Anxiety & Depression
They’re not the same thing, but…
They’re such good buddies that I can actually talk about them here together. Both depression and anxiety can be sneaky beasts: You may have experienced them for a long time without having identified them as such.
Recognizing that you are experiencing depression and/or anxiety can be a bit like the first time you put on glasses and realize the world isn’t actually meant to look like a Monet painting. But how would you have known any different from what you’ve known?
Depression and anxiety can be a bit “shape-shifty”…
Lately just getting out of bed has been a struggle.
It feels like you see life more clearly than everyone else, and you recognize that there is really no point to any of it. It’s like running on a hamster wheel… a really heavy hamster wheel.
Maybe you remember a time when there were things you enjoyed, but they just don’t seem interesting anymore. They might even seem like work.
What’s worse is that you feel guilty about the way you feel, the things you’ve done, the things you haven’t done. You know there are people who rely on you but that feels like a heavy burden.
You can’t imagine not feeling this way…
You either don’t want to eat, or you only want to eat. You just can’t sleep, or you only want to sleep.
Forgetting things, making mistakes…
“What it would be like to disappear…?”
THIS IS DEPRESSION. This is not who you are…
You are NOT seeing things clearly, and it does not have to be a life sentence.
On the other side of things, it feels like all you do is worry…
Sometimes you don’t even know what you’re worried about.
Other times you know exactly what you’re worried about – that thought will not leave you alone. You have played out every scenario of what can go wrong in your head a million times.
Still other times it’s what already has gone wrong. You endlessly review in your mind all the variations on how you messed up, acted stupid or awkward, or said the wrong thing.
Stomach pains, trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, and the knots in your neck and shoulders seem to be permanently in place.
This is not the way your nervous system is meant to function… IT IS ANXIETY.
This is also not who you are, you are not inherently bad, and this does not have to be a life sentence.
You can experience peace and contentment.
Once you’ve identified that you are living with depression and/or anxiety, you can make changes. You will begin to differentiate between thoughts and feelings. You will learn to challenge thoughts that do not serve you. Imagine how your life would be without those thoughts… this is very possible!
You will recognize that feelings are physical experiences, sensations that do not need to control you. With gentle curiosity, you will explore what the feelings are trying to tell you. Using loving kindness, you will recognize unmet needs and explore adaptive ways to meet them.
You will learn to regulate the nervous system. You will practice using tools to calm the body. The more you practice, the more you train the brain to respond differently. Your body has been trying to protect you. We do not need to fight against the body, but rather to lovingly redirect its efforts.
If what you’ve read on this page feels all too familiar…
You need to know this: The world does not need to be that Monet painting (nothing against Monet, whom I actually quite like, but for the sake of the metaphor).
It is possible to feel better, to feel a sense of peace and purpose, and to experience contentment and joy. Of course, life includes sadness, loss, and disappointment, but these feelings do not need to be your status quo.
Let’s begin to reconnect you to some pleasure in living and in being your own unique self.
You don’t have to keep living with depression and anxiety. Call me today: (415) 408-6020.