When Every Day Is A Different Shade of Grey

Depression is a world-wide recognised mental illness that effects about one in ten of us. Depression is long lasting low mood that affects your ability to do everyday things, feel pleasure, or take interest in activities. Depression can affect anyone, is not a sign of weakness and nor does it have to last forever because it is treatable

Over the course of evolution, worry helped us adapt by directing awareness to true problems that once identified can be effectively addressed. In this way worry is effective in managing challenges of your everyday life. For some people, this process breaks down. Their minds become trapped in an endless process of thinking. Worriers are particularly challenged by problems that have no clear solution. Instead of accepting and managing these difficult realities, they are viewed as evidence of the futility of even trying to work things out. This leads to a feeling of constant ‘doom and gloom’ and can also lead to depression. Depression Ashford can help you see the wood from the tress and feel happy again.

 

Depression Counselling Ashford Kent recognises that this constant worry can lead to depressive thoughts.

Symptoms of depression include mood swings, sadness, anger, anxiety, apathy, hopelessness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, unwanted thoughts, delusion, lack of concentration, racing thoughts and more. It’s sometimes inability to gain control over recurrent, distressing thoughts, images. These thoughts and images are embedded in a complex network of feelings, sensations, and sometimes there is not apparent cause of the depressive thoughts which leads to a vicious cycle – Depression Counselling Ashford Kent can help you identify these thoughts.  For example, worry reinforces depressive feelings which in turn, only lead to more worry and depression.

Sometimes depression focuses on future outcomes and not being able to see any good in the future. We ruminate and experience guilt, regret and anger, over perceived mistakes, losses, slights, actions taken or not taken, and opportunities forever lost, with irreversible, catastrophic results. Rumination is accompanied by a condemning, all-or-none criticism, and the overwhelming belief that if things had been different then existing and future misery could be avoided.

Obsessive thinking is difficult to control. If you are prone to obsessive thinking patterns, then you are likely to have tried forcing the unwanted thoughts out of your mind. However, although this might appear to hold some logic, evidence shows that this strategy rarely works. In fact, research suggests that attempts to try push away or block out obsessive thoughts may in fact intensify obsessive thinking.

Depression Counselling Ashford Kent offers both counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This is highly effective form of therapy in the treatment depression. CBT examines the distortions in the way we look at the world and ourselves and helps you identify automatic negative thoughts that contribute to your depression.

For example, when we feel down, it is of course difficult to get up, get dressed and go to work when we feel depressed, but it’s not impossible, and we will always feel better for doing so.