Depression and Mood Difficulties
Therapy can help with feelings of depression, exhaustion, numbness, being lost, and not enjoying anything - as well as mood swings. Available online and in Cambridge
Depression can feel like
Not enjoying anything
A physical sense of being weighted down
Worrying about everything but feeling paralysed to do anything about these worries
Struggling with the meaning of life – things feel both too significant, and meaningless
Extreme tiredness
Feelings of emptiness, guilt and anger
Low mood varies and can
· Be very intense and disabling (e.g. can’t get out of bed)
· Come and go, where you perhaps have days and weeks of feeling okay but then suddenly feel plunged into a horrible state. It may not be clear to you what triggers this off.
· Hang around in the background, so that you are living your life and others might think everything is okay, but you are actually feeling consistently unhappy about yourself or your life
Therapy can help you
Understand why you are feeling this way.
·Understand the cycle you are trapped in and identify ways out
Let go of distressing memories that may be part of your issues
Feel more connected to who you are, what you enjoy and what you want, so that you feel more alive
Feel more connected to your friends – that you are wanted and cared for rather than a burden
Feel more confident that when you do have a bad day, you can cope with it and move on rather than being afraid of feeling awful again
How do I feel better?
Lots of different approaches can be effective for mood issues. I personally tend to use a combination of:
· Cognitive analytic therapy, which focuses on your previous and current relationships, as well as your relationship to yourself
· EMDR, which can help you let go of distressing past memories and cope better with current or upcoming stressors
· Compassion focussed therapy, which has very helpful exercises to help us feel calmer, soothed and cared for