Entertaining TRUE thoughts? 💭 (overcoming depression)

What is truth? "And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come... the Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: he received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth." - Doctrine and Covenants 93:24 & 26 

What more do we learn about truth in Doctrine and Covenants section 93? 

"All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence... Light and truth forsake the evil one... Bring up your children in light and truth." - D&C 93:30, 37, & 40

My teacher pointed out that, when dealing with depression and anxiety, people often get upset when he says they can change. Why is this? Because they think "oh, so you're saying I am responsible for what is happening to me? I am responsible for all this awfulness?" No. It is very natural to be that way. That is a very natural response. Change is supernatural (to use the terms of my teachers). 

Can people really change? 

This blog discusses the power of engaging true thoughts. 

Events

Emotions

Thoughts

People tend to think these three things are the same. That is not the case. We tend to think events cause our emotions or thoughts. Can we always choose our events? Can we always choose our emotions? Can we choose our thoughts? What can we choose? We can choose the thoughts that we entertain. Sure, thoughts will come and go. My dad taught us growing up that choosing our thoughts are like this scenario. We can't stop a bird from landing on our head but we can stop it from building a nest. 

So, how do we entertain truthful thoughts? 

Many people go about it giving positive affirmations to themselves telling them it will be all better. It seems many more naturally go around speaking negatively to themselves. It wasn't until class this week that I realized both of these could be wrong. Power comes when we focus on true thoughts and let those come to our minds. Rather than the supermodel thoughts or the undermining thoughts. I believe a true thought will rarely will leave you miserable. "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly...” 

There are many models and theories regarding this topic. Rubin Hill wrote a theory about the family. There is also such thing as the mood log. 

The mood log - You start by describing a situation or event in which you were very upset. You circle the emotions that you are feeling. You type in the "before box" the percent of those feelings (from 1-100) that you are feeling. Next, you write down your negative thoughts and percent. After that you look at the thoughts and see if any of them fit into the "Checklist of cognitive distortions" (you may want to go through this with someone else as well if it is hard for you to see your true thoughts from the correct lens at this moment). You write down the distortion. After this, you rewrite your thought in a completely TRUE and more positive light. After this you rate the percents.  

Recognize this takes patience and may not happen overnight. But many examples have proven that getting changing to a more truthful way of thinking is powerful and has resulted in more hope and joy for many. 

Click here to download the mood log:

http://content.randomhouse.com/assets/9780767923897/pdfs/Daily%20Mood%20Log.pdf 



Rubin Hill's model - Goes over different ways families have and respond to a stress crisis. In this model you add A, B, and C together to see the outcome and get the total experience. 




"The ABC-X model is used for analyzing stress and coping within families. The model consists of (A) the stressor event, (B) the resources available to a family, (C) the family's perceptions of the stressor, and (X) the likelihood of crisis. Variables B and C determine whether the stressor event (A) results in crisis." (Rosino, 2016.) 

This model implies that the way you look at things plays a big role in whether a family event turns into a crisis or a growing and strengthening experience. Has there been a time in your life where an event in your family that appeared to be a crisis was actually the thing that brought you closer together?   

God is truth. So seeing things as God sees them is the most true of thoughts. Some thoughts to ponder. What are God's prescriptions for depression? (What blessings do we receive in the temple?) 

....

Hannah Whiting 

My belief is that when the world says "no no, there is not hope. I can't change." God is asking us to come and follow Him. 

Rosino, M. (2016). ABC-X Model of Family Stress and Coping. Wiley Online Library. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119085621.wbefs313 

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