What to do with negative thoughts/depression?

I've seen plenty of posts on here about handling anger and controlling it, but how does one control depressive/negative thought processes? (i.e. "I'm no good for her", "I can't do anything right", or "Why am I so stupid?")

Same thing I do with pain... view it as a signal, try to disassociate the 'me' of myself from it and wait for it to go, or address the cause if applicable. I try not to let it define who I am, even though it might be trying to define how I feel. Sorry for the short reply, I'm having a busy day!! Good luck with it!!

http://www.templeofthejediorder.org/sermons/2100-reliah

I try to deconstruct those thoughts. They are the expression of a belief system. Who did they come from? What is the bias of the people it may have come from, and their authority, validity, honesty? How did I latch on to those thoughts? What have I found as evidence of that belief? Is that evidence valid or even true? And most importantly, why am I holding onto them when they do not serve me?

I don't accept that there's a problem with me, the problem lays with other's perception of me and that is their problem not mine....

I'm the absolute perfect me.....the world isn't good enough for me....

The point of the above sentence: give yourself a cocksure swagger...a little confidence goes a long way

RyuJin wrote: I don't accept that there's a problem with me, the problem lays with other's perception of me and that is their problem not mine....

I'm the absolute perfect me.....the world isn't good enough for me....

The point of the above sentence: give yourself a cocksure swagger...a little confidence goes a long way

The "fake it till you make it" concept certainly does help with a pick up in the short term, and there is something to be said for the ability to influence both thought patterns and certain chemical levels in that way (particularly if you're focusing on body language etc) but it doesn't unfortunately encourage long term change. An underlying belief system that has a well worn path in ones brain will surface one way or another. Unless you expose and correct the habitual thought pattern.

This is why cognitive behavior therapy and to a lesser degree NLP (depending on what research youre reading) are so successful in dealing with depression and anxiety. Brain retraining basically.

That's why I like "Fake it till you BECOME it."

Here's a nice TED talk to supplement:
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

Connor L. wrote: That's why I like "Fake it till you BECOME it."

Here's a nice TED talk to supplement:
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

This is EXACTLY what and who I was thinking about when I talked about influencing your mind and chemistry with your body language

I myself am a big advocate for meditation. Meditation is not a magic cure all for everything, however it does train your mind to see these thought processes as they begin to occur, and to essentially let go of that little voice in the back of your head saying you can't. It can also help to realize that everyone else out there is essentially in the same boat you are. None of us received an instruction manual to this thing called life, and we are all just stumbling around in the dark, wondering what the hell is going on. Some people don't show it, but we all feel it in some way.