Do any of these relate to you?

“I just feel stuck”

“What’s the point?”

“This is never going to get better, it’s always going to be this way”

“I just don’t care anymore”

You are not alone. Although depression is very common, it is also very difficult to overcome. People experience depression on a wide continuum, ranging from feeling “blah” to struggling to get out of bed. Depression can affect so many areas of your life, and can leave you feeling stuck under a dark cloud of exhaustion, sadness, and loneliness.

Together, we will uncover the underlying factors that contribute to your depression and develop a plan to reduce depression symptoms and incorporate healthy ways of coping so that you may get back to optimal functioning.

Here are some signs and symptoms of depression:

• Feeling helpless or hopeless
• Loss of interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy
• Feeling down, even if you don’t know why
• Feeling tired or a consistent lack of energy
• Feeling bad about yourself (self-image, sense of self)
• Feeling irritated or angry
• Having thoughts of not being alive or harming yourself

 

How can therapy possibly help? I should just get over it….

Focusing on what you “should” be doing is part of the narrow and rigid thought patterns that accompany depression. People with depression get “stuck” on negative thoughts and often struggle with reframing them in a more positive direction. Therapy for depression is two-fold: identifying the negative thought patterns that affect your mood, while incorporating useful coping strategies.  This is often learned through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is the gold standard of depression treatment.  By becoming more aware of your “distorted” depressive thoughts, you can use the tools gained in therapy to change them, thus changing your mood and being able to have the will and energy to do things that you once enjoyed.

Let’s get started at getting you un-stuck and breaking the cycle of depression.