Are You Feeling Suffocated By A Deep, Heavy Sadness?

  • Do you have little motivation or energy to get out of bed in the morning and face life’s challenges?
  • Are you experiencing distressing physical symptoms, such as insomnia, fatigue, eating too little or having trouble starting the day because it just might not seem worth it?
  • Do you feel emotionally drained for no apparent reason and unable to muster the enthusiasm to take pleasure in activities that you once enjoyed?
  • Do you long to escape from the heaviness of depression, but fear you will be powerless to break free?

Depression can make you feel as though a heavy, dark cloud has descended upon every aspect of your life. Perhaps you spend your days feeling low, lethargic and numb, barely able to summon the energy to tackle even the most basic domestic responsibilities. You may also have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, perhaps wondering if going through yet another monotonous day at work is even worth it. In addition, your depression may be negatively impacting your ability to perform well in your career. You might regularly arrive late to work or call in sick because putting on a happy face in front of your coworkers is just too emotionally exhausting. In addition, depression-related conflict in your relationship may be further compounding your stress. Depression can cause people to act emotionally distant and withdrawn, which may have caused your partner to become resentful, hurt or angry.

To feel something different or anything thing at all, you may be overindulging in food, abusing drugs and alcohol or pulling the bed covers over your head in an effort to sleep away your pain. But, try as you might, you may be unable to forget the melancholy that follows you wherever you go. More than anything else, you may want to be happy and bring joy and laughter back to your life. You may even feel guilty about being depressed when so many other people seem to have it worse than you. Perhaps you desperately long to feel normal again and get back to the person you used to be, but feel powerless to escape the black fog of depression.

Many People Experience Depression

If you’re feeling depressed, you’re not alone. Countless people have gone through the exact same experience you’re currently undergoing. In fact, a majority of people will experience mild to major depression at least once during their lifetimes.

If you’re feeling guilty about your depression, please stop beating yourself up. The sadness you’re feeling is not your fault! Depression is often caused by circumstances beyond our control, including life transitions, a biochemical predisposition or childhood trauma. Regardless of the source of your depression, depression treatment can help you get your life back on track. With the help and support of a professional therapist, it’s possible to increase your energy, improve your mood and better manage your symptoms.

Depression Treatment Can Get You Back To Being You

Therapy is a very effective way to help lift the cloud of depression, but its effectiveness is largely determined by how motivated and committed you are to change. With time, patience and a willingness to do the work and be vulnerable with your therapist, it’s possible to cultivate the internal resources that will allow you to experience relief and create a new, happier and more meaningful path forward.

During depression treatment sessions, we’ll begin by taking a deep, introspective look at your life story and any past traumas you might have experienced. Through this introspection, you can begin to examine how your past might be negatively impacting your present state of mind and contributing to your depression. With these new insights in hand, we can identify, challenge and transform any negative beliefs you have about yourself and the world so that you can ultimately replace negative thoughts with more positive ones. Because thought often influences behavior and the way we feel about ourselves, taking these steps can help you increase your self-esteem, promote positive emotions and help you avoid behaving in ways that are self-defeating.

In addition to insight-oriented talk therapy, I can also offer you practical tools, strategies and techniques that can help you better manage your depression symptoms. During sessions, you can learn to replace negative coping strategies—such as gambling, shopping or drinking—with healthy, healing activities that promote a positive state of mind. These strategies, which can include things like journaling, exercise, deep breathing, positive affirmations and meditation, can help you beat back negative self-talk, improve emotional resiliency and find healthy outlets for expressing emotions.

As a therapist I provide a safe, judgment-free zone where you can give yourself permission to express a full spectrum of emotions and learn that it’s okay to cry, express anger in healthy ways and release anxieties and fears by living more fully in the present moment. I use an eclectic approach, drawing from techniques grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy, gestalt, solution-focused brief strategic therapy, insight-oriented talk therapy, hypnosis and much more. I offer guidance that is both compassionate and direct, and I collaborate with clients to find solutions that are best suited to their unique needs. I approach my practice with empathy, kindness and mindfulness, as well as with a great deal of enthusiasm and laughter.

As an experienced therapist, I can tell you that things do get better. Inside each of us dwells the internal resources to heal. Just as the body heals from physical wounds, the mind and psyche can heal too. With the help and support of a compassionate therapist, it’s possible to enjoy life and return to the person you used to know.

Perhaps you are ready to try depression treatment, but have some questions and concerns…

Depression treatment is too expensive.

If you find yourself missing work because of your depression, your current state of mind may actually be costing you opportunities for bonuses, promotions and advancements. Therapy is only a fraction of the cost of feeling sad, downtrodden and lethargic all the time. By investing in yourself today, you can stop your depression from festering and causing you to have regrets and potentially even greater costs down the road.

There are people around the world whose problems are much greater than mine. Depression treatment is too self-indulgent.

Seeing a therapist may seem self-indulgent. However, you wouldn’t neglect seeing a doctor if you had a broken bone or discovered you had a lump in your chest, so why should your mental health be treated any differently? This is your life, and the quality of your life matters. By embarking on depression treatment, you’ll be giving yourself the best chance possible to achieve your dreams. Doing so isn’t self-indulgent – it’s human!

I’m afraid I’ll have to bash my parents during depression treatment.

No bashing is required here. Rather than blaming others from your past, we will reclaim what was lost or never given to the child you once were. Therapy can ultimately help you let go of anger and resentment and move forward from the shadows of the past.

It’s Possible To Be Yourself Again

With the help of a knowledgeable, professional therapist, you can begin to triumph over your depression. Please email me for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I would be happy to answer any questions you have about depression treatment or my practice. In the meantime, feel free to check out my blog where I discuss important topics regarding depression symptoms.