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Self-help
What is self-help?
Self–help
at Doing Well
Self-help
Hints and Tips
Overcoming
low motivation
Recommended
self-help books
What is self-help?
It’s common
to feel ‘stuck’ with personal problems, including depression and low mood.
Many people use professional help to understand these problems better, and
to work out a way of dealing with them.
But not
everyone wants this kind of professional support - and not everyone has
access to it anyway.
An
alternative is to use ‘self help’ as a way of getting more insight into a
problem, and working out ways to sort it out yourself.
Self-help
books, audiotapes or computer programmes are a common way of dealing with
smoking, anxiety or weight loss, as well as depression.
The nature of
self-help is that it involves some effort and time to do the learning and
develop the skills required to get you well. But these skills can benefit
you in all areas of your life and can be useful at present and in the
future.
Self–help
at Doing Well
At Doing Well
we support and guide people through the use of self-help materials for
people registered in participating GP practices. We use a series called
‘Overcoming Depression’ by Dr Chris Williams. This is a based on a
Cognitive- Behavioural Therapy (CBT) model of depression, which has been
proven to be very effective in the treatment of mild to moderate depression.
It is user-friendly and allows the people using it to work at their own pace
and as they find useful.
The basis of
CBT is that what people think affects how they feel, behave and what they
do. If you would like to find out more information on CBT,
click here, or read our section on ‘talking therapies’.
Self-help
Hints and Tips
Slowly
does it…
At first it
can seem overwhelming with a lot of information and reading to absorb.
Reading one or two pages at a time can make it easier to get through and it
will seem less daunting.
Get
support
Working
through it with your partner or someone close can be helpful. Others can
often pick up on things that we may not always ourselves and it can also be
helpful for them to understand what you are going through.
Reflection
Try to answer
all the questions. The process of having to stop, think and reflect on how
it may be relevant to you is crucial in getting better.
Time
It is
important to set aside time to read and learn the self-help techniques and
to get well. Set aside specific time when you have minimal distractions and
are less stressed e.g. when kids are in bed, after work, at the weekend.
It also takes
time to learn and put into practice the techniques. Do not be discouraged if
you are not getting better immediately- self-help is not a quick fix but you
have already made the first important step by wanting to get better.
Stick at
it
If you are
finding it difficult to concentrate; take breaks, come back to it, break it
into small sections. If you are getting support e.g. from ‘doing well’,
discuss your difficulties with the healthcare professional.
If you are
being supported to use self-help face to face do not let not completing your
planned tasks or workbooks prevent you going to appointments. Discuss your
difficulties with your healthcare professional who should be able to help
and provide guidance.
No
pressure
Don’t put
yourself under too much pressure. Self-help is designed to help you and for
you take it at your own pace. If you are finding it difficult, read through
the hints and tips overcoming low motivation or seek support from your
healthcare professional, family/friends or online.
If you’ve
tried everything…
Self-help may
not suit everyone so if you have really tried your hardest and taken into
account everything mentioned here this doesn’t mean you have failed or won’t
get better. It may be that another treatment will suit you better. You can
find out about different treatments on our website. Discuss your feelings
and ideas with our GP who can advise and possibly refer you to services in
your area.
Overcoming
low motivation
It can
sometimes be difficult trying to change when you feel depressed. Many things
can interfere or get in the way of overcoming your problems. Listed below
are some of them.
I didn’t
have time to do it.
Breaking old
habits and starting new ones takes practice. You have the right to
set aside time to change. Getting better should be a priority. It may be
that you think you have too many external pressures (e.g. a partner,
children or job) to look after your own needs. It is, however, important for
you and for those around you that you spend time to allow yourself to get
better.
I didn’t
understand what I had to do
If you feel
stuck, try to re-read the workbook again. If you are confused, talk to your
healthcare professional who introduced you to the course about any
difficulties you may have with understanding what to do.
I tried
but it didn’t seem to make any difference
Change takes
time. You may have been depressed for quite some time now and it will take
time to begin to change. The first steps to change are often the most
difficult. Try to encourage yourself to stick at it.
I don’t
think it will help me get better
One of the
biggest blocks to getting better is not believing you can change. If you
believe that change is not possible and you decide to do nothing as a
result, you may be missing out on real benefits. Change is possible. Making
negative predictions that nothing will happen may become a self-fulfilling
prophecy that will prevent you from getting better.
We recommend two self-help books:
Overcoming
Depression: A Five Areas Approach, by Dr Chris Williams (Hodder Arnold, ISBN 0-340-76383).
Mind Over
Mood: Cognitive Treatment Therapy Manual for Clients, by
Christine Padesky
&
Dennis Greenberger (Guilford Press,
ISBN 0898621283)
Online
support
You can also
review the key content of the sessions using the
www.livinglifetothefull.com
website which provides brief overviews and teaching on the approach by Dr
Chris Williams.
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Acknowledgements:
Some text on this page
taken from "Overcoming Depression and Low Mood by Chris
Williams (2006 Hodder Arnold, London ISBN 978-0340905869). Reproduced
with permission. |
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What can I do to get better? 
