Low moods hit us all from time to time, particularly when life becomes challenging – but if we feel depressed for more than a few weeks at a time, it could be a sign that something more serious is going on.
Anxiety can lead to feelings of isolation and panic, and a sense that no one around you understands how you are feeling. It may be that a specific event has triggered your anxiety and is making you fear things that used to be so very ordinary to you, or it could be that you learned very early on in your life that the world is a frightening and untrustworthy place.
I understand how crippling anxiety can be and how real it is for you, and I will treat it with the respect and seriousness it deserves by providing you with a safe space to explore your feelings without judgement.
By listening to the messages that our bodies are constantly sending us – rather than just relying on old and sometimes unhelpful ways of trying to solve our problems – counselling can give you the tools to reduce your anxiety through exploring what your anxiety means to you and how it affects your life.
Breaking the cycle of negative thinking can be an important part of lifting yourself out of depression. Having the opportunity to talk through your feelings in a safe and confidential way may be what you need to break that cycle.
Exploring the roots of your depression with someone who understands how your depression is affecting you can allow you to put your depression into context. Making connections between your past and present can go a long way to helping you understand why you are feeling low, and could be what you need to help you to feel more like yourself again.
If you are feeling depressed, it can be easy to get dragged into a downward spiral of negative thoughts. You might feel that nothing will change and that things will always be this way, meaning that you are left feeling even more depressed. When depression sets in like this it can affect your relationships, your work life and how you see the world.
It could be that a specific event might have triggered your depression. You may be finding it difficult to get over the death of a loved one or you may have experienced a life changing event such as redundancy or divorce. Sometimes these experiences can be difficult to come to terms with and can lead to depression.
About 2/3rd of all adults experience depression at some point in their life. Sometimes the depression can be mild or lasts just a few weeks. In other cases the symptoms can be more severe and last for months or years.
Symptoms ranging from mild to severe may include the following-
During counselling, we aim to explore the root causes of your depression. We will try to understand your feelings with a view to lifting your depression.
Depression is a common condition that will affect one in three people at some time in their life. It is a complicated illness with many different symptoms and causes.
Changes in eating habits and sleeping patterns and overwhelming feelings of despair are often the first signs of depression.
Many sufferers become emotionally detached from those around them and withdraw into a world of their own. Some describe it like being in a prison with no windows or doors, which can alienate friends and relatives, increasing the isolation.
Low Self Confidence
Many people suffer from low self confidence. Perhaps you have experienced low self esteem since you were a child and need to break the pattern imposed on you by your parents? Or perhaps the relationships you experience as an adult have been damaging to your self confidence?
You may feel some of the following emotions-
During counselling you are listened to, respected and not judged. You true feelings can be ‘tested’ out as you begin to uncover your true self. As your ability to discover the ‘real you’ this will enable you to grow in self confidence.