Counseling For Depression

Finding Realistic & Obtainable Hope

You’re sad a lot of the time, often for no apparent reason.  You’re not feeling very hopeful about the future, that things will get better.  Sure, you’re still showing up for work and all the bills are being paid, but besides that, you feel like you’re basically just…existing.  

You may feel hopeless, like you’re convinced that things will never get better.  

Depression can get in the way of enjoying life. It drains you of your energy and motivation.

I know what it’s like to have depression. I’ve heard all the well-meaning advice that people give when they don’t really understand how depression works.  I know it’s not as simple as “try going outside” or “think happy thoughts.”  

I also know that things can actually get better.

YOU’RE NOT A FAILURE

If depression treatment were as simple as making yourself feel better, you’d have done that by now…

…So quit telling yourself that you’ve somehow “failed” by not being able to solve this problem on your own.

Person in black outfit sits at the end of an old dock jutting into the water with mountains in distance

Feeling skeptical? That’s normal.

You know there’s treatment out there, but how could talking about your life actually make things any better?  You already dwell on your problems enough as it is.  You’ve tried thinking happy thoughts and going outside, but these feel-good suggestions just don’t work.

You don’t know what to expect from therapy, and you’re pretty doubtful that it will actually help.  Still, part of you would like to think that life can be at least a little more tolerable…or maybe even pleasant at times? Maybe…?

A more enjoyable life is something you won’t believe until it actually happens for you. 

It’s fair to be skeptical, especially if you feel like previous attempts to treat your depression have fallen short.

Pink & orange tinted clouds over rural landscape

“You feel like you’re basically just…existing.”

Man in button-down shirt stands at laptop on desk while looking out brightly lit window of professional office

You may feel frustrated from trying things that didn’t work…

Plenty of people will freely give out well-meaning advice because they think depression is the same as everyday sadness. Then, when the advice doesn’t miraculously fix your depression, you end up feeling like a failure, which just makes your mood even worse.

A lot of depression treatment techniques and advice can actually be useful…and some simply don’t work.

If you’re living with depression, the last thing you need is the disappointment of treatment that promises more than it can deliver.  

You can be happier.  Plenty of people are able to get treatment that does help them find more happiness and hopefulness in their lives. 

Check out this blog post about how to handle depression in your daily life:

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Treatment That Works: 3 Concepts That Can Help You Decrease The Effects Of Anxiety & Depression
Treatment That Works
Treatment That Works: 3 Concepts That Can Help You Decrease The Effects Of Anxiety & Depression
Treatment That Works

Note that the anxious and depressing thoughts are very convincing, though — these thoughts can feel as real as actual intuition feels. Unwarranted anxious thoughts can feel exactly the same as life-saving intuition -- that legitimate, instinctive urge you get that tells you to remove yourself from a situation that is actually dangerous.

Unwarranted depressing thoughts may try to convince you that the world is a hellish place, that nobody likes you, that non-depressed people just don’t see the world as realistically as you do. Most of all, depressing thoughts convince you that you’ll always feel this way, that your condition will never improve. And just like anxious thoughts, depressive thoughts feel 100% real -- like there’s no doubt in your mind that this is "the way life is" -- like you’re seeing the ugly truth that other people just refuse to acknowledge.

Treatment That Works