Feel good, think better: Using positive experiences to aid cognitive work

A couple of days ago I posted about how positive experiences, including watching DVDs or performances, can lift your mood and help your thinking. Apart from helping you feel good this approach also has another use. Some people I’ve talked to avoid challenging their depressing thinking because focusing on it makes them feel bad. I’ve found one way to get round this is to watch a funny or uplifting movie first or see a friend. Then when I’m feeling better, I’m more able to cope with looking at thoughts I might find distressing, like ‘my life is a mess’ or ‘I can’t get on with other people’. Not only that, but because feeling positive emotions increases the ability to think clearly and creatively, I’m more able to see the holes in my thoughts and challenge them.

‘Why bother looking at your thoughts at all?’ I can hear you asking. ‘If watching a DVD or doing something fun makes you feel better, why not leave it at that?’ My personal reason for continuing to challenge and change my depressing thoughts is that it protects me against future depression. While it’s great that I can feel good when I watch a DVD or live performance, I can’t spend every waking hour doing that. What I know from experience is that if I learn to identify the thoughts that get me down and change them for something that makes me feel better I’m more able to enjoy life even when I’m not able to watch a movie. Working on my thoughts gets at the cause of my bad feelings and helps protect my happiness in times when positive experiences are scarce.