Depression
Major symptoms of depression include:
- Sleeping too often or not enough
- Eat too much or not enough
- Being overly tearful/emotional
- Not being able to focus, concentrate or get much done
- Feeling a lack of joy or passion and a lack of desire to socialize or have fun
Simple things like seeing friends, family, socializing and going to work, can feel overwhelming or impossible. Sometimes these feelings of depression are complicated by thoughts of suicide.
Other symptoms of Depression can include:
- Feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem
- Feeling trapped by a sense of duty
- Not feeling able to do things with ease that you could do before
- Dealing with loss or multiple losses
- Feeling helpless and hopeless about the future
Signs You May Be Suffering From Depression
You may notice a decrease in how you take care of yourself or your appearance, have weight problems, or ruminations and repetitious statements about negative thoughts, situations or experiences. You may feel incompetent, inadequate or unable to deal with situations. Some people feel an inability to make decisions or feeling as if they can’t do anything right.
What is depression?
Major depression is a mood state that goes well beyond temporarily feeling sad or blue. It is a serious medical illness that affects one’s thoughts, feelings, behavior, mood and physical health. There is situational depression which is a result of adjusting to a new situation, which will often disappear once the situation improves. And, there is chronic depression, that is often hereditary and can come and go for years.
Either way, the great majority of all depression is manageable.
Depression is usually a result of loss that results in feelings of anger, inadequacy or grief. Depression can be inherited, chronic, or situational. Situations can include, but not be limited to, any of the following:
- Unresolved losses, actual or perceived
- Neglectful, abusive, domineering, overprotective relationships
- Identity problems (self, sexual)
- Negative body image, actual or perceived
- Doubt concerning one’s self-worth and abilities
- Unresolved losses, actual or perceived
- Death of a loved family member or death of a close friend
- Major career change
- Loss of a career
- Loss of a cherished pet
- Neglectful, abusive, domineering, overprotective relationships
- Not wanting a divorce or marital separation but your partner does
- Wanting divorce or marital separation but feeling that you can’t leave
- Personal injury or prolonged illness, dealing with unwanted physical limitations
- Major legal problems or loss of financial stability
- Inability to feel that you have purpose or meaning in your life
- Infidelity discovered in the marriage
- Struggling with the shame and guilt of Addiction (Loss of Self Esteem)
- Loving someone who battles with alcohol, drugs, a chronic physical illness or a mental illness
- Chronic conflict with coworkers or supervisors
- Job dissatisfaction or being laid off
- Wanting to leave your religion but not wanting to loose your support system
Depression can be compounded when you experience multiple stressors at the same time. Treatment can often prevent sysmptoms from getting worse by identifying other losses that one may be experiencing at the same time.
Benifits of Therapy
Most depression is manageable and symptoms can be improved or eliminated with accurate treatment. Most people want to feel better in the shortest amount of time possible.
Therapy focuses on identifying what kind of depression you have and how to manage it.
Whether to take medication or not can be discussed as well as the many approaches to getting your life back. The goal is that you feel you have a sense of control over your life and that you feel more realistic and positive about yourself and your future. Where your negative mind-set and self-defeating thoughts change to thoughts of self-worth and purpose with plans for the future.
Therapy can guide and support you, to take steps to get to the other side. Without feeling depressed, you can concentrate and focus and get more things done. You can feel optimistic, and have a positive and hopeful attitude. You can feel good, because you’re functioning well and enjoy life again.
Contact me at 713-823-4001 or fill out the form below. I welcome your call so we can discuss your specific situation and the benefits therapy may provide for you.
Additional Resources
Personal Boundaries & Effective Confrontation Workbook