How to Treat Depression by Confronting the Authority in Your Life

When we are depressed we feel we have no power. We feel no strength within ourselves and think it is almost impossible to find a new way of dealing with people that will help us in beating depression. One of the main reasons for this is that we have not confronted the authority in our life.

This means that we are allowing someone else to dictate our behavior, thoughts or feelings. It means that someone is doing or saying something and we are obeying them. We are bending to their rules although we don't want to. We are compromising ourselves and our integrity, doing things and behaving in a way that is not right for us.

This 'authority' may be someone who is in your life right now, such as a spouse, friend, a work colleague, teacher or neighbour. Conversely, it may be someone from your past to whom you are still attached, such as a parent or sibling. You have become conditioned to believing that another person knows what is right for you. You may continue to plaj games when you go back to your parents' house and smile as if everything is OK, even though it's not. This can lead you to think­ing there's something wrong with you. You may have to press that frustration down so it won't escape and overwhelm you.

If you are feeling very depressed, put some thought into who it is that you are obeying right now. Are you listening to someone who gives you information about yourself that you believe? Is someone telling you that you can't go for your dreams? Are you telling yourself that you have no rights as a parent and therefore cannot have any personal life? Is some­one telling you that because they give you money, gifts or favours that you have no right to confront them? Is someone beating you up and you believe it when they tell you that you deserve it?These and many other questions are worth asking yourself because there is an answer here.

HOW TO CONFRONT THE EXTERNAL AUTHORITY

Now that you have become aware that you are following orders, how do you confront your own misplaced obedience?

You could simply talk to a friend and receive valuable responses that might help you recognise your situation in a way that you can't see it now. However, if you feel very anxious about discussing your situation, you may need assistance from a trained professional who can help you see that your thinking is contaminated. Some reworking of the way you see your situation will help you to get a more level view and decrease your anxiety. This will then raise your confidence about dealing with the authority.

However, this doesn't have to be done face to face. Confront­ing an authority can be acted out in the safety of a therapist's room by allowing yourself the opportunity of saying to the therapist what you would really like to say to the authority. The very act of expressing your fury or sadness out loud will open you up to dealing with your depression and you will find yourself encountering new experiences that will add to your personal strength. The action you take with the authority as a result of talking it through may be simply to respond in a new way. One thing to remember - unless you break the law, there is no authority that can dictate to you. If you believe otherwise, you are misguided.

Likely Page Break

Once you have a clear idea of what you need to do or say to confront the authority, you could take action face-to-face, on the telephone or by writing; you could do it directly, through a legal advisor or with a mediator. Any route may be scary but it's the exciting scariness that comes before change and you can use these opportunities to your full advantage. Be aware that if you are depressed you may see tackling an authority as a backward step but it is not; it is a real catalyst for change and the first time you do it is always the hardest. If you stretch yourself you will give back to yourself the greatest gift of all -your personal power.

When we talk about confronting the authority, we are not talking about a screaming match in which we hurl abuse in between trying to make a point. No, we are talking about approaching it in a way that we would expect a favourite teacher or someone whom we admire to approach it. Imagine them making your point to another on your behalf. Think what they would say and write the words down as they would speak. How would they sit or stand? What would their face look like? What would their gestures indicate? Go through the conver­sation you imagine you will have and mimic such a person. Practise the conversation with someone who can listen and ask the question, 'Is this unreasonable? You will discover that 99% of the time, what you are saying is reasonable and measured.



If You Want Immediate Anxiety Relief, Check Out Our New Natural Technique To Stop Panic Attacks and General Anxiety Fast!