Living On Autopilot
In an earlier blog, I described the problem of living on autopilot and how it can contribute to depression (Depression and Living on Autopilot). Autopilot is going through the motions of life with limited awareness or intentionality. Now there is a way that autopilot is a good thing; it allows you to build rhythms and routines in your life. But these routines can become ruts. These habitual behaviors dominate each day, and it is easy to end up filling your life with activities that have little or no connection to your values. Or at least you don’t see how they can be connected to giving your life meaning.
In their book, The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression, Kirk D. Strosahl and Patricia J. Robinson have another name for living on autopilot: automatic living. In their book they say that automatic living is not a problem; automatic living most all of the time can be problematic. They offer an Inventory of Automatic Living. The inventory helps you identify tendencies toward automatic living in your current life. Read each of these items and make a note if it applies to you. Don’t just hurry through the inventory. Go through your day or a week and picture these activities; then answer honestly.
I feel bored much of the time.
I spend a lot of time watching TV or surfing the Internet.
I have trouble doing things at a slower pace that what I’m used to.
I’m always looking ahead and planning ahead.
I like to zone out when I have free time.
I often feel disconnected from my body’s senses.
I often notice that I’m not paying attention to what I’m doing.
I often forget to stop and take relaxation breaks during the day.
I find it difficult to relax even when I have free time.
I prefer activities that distract me when I have free time.
I have trouble following through on tasks that require close attention.
I feel numb inside much of the time.
I feel rushed and like I’m always running behind.
I notice that I stop paying attention when I talk to someone.
I have trouble spending quality time with my partner or children.
I tend to put off doing activities I might enjoy.
I get irritated if my daily routine is interrupted.
I don’t like to sit still and will try to keep myself busy.
I feel like I’m not cut out to relax and chill out.
Some comments.
To be sure, these activities are not always a sign of automatic living. That is why it is important to go back over the list and reflect on your answers. For example, watching TV, surfing the Internet, zoning out, or being distracted can meaningful behaviors, but they can also be signs that you have gone into automatic living mode.
One of the real benefits of spending time with this inventory is that it gives you some specifics activities and ways of thinking that you were not aware of. Sometimes it is hard to describe what depression looks like and feels like when it is present. It seems to be the general sense of malaise or despair. But as you go through the list, you may realize that there really are lots of times when you stop paying attention when talking to someone or get irritated when your daily routine is interrupted. You were not aware of this before, but now you are. And you are also aware that these behaviors contribute to your depression.
Finally the items that you have noted give you some specific ways that you can work on overcoming your depression by changing some of your daily habits. It’s not just that you feel depressed so you do these automatic living behaviors; these automatic living behaviors can contribute to your depression. Now you can consider changes that you can make to get you out of living on autopilot and to help you work toward creating a more mindful and meaningful life.
To learn more about therapy for depression, click here.