What is Depression?

It is normal to feel sad from time to time. Disappointments and sadness are part of life. Sadness can even be a great tool to let you know when something isn’t right. However, if you start to feel sad more and more often, and find it interferes with your ability to live daily life, it may be time to consider if you are suffering from depression. If you feel sad all the time and don’t’ know why – it may be time to consider help. Many people experience:

• A loss of interest in things previously enjoyed.
• Changes in sleep – sleeping more or being unable to sleep.
• Changes in diet – eating more or less than usual.
• Difficulty in your relationships.
• Fatigue that rest does not resolve.
• Fog or inability to concentrate.
• A sense of hopelessness.
• Isolation or withdrawal from others.
• Apathy or a general feeling of “why bother?”

Sometimes depression can result from chronic stress with no relief, leaving us exhausted, burnt out, and like we have nothing left to give. Sometimes major life transitions like the end of a relationship or a loss have left us feeling like there is nothing left. Sometimes there is no event or explanation for how we feel. We just feel bad and lost and sad and need help.

What is Depression Therapy?

Losing interest in life is hard. We start by re-igniting your interest in small things. This helps you start to feel a little bit better and gives you hope for tomorrow. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is recognized as the most successful approach to treating depression. We may begin to explore how your thoughts, beliefs, and feelings influence your actions. We teach you how to use CBT skills at home, so you gain control of your life faster. This provides you with a sense of competence and confidence to help you overcome bad days when they occur. Many people struggle with thoughts that they are “worthless” or “unlovable” or “a failure” or “just not good enough.” The truth is many of us have these thoughts from time to time. We help you look at your situation in a new way that gives hope and purpose back to your life!

We help you learn how to recognize and read the cues from your body and emotions that let you know when something is wrong. When we experienced adverse situations in the past, we may have suppressed our emotions as just too difficult for us at the time. This may have become our normal way of being. The more confident and in touch you become with yourself, the stronger your mind-body connection becomes. The stronger this connection becomes, the greater your self-confidence and authenticity. You begin to truly trust yourself, maybe for the first time. We help you explore how depression may have impacted you at work or your other valuable relationships and identify ways to repair and improve them. Any problems with sleep, diet, isolation, and apathy will become a distant memory.

Depression therapy is usually short term so you can get back to the life you deserve! We help restore your sense of self-worth, and confidence that you are capable of handling life’s ups and downs. After completing treatment, you know you have the tools you need today and tomorrow. You can enjoy living the life you truly deserve!

Some sadness and disappointments in life are expected. You do not have to suffer with depression alone. Start your depression treatment today!

You can find additional information at The National Institute of Mental Health.