Reflecting after tragedy can reduce depression
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
After you experience a tragedy, those sad, angry and confused feelings don't just go away.
Why it matters: Even when we think we've moved on, tragic events can have lingering effects on our minds and bodies, disrupting sleep, elevating stress and even leading to chronic health conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
- We've all heard the advice that it's no good trying to ignore hard things, but there's new research that demonstrates processing pain through reflection can help people recover.
Two years after the height of the pandemic, researchers at Stanford guided participants through an hourlong reflection intervention and recorded their findings in a new study.
- Activities included watching short films and writing down thoughts in response to specific prompts.
What they found: Compared to a control group, those who completed the reflection showed reduced depression and lower levels of C-reactive protein, a marker linked to chronic stress and disease.
- The takeaway isn't to just "think positive" without any direction, says Alia Crum, Stanford psychology professor and the lead author of the study. It's to create opportunities for the brain to process pain.
What's next: Inspired by the prompts participants got in the study, here are six questions to ask yourself if you're struggling to move forward after a hardship. You'll notice they direct you to reflect on what you can control instead of what you can't, and what you may have gained instead of lost.
- How have your relationships changed as a result of this event?
- In what ways have you noticed that you've grown stronger or more resilient?
- Is there an area of your life in which you'd like to be more self-confident?
- How has your sense of what matters changed?
- What changes would you like to make to better prioritize what matters most to you?
- Are there any habits or routines you'd like to break out of?
The bottom line: "The only way out is through," Crum says.
