Art Markman, Ph.D. YouBeauty Psychology Advisor replied almost 2 years ago:
Depression and anxiety are often caused by a pattern of thinking and interaction. Some people get in a fight with a family member and shrug it off immediately. Others stew about it for days. If you are the sort of person who stews about these things, give yourself mental space to cope with difficult interactions. Many depressed people ruminate about negative experiences. That is, when something negative happens, they think about it over and over. If you find yourself thinking repeatedly about a depressing or anxiety-provoking situation, there are a few things you can do. One is to write about it. That helps to get it outside yourself. Another is to engage in activities with other people. It is hard to ruminate about problems when you are trying to keep up with what other people are doing. A third is to engage in physical activity. It is also hard to ruminate if you are also jogging, playing tennis or doing yoga. A fourth is meditation. Meditation is a great way to learn about your own thinking patterns and to learn to control them.
