> for me it was about NOT talking oneself into sadness. Exactly. one tool you learn is how your thoughts/feelings/actions interact: You cannot control your fe

> for me it was about NOT talking oneself into sadness. Exactly. one tool you learn is how your thoughts/feelings/actions interact: You cannot control your feelings, but they do influence your thoughts. You can control your actions, but they can influence at least some of your feelings. You can control some of your thoughts, which will influence your feelings. (I may not have stated this exactly correctly, but the gist is the same ). So basically you learn that if you begin "investing" in healthier actions and thoughts (i.e. not sulking or self-pity or rumination), it will slowly pay off in less negative feelings. No it doesnt' solve every single problem in your life, but a big part of depression is "learned helplessness" [1], and learning about thoughts/feelings/actions can be the first tool to counter this. [1]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc