| 
Depression
When we are
depressed we lack energy and motivation, we feel tired and we don't sleep well.
We struggle with feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem. We may feel guilty,
irritable or angry as well as sad. Some people try to avoid socialising and hide
themselves away (often staying under the duvet for long periods of time). When
I am counselling people with depression or symptoms of depression I initially
help them to find some physical activities that would encourage them to become
more active and give opportunities for improving interpersonal skills. At the
same time we would be working together to explore the critical thoughts they hold
about themselves and the world in general. It
is common to adopt black and white thinking and negative thinking when you are
depressed. You only see the extreme ends of the spectrum (something's either perfect
or totally useless - there's nothing in between). At the same time people who
have a low mood listen out for negative information and the middle ground and
positive information tends to be dismissed as of no value or ignored. I encourage
you to discover how this is happening for you and to identify what automatic thoughts
spring into your mind to promote this one-sided view. Together we would work out
how you could adapt the automatic thoughts to ones which give a wider, more balanced
picture through a process known as cognitive restructuring. By
tackling all these things at once, I would hope to alleviate your depressed mood
but if you are being treated for depression by your doctor I should prefer to
work with his knowledge and consent. I use a cognitive approach for working with
depression because this has been found to be particularly suitable in this area
of mental health.If you would like to find out more about working with me using
cognitive therapy, please email me using the links at the top and bottom of every
page. 
|