Fight Depression with Action

Let's face it, life is hard! I get asked often in therapy sessions about what my clients can do to help their depression. My asnwer is always the same. I call it, "Fake it 'til you make it." What I mean by that is that as humans we tend to want to feel the emotion before we do the action. For example, we want to feel confident before we go out and speak in public. But! - - more often you need to "pretend" you feel great (action) before you actually do (emotion). It's called a "corrective experience." Have you ever felt afraid to talk to someone, but forced yourself to and then felt so much more confident? That's what I'm talking about. So, for depression, let the action come before the emotion. Action ideas: exercise, laugh, get OUT of the house, go see a movie, hobbies, friends.... You get my point, right? Now, think about what that might do for you out there unhappy in your marriages.... hmmmm.....