Fear is the great paralyser. It will keep you from making positive changes in your life and thus retard your recovery from depression. Recognize your fears and resolve to overcome them. This is an area in which I believe a therapist can be very helpful.
Fear persuades you to set easier goals and do less than your are capable of.
Fear triggers internal defense systems and fools you into thinking that you have perfectly good reasons not to change.
Fear, especially fear of failure or disappointment, reduces the number of available alternatives or keeps you from pursuing them.
Fear, particularly fear of making mistakes, causes indecisiveness and confusion. It stops you from knowing what you really want.
Fear warps your perception of you life and what you can do to make it better.
Fear keeps you from asking for help when you need it or benefiting from the emotional support offered to you.
Fear keeps you from asserting yourself and persuades you to settle for what you must settle for instead of going after what you want.
To calm your fears, you develop (and get stuck with) unhealthy habits and behavior problems.
Fear often makes you give up just one step short of your goal.
Fear keeps you from taking risks.
—Sidney B. Simon, “Getting Unstuck: Breaking Through Your Barriers To Change,” 1988