You’re not the only one. Most of us did not expect to find ourselves dealing with anxiety and depression, and yet, here we are. As upsetting and challenging as it can be, the energetic ties that bind us to anxiety and depression can be broken and released. There is a way through.
Depression and anxiety can stop us cold as we try to navigate our lives. It's difficult to explain to others the grip of depression as it saps all motivation and has us want to withdraw from everyone and everything. It's difficult sometimes for others to understand how paralyzing anxiety can be and how much we wish we could heed others (or grit our teeth) when they say things like "just relax" or "don't worry about it."
ANXIETY
Most of us know that we don't need to worry as much as we do, and we know that, for the most part, it doesn't help the situation. And, what's worse, we know it typically leaves the people around us walking on eggshells or frustrated and angry at our inability to let things go. Often, we resort to pretending everything is "all good" and that nothing is bothering us; yet, privately we are still holding on to all of our anxiety. We stare at the ceiling and can't sleep, have a hard time being present in conversations, and try all sorts of methods to release the energy of worrying from exercising to being a busybody. In a heightened state of anxiety, even choosing what to have for dinner can cause heart palpitations. Anxiety can be so familiar to us that we don't even know who we would be without it. And that can be scary.
It can also take a toll on our bodies. From backaches to headaches and even heart problems, carrying our anxiety inside our bodies can wreak havoc on our physical health. While things like yoga, meditation, and long walks can provide tremendous relief, it is the deep mental and emotional healing at the source of the stress that is what our body really wants and what it is trying to compensate for.
Have you ever asked yourself questions like: Why can't I just calm down? Why can't I lighten up and just let go? Why am I letting that/them bother me so much? Most of us ask these questions and many of us then proceed to make ourselves wrong because, as smart, capable, and accomplished as we are, we can't seem to let go of our anxiety. Beating ourselves up over this further adds to the problem. We reach a point where we are actually stressed about how much we are stressing. To some, this may seem strange, but to those of us who experience this cycle frequently, it becomes something we live with.
Together, in a safe space, we will get to the roots of your anxiety and release it's impact on your daily life, your physical health, and your relationships.
DEPRESSION
Most of us experience being down or sad at times. Sometimes sadness is related to a traumatic or tragic event where it makes sense - getting divorced, losing a child/parent, leaving a job, childhood abuse, for example. And sometimes the sadness is completely unexplainable where nothing in our lives points to that we should be as sad as we are. Regardless of the source, as human beings, we know when normal, human sadness has turned into something more, and we know when it's time to intervene and get ourselves some help.
There are very few words to describe depression to someone who has never been through it. Most people can simply not fathom or "grok" how dark it gets, and after so many unsuccessful attempts at explaining it, many of us simply choose to stop talking about it altogether - compounding our feelings of being alone and disconnected. The level of worthlessness and powerlessness we feel, the total lack of energy and motivation, is often met with things like, "you just need to get out more/get a new job, etc" or some form of "snap out of it." And even dealing with the most supportive of people around us who might say, "what can I do to help?" is tough. While we love and appreciate them for asking and caring, most of us don't have an answer. We don't know what they can do to help. This leaves both them and us with nowhere to turn.
A lot of us have developed incredible strategies to live with depression. We continue to work, communicate, provide for others - all the while knowing that the emptiness, the darkness we feel is right under the surface, and scarier still, we have no idea how far it goes. We do our best to function through the “sludge” of our emotions, and it takes all the energy we have. There is a part of us that wishes we could simply withdraw completely, and yet we have obligations to our partners, children, co-workers, employees, that we don't want to or feel we can't walk away from.
Then there are times when depression takes us out almost completely. It becomes so debilitating that we cannot function in our daily lives. We withdraw. We shut down. The thought of getting out of bed and facing the world seems overwhelming and daunting. Not only does there seem to be no light at the end of the tunnel, even if we could see it, we don't have the energy or desire to reach out for it.
We know our mental state is having an impact on those around us, and we don't like it. We may even feel a deep sense of shame or guilt about it, and yet there does not seem to be a way out.
Together, in a safe space, we will get to the roots of your depression and release it's grip on you and its impact on your life, your energy level, and your relationships.