Do You Feel As Though You’re Living In a Dark Cloud With No Chance of Escape?
- Are you having trouble getting out of bed in the morning, perhaps because life seems meaningless?
- Have heavy thoughts, painful emotions and physical discomforts affected your ability to function well at work or at home?
- Are you withdrawing from friends and family members, preferring to spend your hours alone?
- Do you long to see a light at the end of the tunnel of depression, but fear there is no way out?
Depression can leave you feeling devastated, as though you’ve lost the person you used to be. Perhaps you often burst into tears, but don’t understand why you’re feeling so sad. You might be overwhelmed by sudden inexplicable feelings of sadness, which may be hampering your ability to perform well at school or work. Perhaps your depression came on following a break up, job loss or life transition. Maybe you feel you’ve lost your dreams and believe you will never accomplish the goals you set out for yourself. Insomnia might also be a problem for you. You might stay up all night staring at the ceiling, wondering how you will ever get your life back on track or if you will ever become the person you hoped you’d become. Once in bed, you may have difficulty getting out and struggle to find the motivation to go to work, pay bills, take care of your children or even take care of yourself. Perhaps it feels as though a dark cloud has descended over every aspect of your life, leaving you desperate for some semblance of hope. You may passionately wish to get back in touch with a better version of yourself, but feel lost, confused and alone.
Depression Is a Very Common Condition
Depression is a very common condition, affecting millions of Americans. If you’re feeling down, you’re not the only person who is feeling this way. Depression is a chronic state that takes over your way of life. It is different from sadness, which is a temporary emotion that will affect all of us at times throughout our lives.
Depression is especially common during life transitions, such as during menopause, divorce, retirement or new parenthood, when many struggle to cope with shifting roles and identities. Change can be startling and frightening, and the task of coping with uncertainly proves to be more difficult for some people rather than others. Unfortunately, these experiences can cause some people to tumble into depression. While nearly everyone experiences some degree of sadness, chronic feelings of melancholy may indicate something more serious is going on. If you’ve been feeling down, depleted and dejected for a substantial period of time, or if your mood has negatively impacted your relationships, work life or ability to perform household tasks, seeking depression treatment may be critical to your current and future wellbeing.
Depression Treatment Can Help You Find Relief
Therapy is proven effective in helping people overcome feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Sometimes all a person needs is to talk to someone who cares and have his or her voice be heard. However, far too often people feel guilty about the way depression makes them feel. They may want to be “strong” and may therefore be too embarrassed to share their experiences with friends and family members, causing them to become isolated and even more depressed. But, what you’ll find at Alkira is a safe space free of judgment. Here you’ll be free to share your experiences with a compassionate therapist who understands what you’re going through. You’ll never have to feel ashamed or guilty and can have your thoughts, feelings and experiences validated by a professional who has the tools to help.
During depression treatment sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to share the highs and lows of your life story. Through introspection and a look back on your past, you can begin to understand and identify the source and scope of your depression. You can learn to process and work through any current or past traumatic events, losses or difficult transitions in your life. Your therapist can help you see how past events may be affecting your present state of mind, leading to negative thinking. You can challenge distorted thoughts and perceptions, develop a more positive outlook on life and start to better manage your mood. At Alkira we can also teach you skills for handling distressing situations. You’ll have support and guidance as you begin replacing unhealthy coping strategies with positive outlets. You can learn and adopt healthy, healing activities like mindfulness, deep breathing, journaling, art and music, which have shown to promote feelings of wellbeing.
Alkira therapists put forward a collaborative, creative approach. We use narrative theory, which focuses on your story and how to change your present and future. During sessions you’ll have the opportunity to re-author your life story. You’ll be encouraged to identify your strengths and times when you’ve been emotionally resilient. You can begin to see that you already have the tools to combat your depression. Your therapist will help you uncover the personal strength you’ve always had, or develop the personal strength you need.
Everyone has the capacity to heal. We sometimes just need a little help to get there. With the guidance and support of a professional, compassionate therapist, you can find your best self and become a better coworker, partner, parent and friend. You can gain greater self-confidence and a renewed eagerness for life.
Perhaps you’re ready to give depression treatment a try, but may have questions and concerns…
I don’t have time to go to depression treatment.
Like many valuable things, depression treatment will be an investment into your wellbeing. It’s therefore worth setting aside a portion of your schedule to help you stop losing precious moments during which you could be enjoying time with your partner and children and living a more fulfilling life. We try our best to accommodate a verity of schedules by offering Saturday and evening appointments.
Depression treatment is too expensive.
We understand that not everyone has a disposable income. If your insurance doesn’t cover our mental health services, we offer a sliding scale.
I’m afraid that talking about painful experiences and emotions will make my depression worse.
Therapy will require you to face difficult emotions and experiences, however, clients find that doing so is extremely therapeutic. Your depression will likely stay the same or worsen by keeping things bottled up inside and not seeking help. Although it may be hard to see now, the benefits of therapy far outweigh any temporary discomfort the process may make you feel.
Relief Is Possible
If you’d like to become a client, please click the “Request an Appointment” button at the top of this page.