Has Depression Left You Feeling Trapped Inside Yourself?
- Has a feeling of hopelessness settled over your day-to-day life?
- Do you lack energy and the ability to concentrate?
- Are you finding it difficult to participate in life the way you once did, but you feel powerless to change things?
When you’re not in a good place mentally, it can feel like you’re living under a black cloud. You may have lost interest in doing the things you used to love. Or perhaps you’re experiencing issues with your sleep, whether it’s sleeping too much during the day or insomnia keeping you awake at night. Similarly, you may find your relationship with food isn’t healthy, and you’re either eating too much or not enough.
When you’re at work or school, it may seem like small tasks are taking longer to complete than normal due to your inability to focus. You might be having a hard time making decisions, or perhaps you feel numb and disengaged from what you’re doing.
Moreover, your negative thoughts might be overwhelming you, making you feel sad and worthless. When you feel down like this it’s natural to isolate yourself. It could be that, because you’re feeling insecure, you have withdrawn from others and have begun to intentionally avoid social situations.
When you’re dealing with depression, it may seem you don’t have room for anyone else besides yourself. The symptoms of depression often include losing interest in doing things with the ones you love, including sex. This lack of connection could be leading to more feelings of worthlessness or self-judgment—a vicious cycle which, in turn, leads to more depressive thoughts.
Deep down you know you want to feel better, but it may seem like you’re paralyzed to make that happen.
The good news is that therapy has been proven to help with depression. By seeking help for treating depression, you can restore your positive outlook and rediscover the joy in life again.
Depression Affects Many Of Us Throughout Our Lives
It is estimated that over 17 million American adults suffer from depression, most commonly between the ages of 18-251. Advanced-aged adults are also affected by depression but often are not diagnosed or treated for it despite experiencing its symptoms. Women are twice as likely to experience depression as men, and though it’s not clear why this is the case, hormonal changes in different life stages may play a role. Postpartum depression, for example, is estimated to affect 15 percent of new mothers2.
The presence of depression in the home when we are growing up can be like the air we breathe—we unconsciously take it in. This is due to depression having both a genetic as well as an environmental component—being exposed to it as children, it becomes a learned behavior some of us carry into adulthood.
Depression can have many contributing risk factors, including low self-esteem, abuse (emotional or physical), drug and alcohol misuse, or being a member of the LGBTQIA community who lacks support. It can stem from relationship issues including unresolved conflict, separation, and divorce. Signs of depression can also develop after we experience the death of a loved one, loss of a job, financial troubles, or some other traumatic event.
Despite how common it is, there is still a stigma about mental illness and seeking treatment for depression. Many of us feel embarrassed to admit we aren’t doing well emotionally. We’re afraid asking for help makes us appear weak or that getting emotional help isn’t necessary. This is especially true in certain cultures where sharing vulnerabilities with others is frowned upon.
But the truth is you no longer have to be weighed down by the heavy coat of depression. With treatment, the symptoms of depression can be lifted and you can return to a better quality of life. You can find joy within yourself again.
Depression Treatment Is A Way To Lift The Clouds Away And Find New Purpose
By giving you my undivided attention, our sessions together will provide you a safe place to share what you’re feeling. When you’re able to examine the emotions that are underlying your behavior in a supportive environment, you will feel understood, loved, and capable of moving away from the negativity that’s been causing your depression.
At our first session, we will begin to form a partnership that aims to make you comfortable sharing your feelings and stories without judgment and feel accepted for who you are. Our initial introduction allows me the opportunity to gain insight into your background, family history, and life experiences to help me better understand how the depression started.
My goal is to help you get in touch with what is going on inside without being rushed. Since our breath is one of our most important self-care tools and can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, inducing a sense of peace and calm, teaching you breathing techniques can help relieve the heaviness of depression.
And while I believe that we would all benefit from more breathwork, mindfulness, and body movement to keep depression at bay, we also need to take into account the fact that neurotransmitters look different in those who suffer from depression. It might be wise to look into medical approaches to stabilize your brain chemistry (though, it’s important to note this one-pronged approach rarely works on its own). After stabilizing your brain chemistry (if that is necessary), we can then dig deeper to figure out what unprocessed emotions are hidden deep down inside your body. Often these are feelings that you’ve been either too afraid to look at or told not to look at.
As we continue to work together, we will explore the causes of your depression and how to process those negative experiences, giving you the skills to handle your feelings. Our shared goal is to get you back in touch with the fact that you are lovable and that it’s possible to recover from depression. Therapy for depression provides you the time to identify and feel your feelings so you can let these harmful emotions go.
Disturbing experiences create negative emotions which get wired into our brains as negative irrational beliefs, which in turn feed the feelings of depression. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) are both effective methods for treating depression. In EMDR therapy, we get down to the emotions that are causing negative behavior and mindsets and help you replace them with more positive, adaptive ones. EFT is a research-based approach to help you access, process, and resolve your emotions, making overcoming depression achievable.
Seeking the help you need for your depression can change everything from the inside out. You’ll be able to enjoy a better quality of life with more joy, love, and vitality.
But you may still be wondering whether depression treatment is right for you…
Aren’t people who go to therapists “crazy”?
Absolutely not. We should talk about and address our mental health as openly as we do our physical health. Getting treatment for depression should be viewed the same as seeing a medical doctor for physical pain. In the same way, depression therapy can help clients find release from their emotional pain—and those who aren’t ashamed to receive it are rewarded for their efforts with a better outlook on life.
I don’t have the money to afford therapy for my depression.
Investing in your emotional health is like investing in your physical health—priceless. You usually won’t skip going to a medical doctor, so why should your mental health be treated any differently? Without physical or emotional well-being, life is hard. In fact, depression can be more painful than a physical ailment. Treating your pain in whatever form it takes should always be a priority.
What if there’s a defect within me that can’t be fixed?
You’re not broken. I will take the time to explain the process of therapy to you. It’s important to understand that depression is not your essence, it’s merely a condition that you are temporarily suffering from. With the right treatment, it’s possible to return to a life without depression.
A New Way Of Experiencing Life Is Within Your Reach
You no longer need to be weighed down by depression—seeking treatment can help you regain the energy and desire to accomplish your dreams. For a free, 15-minute consultation, please contact me or call me at 561/866-6607.
Getting to the underlying cause of your anxiety or depression is the key to managing it. EFT is one of the best solutions for that. It can help you take control of your present and future in just a few sessions.
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While stress can certainly fuel excitement and ambition, it can also cause fatigue and eventually, depression.
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Many things can cause depression. There are environmental factors—like experiencing the death of a loved one—and genetic factors. If you have a relative with depression, you’re five times as likely to get it.
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We may not all be natural therapists, brilliant poets, or confident speakers, but that does not mean we are incapable of helping our loved ones through depression.
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Depression has been taking a toll on many people during this uncertain time.
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We know that depression affects you mentally. You feel like it takes too much energy to get out of bed, feel sadness for long periods of time, and find it hard to take care of yourself. However, did you know that depression does something to our brain physically as well? It is a chemical imbalance that affects the central control center of our nervous system. Here’s how depression affects the brain physically. Shrinkage There are people with depression who experience a decrease in the size of specific brain regions. It is hard to know which regions of the brain are affected and by how much. The amount of shrinkage depends on the severity of depression and the length of the depressive episodes. The hippocampus, for example, can have noticeable changes from eight months to a year during a single depressive episode or multiple short ones. Shrinkage of a section of the brain can affect its functions. For instance, if the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala work together to control emotional responses, brain shrinkage could reduce empathy in people with postpartum depression. Inflammation Brain inflammation can be linked with the amount of time a person has been depressed. According to one study, people depressed for more than 10 years had 30% more inflammation than those depressed for less than that. That means those with persistent depression have a significant amount of inflammation. Because brain inflammation can cause brain cells to die, this can lead to dysfunctions of: Brain development Learning Mood Memory Lack of Brain Oxygen Depression can affect oxygen in the brain due to breathing changes that depression causes. If the brain is highly sensitive to reduction in oxygen, it can lead to: Inflammation Brain cell injury Brain cell death Mental development, learning, memory, and mood can be affected by the lack of oxygen. Even short-term reduction can lead to being in a state of confusion. Luckily, hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments bring more oxygen to the brain and have been effective for depression patients. Other Brain Function Issues Other effects of depression on the brain can include a reduced function of the hippocampus, leading to memory impairment. Depression can also lead to a reduction in the prefrontal cortex. This prevents a person from getting things done as well as a short attention span. If the amygdala is affected, so is a regulation in mood and emotions. Changes could take at least eight months to develop. Memory, attention, mood, and emotional regulation can occur if depression lasts for a long time. What Can Be Done It’s important to seek help for depression, especially if it’s chronic and severe. There is never any shame to ask for help from a professional. A therapist can introduce you to cognitive or group therapy to find support. You can learn all about mindfulness practices to help you stay in the present moment. Antidepressants can also help manage the physical changes that occur from depression as well as when you experience a depressive episode. While you may not be able to stop all stress, there are simple strategies you can try at home. You can exercise three to five days a week for 30 minutes each day. You can also write down in a journal your depressive episodes so that you do not lock up your feelings. Find support from your friends and family to talk you down from a depressive episode and make you feel good. Remember to take your depression treatment one day at a time. Treat depression not only for the sake of healthy brain function, but for your overall wellbeing as well.
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There is more talk about mental health today than ever before. In general, this is a very good thing. People feel heard and understood and validated. We’ve reduced the social stigma and helped guide higher numbers of folks to get the help they need.
