Do You Feel Stuck And Unable To Move Forward?
Are you constantly judging yourself? Maybe you are so self-critical that you feel frozen and unable to make choices about your future—after all, you’re certain that you’ll choose wrong. It’s possible these looping doubts have eaten away at your self-worth and led you to seek isolation. You may even feel as though you have no one to turn to.
You may have tried to feel better, but you no long find enjoyment in the activities you once looked forward to. For example, maybe at one time you felt joy in preparing meals for your family, but now it seems like a chore. Perhaps you feel as though you are failing to meet the demands of your life, and you’re just “getting by.”
Or, it’s possible you struggle to get out of bed in the morning, and you feel as though you don’t have enough energy to make it through the day. Every little task may seem overwhelming, and you may feel like things are slipping, no matter how much effort you give. If your symptoms of depression are severe, you may even feel as though life would be easier if you just weren’t here. Perhaps you’ve even considered harming yourself.*
Do you wish you had the strength and motivation to participate in and enjoy life again? Are you searching for a way to gain control over your emotions and feel like your most present, vibrant self?
Many People Are Coping With Depression
Throughout the course of the human life cycle, it’s normal for us to experience a full range of emotions in response to life events, including anger, sadness, fear or a sense of loss. However, when these feelings persist, they could signal more than just the blues.
Depression is fairly common. In fact, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 16.2 million adults, or 7 percent of the US population, will be diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives.
There are several causes that can contribute to feeling depressed. A sense of hopelessness could be a response to a loss or traumatic event that took place in your life. It’s also possible for a severe illness, injury or some sort of crisis in your life to negatively impact your mood or self-esteem. And, how you’ve been taught to cope with challenges can play an enormous role in how you respond to difficult events. If you’re like most people, it’s possible that you didn’t grow up learning the healthiest coping skills.
The good news is that you don’t have to live in agony and solitude any more. With an effective depression treatment plan, you can feel relief, self-worth and a lasting sense of joy.
Depression Therapy Can Help You Flourish
Counseling can be extremely effective in helping you navigate your depression symptoms. As a skilled therapist, I am committed to using proven, concrete strategies to help you release your emotional insecurities and begin to feel whole.
In our first few sessions together, I will work to understand where you are in this moment and what path you took to arrive here. Your history plays an influential role in your present way of thinking. For that reason, we will examine how you were raised and what ingrained response patterns are not working in your life. We will then look at what your current stressors are, and from there, we will prioritize what issues to focus on.
I provide a confidential and compassionate environment so you can safely dig deep to uncover your fears and vulnerabilities. In our work together, I will help you learn and implement effective strategies that will ultimately improve your self-esteem. We’ll look for opportunities for you to be more assertive—for example, even if you don’t care where you go for dinner, I’ll ask you to make a choice and stick with it. And, if you do care, I’ll help you believe that your wants matter! We’ll also examine ways to interrupt your negative self-talk by using movement, breathing and meditation techniques.
I understand the impact that anxiety and depression can have on someone’s life. My mother was chronically depressed—she stayed in a dark room, isolated herself and changed medications often. In my experience, talking through the issues and learning different tools to survive these feelings made all the difference.
For nearly 20 years, I have helped people recognize and cope with the signs of depression. I am confident that I can help you, too.
You may have questions or concerns about depression therapy…
I don’t understand how airing my dirty laundry will help.
I understand how therapy can feel this way, especially if you were taught from a young age that you should keep things private. However, from my perspective, therapy is a collaborative process and one that will lift the weight of your depression and shed light on the inner processes that may not be working for you.
If I share my real problems and feelings, I will be judged for them.
I have been doing this work for a long time, and I understand that you may fear judgement. The truth is, however, we are often our harshest judges. Consider—would you talk to your friends the way you talk to yourself? Would you even talk to a stranger the way you talk to yourself?
In depression therapy, my role is not to judge you. I am here to help you heal and discover a sense of connection with your wants and needs. Part of our work will include challenging these internal judgements and helping you become your own best friend.
I should be able to handle this on my own.
Most of us humans wear emotional blinders to some degree. We’re hard-wired for connection, which makes deep personal exploration on our own difficult. We also have built-in blocks to seeing ourselves objectively, which really limits our perspective. This can result in getting locked into a pattern or particular perspective that may not be positive or even accurate.
I believe part of my job is to broaden your perspective so you can see alternatives to your current way of thinking. Part of feeling stuck is believing that nothing will change and that you are a victim of your circumstance. While you may not have a choice about your circumstance, you do have a choice on how to respond.
It’s likely that the symptoms you’re experiencing now are signals of something that’s wrong in your life. With guidance, you can look at this sadness and hurt and let it point you toward change.
You Can Live With Confidence And Joy
Therapy is a valuable resource that can help you better take care of your emotional wellbeing. If you’re interested in learning about how to cope with the signs of depression, call me at 240-447-0131 for a free 20-minute consultation. Like many of my clients, you may find you experience great relief in just making that initial call. You deserve to reach out.
*If you or someone you know is having thoughts of self-harm, thinking about dying or engaging in life-threatening activity, please call or text the Montgomery County Hotline at 301-738-2255.