Anxiety and Depression
“…I really thought I hit rock bottom. But today, it’s like there’s rock bottom, 50 feet of crap, then me.”
– Rachel Green, Friends, Season 2, Episode 1
Too anxious to be depressed or too depressed to be anxious.
There is nothing quite like the immense head-banging-against-the-wall frustration that comes with struggling with anxiety or depression and having people tell you that you’re “just nervous” or “just sad.”
You know that you’re not just nervous or sad.
Pervasive anxiety and major depression can be crippling and debilitating, severely compromising your quality of life. Each day is an exhausting struggle to handle the most basic tasks and activities.
If it isn’t one, it’s the other.
Anxiety and depression appear in different people and different ways. For many, they’re difficult to recognize at first. In fact, for many people, nervousness and sadness aren’t a big part of their experience.
Perhaps you’ve been having a difficult time sleeping at night. Or, possibly, no matter how much sleep you get, you never feel rested. Maybe you no longer enjoy activities that used to bring you a lot of pleasure. Or you now feel uneasy around friends and family, resisting a constant urge to get away and be alone.
You might be feeling bouts of intense panic or irrationally angry much of the time. Perhaps something happened, like losing a job or going through a divorce. Perhaps nothing happened.
Regardless, there comes a point when you recognize that you are not okay and need help. Help from someone who understands, who has been where you are and has fought their way out of it. Someone who can be a source of support, encouragement, guidance, and, when needed, a shoulder to cry on. Not a friend – someone much more than a friend.
We have been where you are. We know how lonely the road can be, and often, it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. But there is. There is a way out. It may not be easy, but it is possible, and the important thing is that you are no longer alone. You have us.
“Nothing ever helps.”
This is a typical attitude and a natural one. Anxiety has taught you always to expect the worst. Depression has convinced you that things will never change. The last thing you need is someone trying to talk you out of your feelings or scold you to “get it together.” You are probably at a point where you use every drop of energy to get out of bed in the morning. No one just “walks off” their depression.
But there are pathways through. They vary depending on the individual. Therapy for anxiety and depression is not one-size-fits-all. Before we can move forward, we need to know all about you.
You must invite us into your world and help us understand how anxiety and depression have impacted you. We need to understand the things weighing you down and the kind of relief you are looking for.
Together, we will explore what your reality has become and discuss practical approaches that fit who you are and what you want.
Whose fault is it anyway?
We would be lying if we promised to turn your whole world around. We won’t promise you the moon. And we certainly won’t insult you with Monty Pythonesque “just look on the bright side of life” nonsense. Some parts of life are rough, and no amount of therapy will change that.
But the thing is, for many of us, it’s not what our reality is that drives our anxiety and depression so much as it is what we believe our reality to be. All of us walk around every day with hundreds of beliefs. Most of them are benign. Some of them can be harmful, though.
They might be beliefs about how nothing works out or what other people do or don’t think about us. Maybe they are beliefs about who we are and what we are incapable of. Whatever the beliefs are, they often weigh us down and cloud our ability to see the world as it is – an imperfect and frequently challenging place full of unknown possibilities.
If it helps, think of that famous Serenity Prayer.
We aim to help you identify what you can change and what you cannot. We will help you find the fortitude to change the things you can (that you want to change) and accept the things you can’t.
Along the way, we support you in making peace with the things you can’t change and exploring new possibilities of all the things you can.
To put it simply, we don’t change your reality or hide any of the unpleasant stuff. Instead, we are your ally in fighting anxiety and depression, trying to convince you that it’s all unpleasant stuff. It’s not.
Once more, unto the breach, dear friends.
Struggling with anxiety and depression can be like getting stuck in the trenches. It can feel lonely and overwhelming, but you don’t have to be there alone.
If you need help, we’re here to answer your call and join you in the fight.
Don’t keep struggling with anxiety and depression.