Monkey Mind, Teens, Anxiety & Depression
It is a common perception that anxiety and depression is a problem of working class. But surprisingly our intense desire to see our children only on the top in class, school, university, competitive exams is a real culprit to spread anxiety and depression in our teens.
When some one is feeling anxious, his monkey mind comes up with a lot of reasons why he should not do certain things. When he avoid doing lots of things that, in his heart, he really wants to do, over time he loose his belief in his ability to them. He feels helpless and hopeless. So lack of motivation is defining future of depression.
Think in a teenager's point of view.
If he avoid going to parties or other social events due to his social anxiety, he may begin to have thoughts like, 'I will never make friends or have a boyfriend or a girlfriend.' If he avoid going on trips or to events where there are crowds of people because of his anxiety or agoraphobia, he may think,' I will have to live herewith my parents and work a crummy job forever.'
If some one feel too anxious, tired, or unmotivated, he is missing out on doing the things that would help him feel better. This makes him even more anxious, tired, and unmotivated. He can get trapped in a vicious cycle of not doing things that might make him feel better, and then getting more depressed and feeling even more motivated.
From my own experience, I can say that one treatment for depression is to get the depressed person to do the things that used to give him or her enjoyment before he or she stopped doing them due to lack of motivation.
Everybody knows that the principle that motivation leads to action. If someone is depressed it works the other way around : action leads to motivation (which leads to more action).
Put another way, action and motivation work together like eating and hunger.You are hungry, so you eat. Eating nourishes you so that you stay alive and eventually get hungry again. People who are sick and do not have an appetite are often encouraged to eat even if they do not feel like it, because the nourishment will help bring their strength back. If you want to feel motivated you will need to jump- start the cycle by taking action even when you do not feel like it.
Action Exercise For Teens
Spare five minutes and see the results.
Pick an activity that you enjoyed in the past, or something that you would like to get done-something you do not feel motivated to do. It could be a physical activity like running, riding, biking, dancing or drawing. It could also be a task like doing home work or cleaning your room. Whatever, it is, take action and do it for just five minutes, no matter how tired or unmotivated you feel. If after five minutes you want to stop, then stop. But you may find that once you commit to do something for just five minutes you feel just a tiny bit more motivated to continue. Activity is an antidepressant.
In extreme cases of depression, some teens have thoughts about killing themselves, or even make plans to do so. If you are suicidal you need to get help. Suicide is a permanent solution to a permanent problem. No matter how miserable you feel now, things will get better. Do not keep these thoughts and feelings to yourself ! Tell friends, school counselor, share with your parents, or call a crisis line.
This goes for all teens suffering from depression. It is always a good idea to get help. Counseling and medication both helps in treating depression, Yoga and meditation also help.
Most adults recall their teen years as a tough time, with bodily changes, peer and school pressure, and the expectations of adulthood approaching. As an anxious teen, you may be having an especially difficult time. Remember that you are not alone. Your life is important and worth fighting for. Like anxiety, depression can also be overcome.
Believe it or not, there is a bonus prize when you learn how to overcome anxiety and depression. Knowing how to jump-start your motivation by taking action will be very useful throughout your life, because no life is without setbacks and disappointments.
It is the time to take an affirmative action.
When some one is feeling anxious, his monkey mind comes up with a lot of reasons why he should not do certain things. When he avoid doing lots of things that, in his heart, he really wants to do, over time he loose his belief in his ability to them. He feels helpless and hopeless. So lack of motivation is defining future of depression.
Think in a teenager's point of view.
If he avoid going to parties or other social events due to his social anxiety, he may begin to have thoughts like, 'I will never make friends or have a boyfriend or a girlfriend.' If he avoid going on trips or to events where there are crowds of people because of his anxiety or agoraphobia, he may think,' I will have to live herewith my parents and work a crummy job forever.'
If some one feel too anxious, tired, or unmotivated, he is missing out on doing the things that would help him feel better. This makes him even more anxious, tired, and unmotivated. He can get trapped in a vicious cycle of not doing things that might make him feel better, and then getting more depressed and feeling even more motivated.
From my own experience, I can say that one treatment for depression is to get the depressed person to do the things that used to give him or her enjoyment before he or she stopped doing them due to lack of motivation.
Everybody knows that the principle that motivation leads to action. If someone is depressed it works the other way around : action leads to motivation (which leads to more action).
Put another way, action and motivation work together like eating and hunger.You are hungry, so you eat. Eating nourishes you so that you stay alive and eventually get hungry again. People who are sick and do not have an appetite are often encouraged to eat even if they do not feel like it, because the nourishment will help bring their strength back. If you want to feel motivated you will need to jump- start the cycle by taking action even when you do not feel like it.
Action Exercise For Teens
Spare five minutes and see the results.
Pick an activity that you enjoyed in the past, or something that you would like to get done-something you do not feel motivated to do. It could be a physical activity like running, riding, biking, dancing or drawing. It could also be a task like doing home work or cleaning your room. Whatever, it is, take action and do it for just five minutes, no matter how tired or unmotivated you feel. If after five minutes you want to stop, then stop. But you may find that once you commit to do something for just five minutes you feel just a tiny bit more motivated to continue. Activity is an antidepressant.
In extreme cases of depression, some teens have thoughts about killing themselves, or even make plans to do so. If you are suicidal you need to get help. Suicide is a permanent solution to a permanent problem. No matter how miserable you feel now, things will get better. Do not keep these thoughts and feelings to yourself ! Tell friends, school counselor, share with your parents, or call a crisis line.
This goes for all teens suffering from depression. It is always a good idea to get help. Counseling and medication both helps in treating depression, Yoga and meditation also help.
Most adults recall their teen years as a tough time, with bodily changes, peer and school pressure, and the expectations of adulthood approaching. As an anxious teen, you may be having an especially difficult time. Remember that you are not alone. Your life is important and worth fighting for. Like anxiety, depression can also be overcome.
Believe it or not, there is a bonus prize when you learn how to overcome anxiety and depression. Knowing how to jump-start your motivation by taking action will be very useful throughout your life, because no life is without setbacks and disappointments.
It is the time to take an affirmative action.
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