who have picked up the challenge to identify the number of negative versus positive thoughts they tend to have, are clearly amazed to realize that the checkmarks in the negative column clearly outweighed the checkmarks in the positive—sometimes by the proverbial old country mile. Once your negative thoughts outweigh your positive thoughts—you are likely on your way to depression. What can you do? First, every time you get a negative, hopeless, helpless thought, replace it with a positive, empowering thought. Look for one thing for which to be thankful, and then be thankful you could think of one thing. Seriously. Over time, this can become a positive habit (even as the negative rumination became a habit). It’s not necessarily simple to identify your stressors and, one by one, either let them go or figure out a solution for them. What is simple, is choosing to replace every single negative thought as it surfaces with something for which you are thankful.