Positive messages do work...I'm just an idiot
I've had a mental health trick suggested to me several times, which I've never found to actually work. Except I've actually used it just fine on my own with great success and failed to notice. The trick in question is generally given as writing positive messages over and over, with the idea of rewriting the negative messages in one's head. The problem? I have great difficulty actually paying attention to repetitive tasks, which means that every time I tried it, I ended up writing the messages mindlessly. Not a recipe for success.
Now, I'd noticed in the past that depression and not consuming fiction/listening to music go together for me - one leads to the other which leads to the first and so on and so forth. Well, tonight I was listening to music for the first time in a while and singing along and... most of the music I like (and fiction I like) is full of positive messages. Exactly the ones I need to hear to counter my depression and anxiety issues. Funny thing, when I listen to music and read and watch my favorite fiction on a regular basis...I feel good and my life runs much more smoothly.
*headdesk*
How'd I miss the blindingly obvious?
Ah, well, at least I know how to do that positive messages thingy now.