Why is depression on the rise?
Depression is increasing worldwide and many of our treatments are not working or are only temporary fixes. The problem is that depression is a complex issue that can be related to our past, our thought patterns, our life skills, our circumstances, our beliefs, our cultures, our identities and even our genetics. Each person has a different combination of factors to tackle and so I treat each person differently. Together we customise what you need.
What does depression feel like?
People with depression often feel like they are just going through the motions of life; they’ve lost interest in the things that used to give them pleasure. They are isolating themselves, feeling they are pretending or putting on a good face for others because they feel ashamed or guilty about being down. Often they are not sleeping well or are sleeping too much, are not eating enough or are eating too much. Sometimes people don’t want to go on living, or have considered suicide.
Antidotes to depression?
Some of the strongest antidotes to depression are social connection, community and reaching out for help. When we talk about feeling depressed, we are often pushing against a strong cultural taboo. There is a stigma about admitting how hard things are, but it is so important to find a safe way to talk about how you are really feeling. Pretending that things are fine won’t heal depression.
Maybe depression is part of who I am…
People who have suffered from depression long term often feel that depression is part of their personality or identity. They might say, “This is who I am. It’s never going to change.” These negative beliefs invade our thoughts and become our realities. When we lose hope in our own ability to grow and change, we start to focus on the negative aspects of the world around us. This snowball effect is part of how depression works. It is not a part of who you are.
Depression and anxiety are old buddies
Depression and anxiety go hand in hand and make us miserable. Many of us are not only suffering from depression but also from…
- Stress related to being over-extended in many areas
- Stress about an event
- Social anxiety
- Shyness
- Phobias
- Panic attacks
- Obsessive fear about losing self control
- Nameless dread about the future
- Anxiety disorders
- Post traumatic stress
Learn how anxiety works
Anxiety can be caused by our patterns of thought. We can overestimate the dangers of a situation because of past experiences that didn’t go well. Often people are just missing a few key skills and don’t realize that with coaching and support, they can identify what they need to cope, when they need it and learn how to talk about that. Helping people build up their internal resources and supporting them through that process reawakens curiosity and excitement about the future. Some of these skills that people need in order to deal with and prevent anxiety are…
- Assertiveness
- Setting boundaries
- Natural anti-anxiety techniques (such as abdominal breathing)
- Pacing their life
- Self care
- Believing that you deserve to take care of yourself
- Creative visualisation
- Creating a safe space
- Learning how to limit stress
- Learning how to cope when stress is unavoidable
Can depression be cured?
I believe that depression and anxiety can be successfully treated and have witnessed the changes that my own clients have experienced such as…
- Engaging in life again
- Fulfilling goals
- Feeling in control of their life again
- Feeling happier
- Engaging in social activities
- Building and rekindling friendships
- Finding renewed enjoyment in old hobbies
- Moving from negative and pessimistic thinking to more positive outlook on the world
- Learning about assertiveness and boundaries and how to protect themselves from feeling that guilt has to guide their decisions
- Renewed hope
- Finding themselves laughing more
- Finding it easier to have a conversation
- Finding it easier to join in during events, parties and games
- Pursuing their interests
- Feeling better about themselves, a higher sense of self worth