Exhausted, disconnected, worthless, sad…
These feelings can come on slowly.
It’s usually after months of stagnation and lack of motivation that you look back and realize, “I’m depressed.”
Imagine driving for miles without a destination. That’s often the way depression hits you. You’re floundering around off course, no longer inspired or motivated by what caused you to start the trip in the first place.
There may or may not be a reason for it. For many, depression just “shows up” in their life; it ebbs and flows.
It can be triggered by anything in the malaise of hopelessness that becomes your life.
Anxiety often comes along for the ride.
It causes your heart to race.
It fills you with dread.
It burdens you with non-stop thoughts about social situations, work, health, and commitments you’ve made (or didn’t make).
And there’s the WHAT-IFS:
“What if I never want to get out of bed again?”
“What if I am fired from my job?”
“What if my partner leaves me?”
These two monsters feed on each other.
And in the process, YOUR goals get put on hold. Right now, you’re probably asking yourself, “What ARE my goals??”
You isolate yourself. You pull away. And that puts MORE iron in the fire for your negative inner voice:
“I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH.”
“THERE IS NO HOPE.”
When anxiety and depression are intertwined within the core of who we are, it’s time to step back and talk about it.
We need to talk about it…
If you’re here, anxiety and depression are probably in your core. We need to step back, examine it, and devise a game plan to address it.
Therapy is a safe space to work through some important questions:
How do anxiety and depression interact to affect your life?
What life factors (e.g., ADHD, social relationships, health, sleep, career, brain injury, breakup, or divorce) influence how you think?
What tools do you need to execute a plan that works for you?
In our sessions…
We’ll explore how your anxious or depressed inner dialogue tries to define who you are.
We will identify the “what-ifs” and the “coulda-woulda-shouldas.” You’ll learn to recognize when you get glued to this kind of thinking, and I’ll give you tools to separate yourself from it.
We’ll also do a deep dive into your values. Deep down, what’s important to you? What do you want your life to stand for? What qualities do you want to cultivate as a person? What’s key for your interactions with others?
Are your relationships, job, and health aligned with your values – the foundation of who you are?
That’s how we’ll get to the bottom of your anxiety and depression… and I’m here for all of it! Let’s start today by scheduling your complimentary consultation: (503) 498-6879.