Welcome to a FREE INTERACTIVE TOOLKIT that gives you 8 ESSENTIAL resources from experts in understanding & treating Depression and Anxiety. Scroll down the page for resources and insight in a step-by-step guide to get you on the road to happiness.
If you’d like a printable version QUICK GUIDE of the steps to take with you and follow along. CLICK HERE
You are not alone. 1 in 5 athletes experience depression.
FIRST...If you are having thoughts of suicide please contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Reaching out to family and friends is important, too.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This Toolkit is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider regarding any medical condition.
If you are experiencing depression and anxiety, there are medications that many people find effective for these conditions--but this TOOLKIT focuses solely on non-pharmacological tools. You should talk to your doctor about what treatment options are right for you.
This Toolkit was designed for athletes, but can work for EVERYONE. We hope you will pass this along to anyone that may need help! There are many online counseling/therapy services and other resources as well.
Ready to start? Scroll for the step-by-step guide.
STEP 1: EXERCISE!
If you are an athlete, keep exercising! Everyone that wants to heal from depression and anxiety should use exercise to improve mental health. The Harvard Medical Letter says exercise can be as effective as drug treatments for depression in some cases.
Step 2: Feel Better with CBT
Get hopeful and inspired by watching Dr. David Burns’ 18 minute TEDxReno Talk called Feeling Good, explaining Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).
The full 18-minute video is on YouTube. Click here.
Step 3: Read or Listen to Dr. David Burns’ Book
Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety.
This book can be found on Amazon or anywhere books are sold.
Dr. Burns has sold more than 5 million copies of his first book Feeling Good: which has helped millions of people with his revolutionary high-speed treatment for depression and anxiety. THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR THINKING!
His book is based on 40 years of research and more than 40,000 hours treating individuals with severe mood problems. The goal is not only a rapid and complete elimination of negative feelings, but the development of joy and enlightenment.
Step 5: Download the CBT Thought Diary App
Click here, or - if you are not into apps - you can simply journal your thoughts as you work through Dr. Burns’ book. Use the app daily to change your thoughts.
Step 3: Read or Listen to Dr. David Burns’ Book
Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety.
This book can be found on Amazon or anywhere books are sold.
Dr. Burns has sold more than 5 million copies of his first book Feeling Good: which has helped millions of people with his revolutionary high-speed treatment for depression and anxiety. THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR THINKING!
His book is based on 40 years of research and more than 40,000 hours treating individuals with severe mood problems. The goal is not only a rapid and complete elimination of negative feelings, but the development of joy and enlightenment.
Step 4 Use the THE CBT Though Diary App
The CBT Thought Diary App will help you to recognize and change distorted thinking. This is the basis of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).
“[The depressed patient] tends to perceive his present, future, and the outside world (the cognitive triad) in a negative way and consequently shows a biased interpretation of his experiences, negative expectancies as to the probable success of anything he undertakes, and a massive amount of self-criticism”.
Dr. Aaron T. Beck, Creator and Cognitive Distortions,CBT
Common unhelpful distortions include:
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all-or-nothing thinking
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catastrophizing
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over-generalizing
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emotional reasoning
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jumping to conclusions
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critical language (“should”)
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labelling
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personalization
Steps 5 and 6: Watch Two Helpful Videos
This video encourages you to regulate the good and bad of Light exposure from the sun and your computer/phone. Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman says we need light from the sun just a few minutes a day to regulate our circadian rhythms and makes us feel good. Inversely, if we have light in our eyes from our phone or computer screens between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. this kicks off a pro-depressive circuit in our brains.
How & why to monitor / limit social media. You can replace it and negative news with uplifting movies, podcasts, audiobooks and music. Talk by expert Bailey Parnell. This study shows that limiting social media decreases Depression We dare you to watch the movie Blades of Glory and feel badly, or a Mike Birbiglia or Sebastian Maniscalco Comedy Special on Netflix. Force yourself to dance in your living room or sing in the shower.
Step 7: Meditate and Pray
How meditation can help with Depression and better manage stress and anxiety. There are mountains of evidence regarding how meditation improves our mental and physical well being. Just 10 minutes a day can help. Prayer is proven to lower stress and may create miracles. Click below to listen to Dr. Martin Rossman’s, “Positive Worry Meditation” (23 minutes)
Step 8: Journal Daily Gratitude
Use your CBT Thought Diary App or just journal and list 3 things each day for which you are grateful from. Check out the many benefits of Journaling, from PositivePsychology.com
Other Extra Tools (Bonus Steps)
9) Supplement a good diet. Vitamin D and Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Both have been proven to help with depression.
10) Help someone else. This makes us feel more optimistic, connected, purposeful and valuable.
11) Be loving and kind to yourself. Treat yourself as someone you dearly love. Picture yourself as a toddler. Try a baby picture of yourself on your phone screen.