Therapy for Depression
Helping you find joy again.
We all feel sad from time to time, in fact, it's even normal! Part of life is emotionally experiencing the mountain peaks and the deep valleys.
But sometimes we get stuck in the deep valleys of sadness and despair.
This season of sadness is consumed with feeling dissatisfied and unhappy with life.
You put a smile on to hide your inner pain.
You feel empty inside, like you lost your spark.
You don't feel whole, rooted, or balanced.
And feel like life is passing you by and that you are trapped inside with no escape.
You are drowning in your thoughts and are uncomfortable sharing them with others. Feeling so alone and isolated.
You feel desperate for change, but it's hard to draw on your inner strength to make changes and it's hard to harness hope that things will get better.
The exhaustion is real. You feel like you have nothing else to give and that another thing to your list is just too much!
You feel like you are trying to keep it together, but are ready to break.
In the mist of life's distractions and responsibilities, you may have dismissed the feelings in hope that you will start to feel better on your own.
But without treatment, you can't shake depression.
Symptoms of Depression
Depression and anxiety are the fastest growing diagnoses in Canada.
Everyone experiences depression differently. Some people describe depression as feeling sad, blue, or meh. Other's describe it as feeling like they are in a deep hole and unable to crawl out or like they are suffocating. Listed below are some common signs of depression:
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Emotional symptoms such as feeling sad, blue, hopeless, irritable, quilt, lonely, anxious or agitated, or numb inside, mood swings
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Mental signs such as negative self talk, difficulty concentrating, difficulty making decisions throughout the day, thoughts of suicide or death
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Physical symptoms such as being tired often, having low energy or motivation to do anything, headaches, chronic pain, digestive problems
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Spiritual such as no longer doing things that you used to enjoy doing
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Behavioral signs such as sleeping too much or too little, changes in appetite, difficulties sitting still, unexplained weight loss or gain
Types of Depression
As mentioned previously, everyone experiences depression differently.
Sometimes depression occurs with hormonal fluctuations in women.
Women who experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) gravely suffer during the luteal phase of their menstruation cycle. During this time women experience physical symptoms such as breast tenderness, bloating, weight gain, fatigue, and muscle and join pain. Other symptoms include severe depression, irritability, tearfulness, anxiety, and possible suicidal thoughts. Sometimes PMDD symptoms are so severe it is hard for women to care for themselves, care for others, be productive, and may impact their close relationships.
Sometimes depression symptoms start during pregnancy or after having a baby and this is known as postpartum depression (PPD). This could be related to fluctuations in hormones and/or adjusting to motherhood. New mothers may experience tearfulness, depressed mood, mood swings, anxiety, difficulty bonding with the baby, fear that you are not a good mother, or thoughts of harming yourself or the baby.
Therapy Can Help Depression
Although it's hard to muster up the hope that you will ever start to feel better, as this is a symptom of depression. Counselling is very effective at treating depression and helping you feel better.
Therapy for depression helps you to be intentional about caring for your mental health and taking the time to nourish the parts of your life that you are struggling with.
Counselling is a collaborative approach to help you learn new ways to handle life challenges, manage your moods, and master your mindset.
Psychotherapy provides a sacred non-judgmental space to openly talk about hard topics ... the guilty feelings that often come with depression, the suicidal thoughts, the relationship challenges, the changes in sexual functioning, the struggles with trying to work and/or parent. Having someone validate your experiences and listen can be very therapeutic.
When you are struggling with hope, therapy helps you to realize that you have what it takes to flourish again and helps you to find your inner strength to strive.
Don't let depression stop you from living the life you want. You don't have to tackle this on your own.
Let's get you back to feeling whole, balanced, and rooted again.