If you suffer from depression and/or anxiety, you know how tough this is. Life becomes difficult to live and enjoy to its fullest. Sometimes this can even lead to suicide. If you or any of your loved ones have this problem, it is important to address it as soon as possible. A therapist can help out here. Some people hesitate to go to a therapist, but it is better than hating life so much that you wish to end it.
What is therapy?
Before going to therapy, you may be wondering about this question. Therapy tends to be a scientifically proven process which teaches you the ways that the mind works. It aids you in navigating your feelings, developing better behaviors, moreover relating to thoughts differently, allowing you to live the life you wish to.
The therapist may employ clinically-proven techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT work to set goals, properly track progress, as well as to measure results. The therapist will teach you skills that help build emotional resilience, therefore, allowing you to leave therapy and handle yourself on your own.
What is depression?
Depression tends to be a common plus serious medical illness which negatively impacts the way that one feels, thinks, and acts. This is fortunatel, treatable. With depression, one feels sad or loses interest in those activities that they once enjoyed. This can result in several emotional, along with physical issues. It can also limit an individual’s potential to function when at work and also home.
The symptoms of depression may vary, going from mild to severe. These can be:
- Feeling sad and having a depressed mood
- Not having an interest in activities that were once liked
- Alterations in appetite, i.e., weight loss or gain that is unrelated to dieting
- Finding it tough sleeping or also sleeping much
- Losing energy or feeling more fatigued
- Increased purposeless physical activity, like hand-wringing, pacing; or having slowed movements along with with speech (those actions that are observable by others)
- Having a feeling of being worthless or even guilty
- Finding it tough thinking, concentrating and making decisions
- Having thoughts of death or suicide
The symptoms need to last for at least around two weeks so that a diagnosis of depression can be given.
How can a therapist help with overcoming depression?
You can get psychotherapy for your depression. Therapy aids you in stepping back then seeing what may be helping your depression prosper and how changes can be made. Therapy can help with things like relationships, setting healthy boundaries, handling life’s issues. You can choose to have individual or group therapy to help with your depression.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety tends to be a normal and usually healthy emotion. But, if someone often feels disproportionate amounts of anxiety, this may be a medical disorder. With anxiety disorders, a person processes emotions as well as behaviors in a different way. This can lead to physical symptoms. Looking at mild anxiety, this can be vague and also unsettling. Severe anxiety can impact day-to-day living. Anxiety is an emotion that is characterized by an excess feeling of tension, thoughts that are worrying, and physical alterations like increased blood pressure.
The symptoms of anxiety include:
- Restlessness, along with a feeling like being “on-edge.”
- Having uncontrollable feelings of worry
- Having increased irritability
- Concentration troubles
- Sleep issues, like problems falling and staying asleep
These symptoms may actually be normal in daily life, but those with GAD experience them persistently or to extreme levels.
Therapy for anxiety
If you feel like your anxiety is too much, and you cannot handle it by yourself, you can consider going to a therapist. Treatment may include a combination of things like psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, plus medication. The therapist may pursue cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT, psychotherapy, and a combination of therapies. Meeting with a therapist and psychologist may aid you in learning tools to employ and strategies to handle anxiety at the time that it occurs.
Anxiety and depression
Those with an anxiety disorder may even be depressed. Whilst anxiety plus depression may happen separately; it is possible for these to occur together.
Anxiety may be a symptom of major and clinical depression. Worsening symptoms of depression may be triggered due to an anxiety disorder.
The symptoms of both these conditions may be handled with similar treatments, i.e. psychotherapy or counseling, medications, as well as lifestyle alterations.
If you have tried to take care of your depression and anxiety at home, but still cannot handle it, you can look for a depression and anxiety therapist in the area that you stay. If you are in Los Angeles, find one here. It is better to find a therapist close to where you stay so that you can visit them easily when needed.