Top 10 Ways to Overcome Depression

Depression can feel like a heavy fog that clouds your thinking, drains your energy, and isolates you from the world. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a primary intervention to help clients lift that fog—one step at a time. CBT is an evidence-based approach that focuses on the connection between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.

Here are 10 powerful CBT-based strategies to help overcome depression—each with a real-world example you can apply today.

To access cognitive behavioural therapy in Toronto, specializing in men’s mental health, please contact the mens wellness clinic to book a free 15 minute consultation through their website or by phone at 416 834 2080. To access therapy for women contact psychology today, which provides a list of psychotherapist that practice cognitive behavioural therapy.

1. Identify and Challenge Negative Thoughts: Depression often distorts how we see ourselves, the world, and the future. CBT helps you catch these cognitive distortions and replace them with balanced thoughts.

Example:

You think, “I’m a failure.”

Ask yourself: “What’s the evidence for and against that? Have I succeeded at anything recently?”

You might remember how you helped a friend last week or submitted a work project on time.

2. Track Your Mood and Thoughts: Keeping a daily log helps you recognize patterns in your emotions and triggers.

Example:

You notice your mood dips every time you scroll through social media. This awareness allows you to experiment with reducing screen time and observing how your mood responds.

3. Schedule Pleasant Activities: Depression makes you withdraw from activities that bring joy. CBT emphasizes “behavioural activation,” where you plan small, enjoyable or meaningful activities—even if you don’t feel like it.

Example:

Plan a 10-minute walk in the morning or book a coffee date with a friend. Over time, these small acts can reintroduce pleasure into your life.

4. Set Achievable Goals: Depression can make everything feel overwhelming. CBT encourages setting SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Example:

Instead of saying, “I need to clean the whole house,” try “I’ll do the dishes in the sink in the next 20 minutes.”

Smaller goals lead to quick wins and a sense of momentum.

5. Practice Thought Records: This tool helps you write down a distressing situation, the thoughts it triggered, how it made you feel, and a more balanced perspective.

Example:

Situation: A friend didn’t reply to your text.

Automatic Thought: “They’re ignoring me because I’m annoying.”

Balanced Thought: “They might just be busy. I can check in tomorrow.”

6. Challenge All-or-Nothing Thinking: CBT teaches you to replace extremes with shades of grey.

Example:

Instead of saying, “I messed up that presentation, I’m terrible at my job,” reframe it as “It wasn’t my best, but I made some good points and can improve next time.”

7. Build Problem-Solving Skills: Sometimes depression stems from unsolved life problems. CBT helps you break problems down and develop solutions.

Example:

Problem: You feel isolated.

Steps: List 3 people you could reach out to. Choose one to message today. Explore joining a local meetup or online interest group.

8. Increase Mastery and Enjoyment: Track how satisfying or enjoyable an activity is on a scale from 1 to 10. This helps you learn what lifts your mood and build a routine around those activities.

Example:

You try journaling and rate it a 7/10 in enjoyment. You decide to do it three times a week.

9. Practice Mindfulness and Thought Defusion: CBT incorporates mindfulness strategies to reduce over-identifying with thoughts. You are not your thoughts—they’re just mental events.

Example:

When a thought like “I’ll never get better” pops up, try saying, “I’m noticing I’m having the thought that I’ll never get better.” This creates space between you and the thought.

10. Work on Core Beliefs: CBT helps uncover and modify deep-rooted beliefs like “I’m not good enough.” These beliefs often fuel depressive thinking and behaviour.

Example:

A client starts to identify a pattern where they interpret any criticism as proof they’re unworthy. Through therapy, they explore the origins of that belief and develop a new one: “I have flaws like everyone, and that doesn’t make me unworthy.”

CBT is not about toxic positivity—it’s about learning how to think more realistically, act more intentionally, and feel more empowered. If you’re struggling with depression, these strategies can offer a strong foundation. And if you’d like support applying them in your own life, our therapists are here to help.

Book a session today and take the next step toward healing at mens wellness clinic .