Depressing thoughts

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WHAT HAPPENS TO THINKING DURING DEPRESSION -
When you are depressed it is quite common to experience changes in concentration and memory. There are other changes as well. When depressed you might be described as someone who always looks on the negative side of things or be called a pessimist, someone who always expects the worst to happen. Actually it's not quite as simple as that and psychologists have learned a lot about the way thinking changes during depression. The important thing to remember is that these changes in thinking may not be the cause of depression and it would certainly be wrong to say that the negative thinking is your fault.
Depression and negative thinking are connected to each other in a vicious circle. If you are feeling low and have been feeling that way for a long time then you are likely to have lots of negative thoughts. And if you are having lots of negative thoughts then you are bound to experience a low mood. It's like the chicken and the egg - which one came first?
Depressing thoughts are not easy to change. Most people who have been depressed for a while have tried to cheer themselves up, "pull themselves together" and "get on with things." And it hasn't worked - at least not for very long. It doesn't work because many of the negative thoughts are automatic and certainly are not deliberate and, therefore, they are hard to change.
In cognitive therapy part of the approach is to learn to become aware of your negative thinking and then understand what role these automatic negative thoughts play in your depression

Automatic Negative Thoughts -
We are not normally aware of our automatic thoughts. They pass by very quickly and unless we pay special attention to them we take them for granted.