Mindfulness Practices to Support Depression Treatment and Recovery

Depression treatment has never been more challenging than it is today.

Depression is a real problem these days with 5% of adults worldwide currently living with depression per WHO data. This is an equivalent of 280 million people struggling with depression on an average day.

Here's the thing…

Depression treatment with traditional modalities is not always sufficient. Enter mindfulness, a game-changer and powerful complement to the more common depression recovery strategies.

In this article, we cover:

• How Mindfulness Changes the Game in Depression Treatment

• The Science Behind Mindfulness and Depression Recovery

• Mindfulness Techniques for Depression That Actually Work

• How to Build Your Personal Mindfulness Recovery Strategy

The Mindfulness-Depression Treatment Game-Changing Guide

Ready for a mind-blowing fact?

Depression treatment has been on a roll lately, and mindfulness has been leading the revolution. We're not saying that mindfulness will replace therapy (not yet anyway), but it certainly is taking it to the next level.

Depression affects so many facets of life. From disrupted sleep patterns to loss of motivation, everyday tasks become a monumental challenge. Traditional treatments have made a difference for many – think of the more common cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants, but for some people, they are not a solution.

And here is where mindfulness can make a real difference.

Clinics such as The Anxiety Clinic Sydney have been successfully adapting mindfulness-based treatment methodologies and combining them with holistic treatment plans for positive results.

The Science Behind Mindfulness and Depression Recovery

Hold onto your hats, this is a fact that you may not know…

Studies have found that mindfulness-based therapy resulted in moderate effectiveness when it comes to the improvement of anxiety and mood symptoms with effect sizes of 0.63 and 0.59 from pre- to post-treatment, respectively.

However, here is the juicy part:

In patients with anxiety and mood disorders, these interventions resulted in effect sizes of 0.97 and 0.95, respectively, which is very close to a full standard deviation improvement, and which is a large effect in psychological research.

What is even more interesting, and what this study and others like it support, is that these benefits remained the same during the follow-up period meaning that the long-term positive effects of these mindfulness-based interventions last.

Treatment-Resistant Depression Gets a Game Changer

Hold your breath, get ready to be amazed by the fact to come next…

Even people with treatment-resistant depression are experiencing relief through mindfulness-based interventions. Studies show that 30% of individuals with treatment-resistant depression benefit from online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.

Depression with treatment resistance affects up to 30% of people with major depressive disorder, so this change of therapy is nothing short of a miracle to all those people who were beginning to lose all hope.

The wonder of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is that it has all the goodness of two amazing therapies:

• Traditional cognitive therapy techniques to identify and stop you from getting caught in negative patterns of thinking

• Mindfulness techniques that teach you to recognize thoughts as they are without becoming attached to them

• Actionable skills you can use every day

Top Mindfulness Practices for Depression That Actually Work

Want to get to the good part now?

The best mindfulness practices to help you deal with depression are not complicated. In fact, they are some of the most basic ones out there.

There is no need to sit in a yoga pose for hours on end to try and make this work for you.

Body Scan Meditation

Begin at your toes and slowly work your way through your body, pausing to notice any sensations you experience without judging or trying to change them. Depression often presents itself in the form of physical numbness, and the body scanning practice can help you reconnect.

Three-Step Breathing Space

Try this when you find yourself caught up in depressive thoughts. Stop what you're doing, focus on your breathing, and then expand your awareness to include your entire body.

Make Mindfulness a Part of Daily Activities

You can practice mindfulness through eating, walking, or just simply listening to the sounds around you.

Building Your Personal Mindfulness Recovery Strategy

Ready for the fact that most people about mindfulness and depression get wrong?

They believe it is a quick fix or that it can replace professional treatment. Neither is true. Mindfulness is a practice that needs time to work its magic, and it is most effective when used as a part of a comprehensive approach to depression treatment.

Your mindfulness strategy should consist of:

• Daily practice (yes, even 5 to 10 minutes)

• Consistency over time (daily practice is better than a one-hour weekly marathon)

• Patience (don't expect instant results overnight)

• Professional support (especially with severe depression)

Mindfulness practices are not there to make you free of all negative thoughts (impossible anyway). Mindfulness is all about changing your relationship with these thoughts so that they stop controlling your life.

The Mindfulness-Depression Connection Explained

Are you wondering why mindfulness is such a great technique to use when dealing with depression?

Depression very often gets you stuck in loops of negative thinking. The kind of thinking that just drags you further and further down. Mindfulness helps you distance yourself from these thoughts and stop getting caught up in them.

Depression is like being stuck in a river, just going with the flow. It feels like there is nothing you can do about it. Mindfulness is like being on the shore of the river and just watching the current of depressive thoughts go by. In this place, you have the power to choose how you react to it.

It is this shift in perspective and relationship with your thoughts that is the key to how mindfulness is such a powerful tool in recovery from depression. Instead of thinking "I am depressed," mindfulness allows you to think "I am experiencing depressive thoughts right now."

Integrating Mindfulness with Traditional Depression Treatment

Intelligent depression treatment means using a variety of methods, and mindfulness is no exception.

Depression treatment with mindfulness practices is supported by a variety of researches that indicate that mindfulness-based interventions enhance treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy, anti-depressants, lifestyle changes, and social support systems. The trick is in finding the right balance of a combination that works for you.

Time to Begin Your Mindfulness Journey

Don't overthink this one…

The best time to begin mindfulness practices for depression is now. Don't think that you need special tools or equipment, or that you need to wait for better conditions.

To start, just do this: Set a timer for 5 minutes. Get comfortable, and sit. Focus on your breathing and every time you notice that your mind has wandered, gently bring it back to your breath. That's it.

Do this daily for a week and see what you notice. Mindfulness is not about perfect calm (in fact, anything but that). It is all about building a different relationship to whatever it is that you are experiencing, depression included.

Summing Up: The Mindfulness for Depression Connection

Mindfulness practices are the game-changer in depression treatment that we have been waiting for.

Science, practicality, and the effectiveness of the results in the real world make mindfulness-based treatment a must-have in every approach to depression recovery.

The bottom line is:

• Mindfulness has shown a significant effectiveness with anxiety and depression symptoms

• It is particularly effective with treatment-resistant depression

• The treatment and the positive results it has are long-term

• It can, and should, enhance rather than replace traditional treatments

Depression recovery is not a destination, but rather a journey. Mindfulness practices equip you with solid tools with which to navigate the road of recovery with more awareness, compassion, and resilience.

Begin with baby steps, stay the course, and remember that every moment you are mindful is a moment of recovery.