In the 12 Step program of Depressed Anonymous I am learning to march to a different drummer and whistle a different tune. In fact, the road that I am now traveling down is a road that will gradually lead me out of the dead ends of depression, guilt, listlessness  and the old familiar atrophy of my spirit to a new vision of who I am to be and to become.

WRITE:  What is it that you want to begin to believe different from your self when depressed? Please list the four ways that you are gradually  going to change the negative and hopeless way you believe about yourself. Print this exercise out and write out your responses if you would like.

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

Now name and list the people, places, situations, and things that have exerted the greatest power over you and your life now and  in the past? These  places, persons, and situations can have a positive or negative POWER OVER YOU AND YOUR LIFE?

2.6 Persons

2.7 Places

2.8 Situations

2.9 Things

CLARIFICATION OF THOUGHT

Now stop and think upon the persons, places, situations that you either gave power over you or who had power over you. These four categories are power full influences in the past which even today may still exert  their influence over you. Try and write down how this is perceived by you today. In other words, are these persons, situations, places still causing your life to feel out of control and unmanageable today? If so why? And if not, why not?

NOTE  The above exercise is taken directly from  The Depressed Anonymous Workbook.(2002) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville. Page 11.

Each of the 12 Steps has their own series of questions for the participant to answer.  We continue to clarify for ourselves  the avenues which we can take,  one step at a time,  overcoming our experience with sadness.