Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Like something or someone is robbing you of your peace? Maybe you feel stuck in your past? Maybe you feel like you are carrying around years and years of burden on your back that you have never truly dealt with. Perhaps there is a heaviness that sits on your chest and weighs you down day in and day out. Sometimes this can be a season of your life when things just don’t quite make sense. Or you may find yourself saying you don’t quite feel like yourself but can’t figure out why. Sometimes it feels unshakable. No matter what you have tried or how hard you have tried, you just don’t feel any better. The days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, even years. If this sounds like you, you may be experiencing depression.
A few common symptoms that last at least two weeks or more include: little interest or pleasure in doing things, feeling down, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and thoughts that you would be better off dead or hurting yourself in some way. Sometimes people slip into depression without even realizing it right away and sometimes it hits you like a freight train and there is no denying that something is different.
Did you know there is hope for depression? Did you know that you can lighten your load, start to feel better, and learn how to manage your days better, especially those bad days that seem to follow each other. You belong here. You have a place here. The real you, the whole you, the you experiencing the depression.
In the famous words of Dr. Martin Luther King, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that”. The first step in managing depression is meeting it head on with light.
Shining light on depression means stepping into a trusting, supportive and non-judgmental relationship with someone who can help you heal.
We will talk about what depression is, explore how it shows up in your life, and come up with a plan to manage it. If you are worried or nervous about sharing your personal struggles with someone, this is a normal feeling. If you aren’t sure if therapy is right for you, can I ask you to be open to considering how you think about therapy? Ask yourself if sharing the load of what is bothering you, with someone who can help shine light into the dark places of your life, sounds like something you are open to. There is so much power and healing in just sharing. There is some pretty cool science that supports what happens when you feel safe enough to share something with someone, and how this promotes healing within.
Whether you are “a talker”, you are slow to warm up to people, or have a hard time warming up to people there is a place here for you. We move at your pace, we move at your comfort level, and we will talk about the things that are important to you. So if you answer yes to one of the three questions below, it means you are ready to start the process of healing 🙂
Do I want to change?
Am I open to sharing my story?
Do I believe that there is hope for me?
If you answered yes to just ONE of these questions, email me here or call me at (252) 346-6382 and let’s chat about setting up an appointment for you. There is almost always never a perfect time to start something new. It’s easy for us to delay or find excuses when something feels scary or hard or it’s unknown. I encourage you to set those feelings aside and take a step towards change today. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Be Well,
Cathy