Learn More About
Depression
Is it time for Depression Treatment?
Life is full of ups and downs. It can be normal to experience occasional sadness, just as we except to have rainy days. But sometimes it might seem like those rainy days aren't going away. Maybe you know why you’re feeling low, or maybe you don’t. Many things may be adding up to make you feel depressed, or maybe it seems like sadness came out of nowhere.
Signs of Depression Can Include:
A low, sad mood
Guilt
Disinterest
Not enjoying things
Feeling isolated or lonely
Low energy or fatigue
Difficulty focusing
Changes in relationships
Difficulties at work
How Can Therapy for Depression Help?
Take the first step
Depression can look different for different people. For some, sadness and other symptoms of depression can be persistent over several years. For others, depressive symptoms may be present for shorter periods of times, from several weeks to months. Some people function in certain areas of their life, despite their low mood or disinterest, while others may have difficulty getting out of bed. Depression may go away for a period of time, only to return later in life.
Understand your experience
Often times depression makes it hard to engage with life in a joyful way. The relationships, activities, and sources of achievement that were once motivating may be occurring less and less frequently. This is why the start of depression treatment may include setting small, reasonable goals with the intention of bringing joy back into life. I regularly include Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) in treatment, which can be helpful for goal-setting and is evidence-based treatment for depression. CBT also helps us understand how people can hold beliefs about themselves, relationships, and their inner and outer worlds that aren't always helpful. Together, we will aim to uncover what types of thoughts and beliefs might be fueling depressive feelings, and how those thoughts and feelings may be impacting behavior. For example, depression often decreases motivation and increases procrastination.
Reconnect with purpose and happiness
Therapy may also include exploration of values, or areas of life that are important to you. An aim of depression treatment may be to align your daily behavior with your values. Throughout this process, mindfulness therapy can help people better understand their inner world of thoughts, emotions, and sensations, which over time, can help people relate to both their inner and outer worlds with greater ease. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) includes exploration of values, mindfulness, and many other important areas that have been found effective at lessening symptoms of depression. I commonly use ACT in depression therapy.
Grow self-love and kindness
Mindfulness skills may also be used to help strengthen self-compassion. Humans experience pain and hard times, and it can be an important part of depression treatment to learn how to be warm, kind, and loving in the face of hardship. The more our days are filled with helpful and kind beliefs, emotions that can be confidently managed, and meaningful behavior – the less rainy days we are likely to have.