Counseling for Depression
What is depression?
You wake up in the morning, drag yourself out of bed, and already have the thought of how nice it’ll be to crawl back into bed. “Maybe it’s just a bad day, today?” You ask yourself. But it’s now been 2+ weeks of “bad days.” You want to hope that tomorrow will be better, but it takes too much energy to hope.
You might be dealing with depression. It’s heavy, dark, and numbing.
You’ve been canceling plans with friends, avoiding phone calls with family, and barely meeting expectations at work. It feels like you’re trudging through mud all day just to get home and know that the rest you long for may evade you tonight. What you’re feeling may be invalidated by those closest to you and you wonder if your brain is incapable of joy.
You’re not alone and it doesn’t have to stay this way.
Feeling down and sad are normal human emotions. However, when the depressed mood continues day in and day out, you may be looking at a depressive episode or even Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). MDD can show up in a lot of different ways. You might feel down or lose interest in things that used to make you happy. Some people notice changes in their appetite or weight, sleep too much or have trouble sleeping, and feel tired all the time. You might move or talk more slowly—or feel restless and on edge. Feelings of hopelessness, guilt, or worthlessness can creep in, and it can get hard to focus or make decisions. Sometimes, people also have recurring thoughts about death or dying.
(If you’re having suicidal thoughts or have a plan to hurt yourself, reach out for help. Call 988 for The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 866-488-7386 for The Trevor Project, or Text "HELLO" to 741741 for the local crisis line in Kansas City, Missouri.)
If these symptoms sound oddly familiar to you, it may be time to get some additional support through counseling. Treatment for depression starts when you first click the search link for counseling. You’ve already begun! Much of the time, we need validation that our experiences have a name and that there’s hope for life to look different. You took that first step and now we can build on that momentum.
So what do I do now?
Counseling for depression looks different for each person because everyone brings their own unique story and experiences. That said, the journey is tailored to you by first exploring where you’ve been, where you are now, and where you would like to be in the future. For instance, how long has that elephant been sitting on your chest and making it hard to breath or move? When did you first start having thoughts that not waking up was better than life as you know it? Was there a recent event that amplified the negative internal voice saying you failed or aren’t worth ______?
Taking a step back and examining your thoughts is a helpful way to pinpoint where the mood fissure happened. Sometimes a depressed mood creeps in from lingering loss and grief. Other times depression is as disruptive as a sudden earthquake and the aftershocks feel like your new normal. Depression counseling will help you sort out the “why’s” while also providing tools to process and rebuild a positive sense of self.
Imagine showing up to coffee with a friend and feeling engaged, energized, and glad to be there. It no longer feels like a chore to leave the house or meet up with friends. You genuinely enjoy life again and feel hopeful for the future. You feel purposeful and content with where you are in life. Life has more color and detail than ever before.
Does that sound too good to be true? Well, I’ve been where you are now and believe you can live in fullness, wholeness, and healing. I’m not going to promise that it’ll be an easy road, but it will be worth it. It takes courage to admit you need help and I respect you for taking that step.
Seeking counseling for depression isn’t weakness just like calling a plumber for a flooded basement isn’t weakness. You need someone who can guide you through and has the skillset to teach you strategies and tools that will effectively help.
All this info, but you might be asking yourself -
Does being depressed mean I didn’t try hard enough to be happy? Friend, if that were the case, you would’ve been there, done that. It isn’t about too little effort. Most commonly it’s about neuropathways and working through unprocessed junk. Our brains are constantly looking for associations to make sense of the world. At some point, your brain may have started to associate hope with naivety, peace with a pipe-dream, and joy with fool’s gold. Let’s find out why!
Can’t I just take some meds and skip the talking? You could, but medication without addressing the root is kind of like getting a splint for a broken bone and then refusing physical therapy to build back your strength. Medication is a helpful tool for a lot of people, but without counseling, you may be only partially healing. Let’s go after holistic and lasting healing!
What if counseling won’t work for me? That’s a very real concern and understandably scary if you’re desperate for relief. Here’s my encouragement to you, just show up for the first call. Then show up for the first appointment. Then keep showing up and dare to believe that it may help. We will work together to find the best tools to combat depression. You’re not in this battle by yourself anymore - we’ll face it side by side until things start to feel lighter again.
Maybe depression is just how I’m wired and I have to live with it. Plus, what if I don’t deserve happiness? Whether you believe it now or not, you do deserve joy, peace, healing, and wholeness. You deserve to live fully and not just muscle through life. Those negative thoughts didn’t just pop-up one day. They’ve been growing over time and, through counseling, we’ll find ways to uproot them while replacing them with truth.