Have Depression Symptoms Started Affecting Your Quality Of Life?
Have you been feeling sad and hopeless lately for no particular reason? Maybe your life seems idyllic on the outside—a good job, great family, and good health. And yet, you may struggle to get out of bed each morning, as a sense of dread takes over your mind. Perhaps nothing seems to make you feel better, not even the activities you used to enjoy. You may find yourself easily irritated, unable to focus, and harboring doubts about your worth. And your mind feels like a minefield of toxic, negative thoughts you don’t know how to escape from.
Well-intentioned friends and family may be telling you to “cheer up” or “just be positive,” but it’s not that simple. In fact, those encouragements may have the opposite effect, making you feel guilty because you don’t know how to “just be positive.” With nothing obviously wrong in your life, you may start feeling ashamed about not being able to feel better, which has the ironic effect of making your depression worse. Perhaps you realize that you need something more helpful than reminders to “cheer up,” but you don’t know where to start or who you can talk to.
Are you ready to take a step forward to better your mood and mental disposition? Do you wish you had someone to talk to who can validate your complicated feelings?
Depression Is A Fact Of Life For Many Adults
Many people suffer from depression or poor mental and emotional health. For many people, it’s a consequence of their circumstances, such as ending a relationship, the death of a loved one, or financial distress.
When there is pressure to make yourself “feel better,” it’s not uncommon for stress to move in as well. And not being able to “snap out of it” can trigger persistent worries and fears, which is why anxiety and depression tend to go hand in hand. When anxiety spikes, so does depression.
Depression therapy can empower you to manage your depression and teach you healthier coping mechanisms for your emotions. With the right support, it is possible to live a healthier life with a brighter perspective.
Depression Therapy Can Help You Respond Positively To Negative Emotions
Our emotions can be like overstuffed drawers. Clinical depression can make it feel like you run out of space in those drawers. When that happens, you may feel like you’re in a crisis. Panic attacks, anxiety, and feelings of isolation may start to wreak havoc. Working with a licensed depression therapist can help you figure out why the drawers won’t “close,” so to speak, and reorganize them in ways that make sense to you.
One therapy model I use is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helps you pay more attention to how you are thinking and feeling. CBT can also help you determine what is triggering a depressive episode. Many people only “feel,” but they can’t identify where the feelings come from.
In our sessions, after discussing some of your most common depression symptoms and triggers, I will show you how to follow each thought to get to the root of the issue.
CBT helps you essentially swap out negative thoughts for positive ones. A change in attitude and mindset will help influence your behavior in a beneficial way, thus relieving your depression. For example, you may wake up in the morning and think, “What is the point of getting out of bed?” CBT empowers you to change your mindset so that you can have your mind to tell your body to get out of bed and accomplish things.
Depending on the severity of your symptoms and whether or not anxiety runs in your family, I may recommend prescription medication in addition to therapy. Those two treatments working together can help you regain your footing and clear the fog of depression from your mind.
You may feel stuck right now, but I promise you that change is possible. I have several years of experience helping people live full, productive lives with depression. With the right help, you can transform your mental patterns and start to feel better about life.
You May Have Some Concerns About Depression Therapy…
If I need a depression therapist, does that mean I’m crazy?
The thing is, everyone is struggling with something, and clinical depression is nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s a legitimate illness that requires treatment like any other. Seeing a depression therapist can help you derive meaning from it and not only learn better coping mechanisms but figure out why you are feeling this way in the first place.
Is depression therapy expensive?
Think of therapy like a gym membership. Both are investments in your health. You are putting money toward improving your well-being. Depression therapy is like a “mental gym.” As important as it is to take care of your body, it’s also important to take care of your mind as well. Your mind can get sick, just like your body does, and requires the right treatment.
I’m not sure about sharing my problems with a stranger.
I’ve been counseling people for a long time, and I can assure you that I have heard it all at this point. I promise you that there is nothing you can tell me that will shock me or make me judge you. That said, you may be surprised at how helpful it can be to have an unbiased third party to listen to your problems and help you work toward a solution. Unlike well-meaning friends or family, I won’t tell you to “cheer up” or “just be positive.” Your struggles will always be validated.
Depression Therapy Can Help You Improve Your Mental Health
If you are ready to schedule an appointment with a depression therapist, I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we are a good fit. You can reach me at 917-697-2407 or through the contact page on my website. I look forward to hearing from you.
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