One in 5 people experience depression every year. This isn't just "the blues", or feeling down. Everyone feels sad or "blue" on occasion. Sometimes, “life gets in the way”—we grieve over upsetting life experiences such as death of a loved one, job loss, family illness, and break-up or divorce. As devastating as these life experiences are, over time, the intensity of the sadness lessen. The “pain” gets less and less.
Depression steals life away from both you, who may struggle with it, and your loved ones. Depression occurs when feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or despair last for at least two weeks or longer and often interferes with daily activities of living such as sleeping, eating, getting dressed, or going to work.
When suffering from depression:
- You may be unable to concentrate on assignments and your job performancemay suffer.
- You tend to feel helpless and hopeless, experience intense feelings of shame, and blame yourself for having these feelings.
- You become overwhelmed and exhausted, tend to socially withdraw for family and friends, and may stop participating in everyday activities all together.
In a comfortable, supportive, and nonjudgmental setting, I can help. I use sound therapeutic approaches and my therapy style is collaborative and interactive. When we work together, we will begin by identifying the unique factors or stressors that impact your mood and we will design a treatment plan to help you overcome the irrational thoughts, triggers, and blocks that often lead to depression. We work together on helping you to enhance your self-esteem, feel better, create more happiness and fulfillment, and get back in the game of life.