Ever drive a car that was way out of alignment? Do you remember how much energy it took just to keep the car going in the right direction? It feels as though one is fighting with the car. And remember how easy it is, by comparison, when the tires are aligned properly?
Of course, there is a cost to getting one’s tires aligned. There is a financial cost, it takes time, it may require juggling other items on one’s schedule. Sometimes it has to get pretty bad before we decide it’s just too difficult to manage anymore; we have to take action. Often, though, once we do, it is such a relief to have things back on track. It’s absolutely worth it.
I think this experience provides us with a good analogy to share with our depressed clients.
There is a cruel irony about depression. When one is depressed, the motivation to do the things that would improve one’s mood is often exactly what is missing. One may know that getting some exercise, or going to a support group, or getting together with friends would help – but it is the nature of depression that those things seem to require more energy or force of will than usual. Hopelessness is also a feature of depression; it is hard to talk oneself into carrying out those actions when depression convinces you that it won’t do any good. Instead of fighting with the car, as with tires out of alignment, it can feel as though we are fighting with life.
We might want to share with our clients the analogy that being depressed is like having one’s tires out of alignment – it makes living, a task that ordinarily take little effort, much more difficult. However, using the tools of mental health (some examples are therapy sessions, exercise, enough sleep, good nutrition, minimal substance use, support groups, social connections with healthy people, keeping a gratitude journal) is like getting your tires realigned. As with tire alignment, using those tools will require time, money, energy, commitment. It takes some effort, but the payoff can be quite remarkable. What was previously burdensome is now undertaken with a lighter heart – perhaps even with pleasure. This sense of working with life instead of fighting it is absolutely worth the effort.
the analogy bank 