Depression Counseling
Your depression is as unique as you are. But whether you are experiencing severe or mild depression, you undoubtedly have tried hard to get yourself “unstuck.”
Depression is not sadness. Depression is a pervasive, palpable heaviness that you can think of as your mind and body compelling you to be kinder, gentler and more patient with yourself. In our harried, often stressed-out world, people often talk about the importance putting ourselves first or taking a psychic break. But we so rarely reinforce those behaviors. Real demands of school, work, family and finances often get in the way of true peace and contentment. Rather than learning how to manage life, we often end up being managed by life.
What Depression Looks Like
- Feelings of sadness or hopelessness
- Irritability, frustration or angry outbursts, even over small matters
- Loss of interest in normal activities
- Sleep disturbances, like insomnia or too much sleep
- Lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
- Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
- Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things
- Frequent or recurring thoughts of death or suicidal thoughts
- Unexplained physical problems, like headaches or back pain
Do I Need Depression Counseling?
If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s a good sign that you might benefit from depression counseling. Depression can be difficult to manage without extra support. If you find that you can’t get “unstuck” from these feelings, or that they are interfering with your everyday life and relationships, our compassionate therapists can help.
How Oregon Counseling Can Help
At Oregon Counseling we believe there is no magic cure or magic pill for depression. Medication may ‘grease the skids’ or help nudge us along so the work of therapy can take hold. To that end, we do offer psychiatric prescribing services at Oregon Counseling. But ultimately what we can help you with is a paradigm shift of learning to love oneself, be kind to oneself and honor the wise and authentic self within that brings lasting change. As John Lennon so aptly put it, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”