Anxiety and Depression

Depression

Maybe you’re hoping that it will just go away…

Sleeping too much or waking up frequently…

You’ve stopped doing certain activities that you used to enjoy like sports or a hobby…

Overly self-critical of yourself – it’s just too hard to focus…

Struggling with irritability around loved ones, friends, and co-workers…

We can all feel down from time to time. It’s a normal part of life.

But depression is different.

You may feel despair or hopelessness that takes hold, and you can’t shake it.

Depression can change how you feel, think, and function in your day-to-day activities. It can affect your relationships, work productivity, and physical health.

Does this sound like you?

Tired of putting on that happy face?

Pretending that you are “fine” when you feel as though you’re falling into a black hole is exhausting. It’s also lonely and scary.

Maybe you were raised with the idea of keeping your problems to yourself? Or you were told “to be strong and not to let things bother you”?

Do you believe that you are burdening friends and family if you talk about your problems or concerns, and they won’t want to be around you any longer?

So you press on while an ocean of negative thoughts and feelings are slowly drowning you?

Tired, burned out, miserable, and sad…

This is what it’s like living with depression.

We can lift the heavy burden of depression… together.

We’ll address any of your life circumstances that might be contributing to the depression.

Is there a past event or current situation that could be contributing to your depression?

It can be difficult losing contact with a close friend or painful being betrayed by someone.

Relationships aren’t easy – they can be confusing, and sometimes you don’t know how to handle the ups and downs that come with them.

Moving to a new area can be scary – not knowing anyone or unsure how to meet new people… isolation can feel like the only comfort you have.

Together, we can pinpoint life events and circumstances that may be contributing to your depression. We can explore and implement ways to help you accept, change, or adapt to those situations.

We’ll work on negative thinking patterns that may be contributing to your mood and leaving you feeling hopeless or lonely.

Are you prone to negative thinking?

Negative thoughts can come in a variety of distinct thought patterns…

“My supervisor complimented me at the staff meeting, but I know she did not mean it.” This is called “discounting the positive,” where the person acknowledges a positive experience but then rejects it.

A student receives a C on an exam and concludes that they are “stupid” or a “failure.” This is called “overgeneralization.” The student has taken one instance or example to make a broad statement about themself.

What negative patterns do you employ? There are many more than the two that I have already mentioned. Together, we will explore what faulty or irrational thinking patterns you may be engaging in. You will see how they may be contributing to your depression and learn how to identify and reframe your negative thoughts.

We will explore what negative beliefs you have about yourself.

Have relationships with others been difficult for you?

When you think about initiating contact with a friend or acquaintance, do you find yourself becoming negative about the interaction?

“Why would she want to spend time with me?”

You take full responsibility for partner, friend, or family’s happiness and whether they have a good time with you – worrying if you will be interesting or entertaining.

This line of negative thinking will hold you back, and you will avoid contact with others. Loneliness and isolation can result, which then leads to depression.

In therapy, you will learn to challenge these beliefs and instead focus on your strengths and be grateful for the people in your life.

Together, we can help lift the heavy burden that depression may play in your life.

You’ll have to make changes, but you CAN break the grip of depression and start living the life that you know you can have.

Anxiety

The grip of anxiety can make things feel overwhelming.

Constantly feeling like you’re being judged by others.

Often self-conscious and afraid of rejection.

Worried about saying the wrong thing or embarrassing yourself.

Always concerned about what may happen in the future.

Anxiety makes it difficult to stay present in the moment.

We all worry or feel nervous from time to time. After all, anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful situations. But if you find that your worries and fears are not temporary… that they’re constant and often overwhelming… you might need help.

Anxiety is experienced in many different ways.

Feeling restless or irritable, or having difficulty concentrating.

Anxiety can also make you feel nervous a lot of the time – a general sense of impending doom.

Physically, you may notice an increase in your heart rate, sweating, trembling, breathing rapidly, chest tightness, or GI (gastrointestinal ) symptoms.

It may be difficult to sleep because you can’t stop worrying about the future.

For some, these anxiety symptoms translate into behaviors such as avoiding places with lots of people, such as malls, concerts, and social gatherings.

Others will isolate more and stay home where it feels safer. Isolation can lead to broader issues such as increased tension in relationships, a decline in productivity, and worsening health.

Some may avoid places and situations where they feel like they could become trapped with no escape, such as elevators, bridges, or crowded clubs with few exits.

Here’s how we’ll help you get that anxiety under control…

We’ll explore your self-esteem and beliefs that you have about yourself.

Are you frequently doubting yourself and being overly self-critical? If you are not feeling positive about yourself, anxiousness and discomfort can become constant companions. You may have an underlying belief that “everyone else is better than you.”

Your anxiety may intensify before attending a social event such as a party or fundraiser – worrying that you won’t have anything interesting to say to others. Once there, you feel tense, distracted, and want nothing more than to leave and go home.

Maybe you believe that you must be everything to everybody. If you aren’t funny, laughing, smart, entertaining, or can’t talk sports, politics, local issues, or current national news, others will find you boring.

This is all painful and unpleasant.

I can work with you to uncover the negative beliefs that you have about yourself. We will look at each one of them and challenge these beliefs. Do they come from a distorted way you are viewing yourself? How do these beliefs affect how you feel and how you interact with others?

I will help you improve your confidence and feel better about yourself by paying more attention to your positive traits. You will begin to feel more like you do fit in with others than feeling like an outsider.

We’ll identify the thinking patterns and internal dialogue behind your anxiety.

Do you have persistent and excessive worry about upcoming events and activities, even ordinary, routine issues? Negative thoughts that are focused on future events are at the core of anxiety.

Maybe you frequently have irrational fears that contribute to your anxiety. For example, you live on the East Coast and refuse to eat at McDonald’s because you recently learned that a domestic argument led to a shooting at a McDonald’s in Colorado.

With irrational fears, the threat is either non-existent or greatly exaggerated. However, it may feel real to you. Together, we will work with you on reality-based thinking regarding someone who is thinking negative thoughts about you. We will explore the reality and validity of these thoughts to diminish their impact on you. As you experience less irrational thinking, you will feel calmer and less stressed.

Do you ever find yourself in situations where you are feeling judged by others? Say you are in a staff meeting at work and a guest speaker comes in for a presentation. Based on a facial expression or non-verbal communication, you decide they don’t like you and may judge you.

When you believe this, you begin to feel anxious and uncomfortable.

In therapy, I will help you understand the concept of “mind-reading.” We rarely know what another person is thinking unless they tell us. As you begin to understand and believe this, we will start challenging the reality of these thoughts. As they dissipate, you will be less anxious in social situations and start to engage with others comfortably.

You’ll learn to focus on what you want to happen instead of what you DON’T want to happen.

Frequently thinking about what you “don’t want to have happen”?

Here is one example: “I hope there isn’t a lot of arguing at the family picnic.” Instead, what if you thought about what you do want to happen. You could have thoughts such as “I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone” or “I’m going to enjoy Mom’s cherry pie.”

When you predominantly speak, act, and focus on what you don’t want, you feel tense, anxious, and irritated.

When you predominantly speak, act, and focus on what you want, you will feel relaxed, excited, and calmer.

Together, we can explore mindfulness techniques that will help you become more aware of what you are thinking about at any given time. When you have a better awareness of your thoughts throughout the day, you will have more success identifying, challenging, and reframing them. Your stress and anxiety symptoms will begin to decrease; instead of dreading the days ahead, you can start enjoying life.

Most of what you worry about never happens. What does happen is that you spend a large part of every day feeling stressed out, anxious, irritable, and fearful.

I can help you start to understand what you have control over and what you don’t. We will eliminate the “what ifs” from the thought processes that keep you on edge. You can start being more present in any given moment and focusing on what is in front of you instead of what “might go wrong” later in the week.

Your relationship with yourself and with others will improve. You will be more organized and productive. You will be new and improved, a happier you.

Maybe you have spent the last six months worrying about something that never happened. Imagine if you could have those six months back – only feeling calmer, happier, and more present in your life.

Today is all we really have. Don’t wait another minute for help.

You must be so tired of feeling stressed and anxious. I can help. Do this for yourself. Start your journey to inner peace.

Contact me today to schedule your first appointment or request a free 15-minute consultation: (703) 203-4689.