A 12 Step Practice To Counter “Stinking Thinking” of Anxiety/Depression (Mental Illness)

“Stinking Thinking” by G. Dumas

Perhaps the most devastating results of suffering from anxiety/depression is the false belief that having a mental illness is our own fault, that we are weak and bad people, in other words “stinking thinking”. These strongly held believes are based both on a general societal sigma against depression/anxiety disease (a mental illness) and the nature of the actual components of depression/anxiety disease which involves discomfort related to the body including the mind and more specifically the mind’s thought and belief process. These type of beliefs are particularly hurtful because they make one depressed or anxious about actually being depressed or anxious. Another layer of misery on top of the disease. I have worked on many ideas to counter these false beliefs. First and foremost is the fact that it is not TRUE. Instead the truth is that I have a mental illness and negative thoughts which distort reality are part and parcel of that illness.

I have been thinking about how I could try to manage the negative beliefs about the nature of the illness. First, I must accept that as the sun rises each morning these types of negative thoughts will also rise in my consciousness.  A morning practice which deals head on with this false belief system is needed.

Over the years I have been involved with 12th step groups. They are used when a person has an uncontrollable destructive obsession…alcohol, drugs, sex, food or spending money. It occurred to me that a negative belief about oneself which is generated both by societital prejudices and by a mental illness is similar to an uncontrollable destructive obsession. After 40 years of trying, I know I do not have the power to counter it. Therefore, I am going to start using some of the 12 steps to help me combat my false negative self image. I will start with the first three steps which deal with being powerless and turning to a Higher Power for help. First, I am definitely powerless over the fact that I have a negative self image because I suffer from the disease of depression/anxiety. Second, a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity around the fact that I get such thoughts and falsely believe them to be true. Third, I can give these false beliefs about myself (generated by both the disease and societial prejudices) to my higher power every day.

“God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can and Wisdom to know the difference.”