how to overcome depression?

hi trish,
thanks for taking the time to respond....i appreciate that.

thanks too for your suggestion about getting a phys/
i started going to a cognitive therapy group last week and i'm going again this week.
it's early days for me to see if it will help me to start thinking positive and get on with my life.
one thing that is bothering me is that its a weekly session and iv'e worked out that its gonna be expensive catching buses to go and come back.

so i'm planning on walking but then i sweat alot which gets on my nerves...lol its funny bcause sweating is natural but yet it gets on my nerves!
and being overweight does not make it easy.
i was thinking of walking it there and back for the sake of exercise...and maybe with time i might lose a few pounds just through sweating from the walking?
i'll let you know how i get on as time goes by.

i think you are on the road to recovery because the fact that you are going to the treatment centre means that you are facing up to your problems.
and i know from experience that they CAN BE OVERCOME.
and when you do you will find that life remains stressful and challenging but you have learned that the answer is to be found in accepting what you can't change and use practical ways to deal with challenging situations.
i used to use drugs and alcohol as a crutch just to get through the day.
i threw away the crutches and the challenges are still there.
ok i'm not tackling them at the moment because i'm not well, but i know now that drinking alcohol and using drugs wont hep me anymore.
to be frank i dont think i will ever be better...my challenge is to learn to accept my weaknesses and not let them make me decide to withdraw and hide from life.
although in a true sense i am hiding from life because its less stressful.
but i know sooner or later i'm gonna have to come out of my comfort zone and if i tremble all day then so be.
  

You are welcome.  thank you for the encouragement for my recovery.

From what I know from cognitive therapy, having been in it for 19 years, and studied it in grad school, it is not so much about positive thinking, but learning to identify the schemas in our thinking which beliefs and behavior.  Schemas are the "programming" that we have from childhood experiences and other input.  Once we learn the beliefs we have, we can learn to test to see if those beliefs are based in reality, or not.  If they are not based in reality, then we can learn to dispute them, and change our thinking, which will consequently change our behaviors.  

Good luck.

Trish

Trevor,

I hope they find the right med/s for you - I think when you are on the right med or combination of meds you will feel much, much better.

meanwhile, I hope you can continue to go to the therapy group despite how unpleasant going can be. it's good just to see the faces of others also going through tough times.
keep posting & let us know how it's going.

Jackie