Anxiety & Depression
Depression and anxiety are the two most common mental health challenges people face in their lifetime. Whether due to a precipitating event, new stressors, the state of the world, neurodivergency, or past trauma, depression and anxiety can happen to anyone at any point in life. Oftentimes these are genetic, but they also can be influenced by our environment.
Irritability, anger, moodiness
Feeling down, depressed, hopeless
Crying a lot more than usual
Everything feels hard (hygiene, work, tasks, chores)
Resting/sleeping more, yet rest never feels restful enough
Low motivation & drive
For those dealing with depression, it often looks like:
Feeling like a dark cloud is hanging over your head
Feeling empty or numb
Suicidality, including passive suicidal ideation (i.e. being okay with death but no desire or intent to attempt)
Difficulties concentrating, brain fog, slowed processing
For those dealing with anxiety, this may look like:
Rumination (i.e. replaying conversations or interactions over and over again in your head)
Stuck in the same patterns
Imposter syndrome
Perfectionism
People-pleasing
Trouble concentrating
Decision paralysis
Fear of abandonment
Inability to rest, feeling keyed up or on edge, fidgety
Worrying a lot more than usual
Feeling a sense of doom
Pressure on your chest/difficulty breathing
Feeling like the walls are closing in
Can’t seem to quiet your mind
How can therapy help?
Therapy can help with navigating anxiety and depression a few different ways, depending on the factors and causes. We can work together to explore and address the triggers, build practical skills, identify any negative thinking traps that may be influencing your mood, address any trauma that may be contributing, and work on creating new neural pathways in the brain. We may incorporate different modalities to address the symptoms, including EMDR, IFS, ACT, and CBT.