First off, let's be real. Depression sucks. We're talking feelings of helplessness, despondency and dejection. When you're really depressed, you just cant get up and get moving. There can be:
• Anxiety
• Agitation
• A genuine feeling of unease
• A sense of displacement
• Feelings of physical discomfort - as in, not comfortable in one’s own body.
On a mental level, the thoughts can be negative, cloudy - even scattered. To friends and family, it might seem that the depressed person is not even trying to help themselves. In reality though, most people suffering with depression focus on what is not right, rather than what is.
This tendency to dwell on the problem, like cows in a paddock chewing their cud, is one of the biggest downfalls for anyone who is feeling blue. People like to tell themselves that if they understood the problem (whatever that happens to be), they would be able to solve it, feel better, or get things sorted.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. In fact, when you spend your time going over and over the problem, all that you do is build the problem, giving it more energy and life and as a result making yourself feel ever more overwhelmed by it.
In this state, trying to ‘fix’ the source of depression is often too steep a mountain to climb, but a combination of changes will most likely do the trick. Of course, this is a process, which means it will take a little time and effort, but it is do-able.
When you believe that you can't, you will get overwhelmed, feel depressed, and basically give up, sinking deeper into the depression. If, however. there is a plan, a strategic, step by step process you can follow, one in which there are small but measurable changes experienced, things begin to shift.
It may seem almost impossible to escape the fog of depression and have the clarity to make a plan. This is where therapy may help.