Whether you are someone who has dealt with serious or clinical depression, or you are just a normal person who gets down from time to time, you have undoubtedly heard the negative voices in your head.  They sound like this:

“You’re going to fail at this the way that you fail at everything else.”

“No one would ever want to be with you if they knew the truth.”

“There’s nothing you can do to make things better.”

“It’s only a matter of time before they fire you / she leaves you / you’re broke and on the streets.”

The voices act like a skipping record player, and not in a cool DJ way, but in a having to hear the same crap over and over again way.  When I described this to a counselor, she said “Why don’t you tell them to stop.”

That’s it.  One step.  Just say, out loud if you have to:

“Chris, (or Joe or Phyllis or whoever) STOP.”

This doesn’t solve the problem, fix the situation or reverse any childhood traumas or solve world hunger.  But from time to time you have to tell your brain who’s boss.  Telling it to stop will give you a second to clear your mind, get some perspective, and start thinking about how to solve the problem.