The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time

by Alex Korb

The big problem with the downward spiral of depression is that it doesn’t just get you down, it keeps you down. Depression is a very stable state—your brain tends to think and act in ways that keep you depressed. All the life changes that could help your depression just seem too difficult. Exercise would help, but you don’t feel like exercising. Getting a good night’s sleep would help, but you’ve got insomnia. Doing something fun with friends would help, but nothing seems fun, and you don’t feel like bothering people. Your brain is stuck—depression pulls it downward, relentless as gravity. Your mood becomes like a marble sitting at the bottom of a bowl: whichever way you push it, it always rolls back down.