Broadening and Narrowing our Scope: A Mental Health Tool for Depression & Anxiety

Anxiety and depression often represent the most common mental health challenges of today. Nearly 1 in 4 people reported experiencing mental health concerns in the United States, a number that’s been on the rise. A majority of these concerns are focused on anxiety and depression. 

While we treat anxiety and depression differently, nearly 50% of the time, those expressing symptoms report experiencing both anxiety and depression. 

It is rare that we find a tool that treats both anxiety and depression. Though they do exist (these are often the gold standard; for example, exercise is a key resource to treat both depression and anxiety) few are as accessible and easy to implement as shifting our scope of perspective. 

We’ll discuss the approach, why it works, and how to implement it into your everyday life!

What is Broadening and Narrowing our Scope? 

Broadening or narrowing your scope is a perspective based tool. Though simple in theory, mastering this technique comes with intentional practice and knowledge. 

The key to recognizing whether you need to broaden or narrow your scope is based on your symptoms. 

If you’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed, broadening your scope may help. By broadening your viewpoint, you shift your focus and allow for natural regulation of your nervous system. 

In contrast, if you’re feeling depressed and low on energy, narrowing your scope may be the best way to maintain and live your life the way you desire it to be. 

This is a cognitive and visual imagery technique. It takes intention, creativity, and trust in the process. It may feel awkward or even silly, but I assure you that it can and often does help. Best of all, you can do it whenever, wherever, and it only requires a few moments of your time. 

Putting it into action!

It’s one thing to talk about strategies for decreasing our symptoms related to anxiety and depression and another to put it into action. Let’s go over a few examples and actually try it. 

For a moment, imagine you’re anxious about an upcoming event or social engagement.  Broadening your scope of focus in this instance may help. 

In such a moment, you may fixate on what the event will be like and what uncomfortable emotions may come with it. Just thinking about a broader scope—such as focusing on major world events, themes of life, or major parts of history—may naturally decrease the present symptoms of anxiety and make that social event less overwhelming and intimidating.

Let’s try it! 

Think about something causing you anxiety in your everyday life. Focus on it enough to feel the discomfort but not so much that it becomes unbearable. 

Now take a deep breath, and shift your focus to one of the broadest topics available to us; space. Think about the size of the universe, the stars, the planets, the millions of miles of uncharted and unknown territories. Allow yourself to be creative and let this topic go in any direction that feels comfortable and expansive to you. 

For some, this may feel scary, so only focus on the parts that bring you wonder and curiosity. 

After you do this for a moment, bring your attention back to the previous concern that was causing you anxiety. Does it feel different now? Does it feel more manageable? If it does, you’ve successfully just used this tool to regulate your emotions and mental health. 

The same can be done with depression. In an instance such as this, narrowing our scope and focus may begin to shift the scope of your problem to the here-and-now and help you naturally engage in thoughts and actions that decrease recurring depressive symptoms. 

Let’s give narrowing your scope a try in this instance. 

Imagine for a moment you’re feeling quite melancholy and have an event you must go to but are finding it hard to find the energy. Focus on how your body feels and what emotions arise for you. 

Now let’s narrow the scope. Focus on something small. Find something in the room you’re currently in and focus on the shape of it, the way it would feel in your hands, and anything else about it that is specific and interesting to you. Maybe you think about the person who crafted this object or the reason for the object being in the room with you. Stay focused on being in the same space and place as this object, at this moment in time, allowing yourself to recognize this is true and presently happening. 

Now take a deep breath, bring your mind back to your body, your feelings, and the upcoming event you’re preparing for. Do you feel more or less motivated to get ready for this event? Do you feel more connected to yourself or less?

If you found this helped increase your energy and motivation, you’ve just narrowed your scope effectively to help you manage depressive symptoms and feelings. 

Why does this work?

Shifting perspectives often works to help us manage our mental health because it disrupts automatic and negative thought patterns that can go uninterrupted without a major shift in focus. 

Our ability to think both broadly and specifically is one of our greatest assets as human beings. We have the capacity to envision and comprehend amazingly complex systems and situations. We also have the ability to understand and focus on the most subtle and specific details. 

Switching between these two allows us to naturally reset if we find ourselves stuck. One of the most common themes I hear from clients is a feeling of being stuck, either in their anxiety or their depression. Broadening and narrowing our scope and perspective acts as a natural exercise to build psychological flexibility and increase our ability to move through the world feeling less stuck. 

Interest in learning more about this topic or further discussing your experience with anxiety or depression? Schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation to learn about how we may be able to support you!