If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Depression is one of the most destructive, damaging and debilitating mental illnesses that many of us suffer from. It is often accompanied by anxiety, worry, self-doubt and insecurity. It makes us feel deeply sad, with a pervasive sense of hopelessness and pain that are all-consuming. We feel down on ourselves, defeated and desperate for relief. We feel scared, lost, troubled and alone. Many of us suffer from suicidal thoughts. Logically, one would think that we would want to do everything in our power to fight our depression, but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. We often feel unable to do any of the things we know will help us, such as exercising, going to therapy, and eating well. We feel completely incapacitated. How does depression wield such tremendous power of us?
Depression is a convincing liar. It convinces us to believe that we’re powerless over it, and that all hope is lost once it hits. Many of us give up before we’ve even tried to fight it. We’ve lost hope and given up on ourselves. Depression makes us lose our faith in ourselves and our abilities, namely our ability to get well. It tells us we’re not good enough and feeds our intense fears of inadequacy and inferiority. We’re deeply insecure and self-hating, often comparing ourselves and our lives to those we think are better off, happier, more successful. As such, we’re often filled with envy, bitterness and resentment that make us feel even more sad and down on ourselves. Depression convinces us we’ll never get better. It tells us there’s no use in trying, so why bother?
Depression depletes us of our energy. Many of us find ourselves so exhausted and also so filled with panic and sadness that we struggle just to get out of bed in the morning. Many of us have trouble sleeping and struggle with insomnia and other sleep issues, unable to quiet our racing minds, slow our labored breathing, and calm our frantic thoughts. Others of us might start sleeping excessively when we’re depressed, desperately trying to avoid life by sleeping the day away. Similarly, some of us overeat with anxiety, while others of us are so sad we have no appetite and struggle to eat anything at all. Depression depletes our motivation along with our energy, so we have a very hard time going outdoors, getting any physical activity, reaching out to friends, or seeking help, all of which could help lift our spirits and help us to fight our depression.
Depression incapacitates us in how it mentally, emotionally and physically overtakes us and our entire lives. Healing from depression begins with understanding some of the ways in which we’re most affected by it.
Our recovery programs include many experiential modalities including traditional therapy, conscious connected breathwork, equine therapy, somatic experiencing, art in healing, grief therapy, mindfulness and other forms of therapy. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.