Steven James Counselling

We all feel sad and miserable on occasions, but these depressed feelings will not usually last for more than a couple of weeks and are unlikely to interfere with day to day life.

Depression is when your feelings do not improve and instead you may experience this ‘black hole’ for weeks or months. This experience can become so difficult that it does start to interfere with day to day life.

What symptoms may you experience?

You can suffer from any of those listed below and different people will experience different symptoms. You may find that you experience several of these negative impacts from being depressed. Some symptoms are physical, others emotional:

• feeling unhappy most of the time (but may feel a little better in the evenings)
• lost interest in life, sex and inability to enjoy anything
• finding it harder to make decisions
• inability to cope with things that usually you can
• feeling very tired, restless or agitated
• changing appetite and weight (some lose whilst others gain)
• differing sleep patterns e.g. taking longer to get off to sleep or waking earlier than usual
• lost self-confidence
• feeling useless, inadequate, irritable or hopeless
• avoiding other people or usual activities
• experiening changing emotions during the day without understanding why
• experiencing suicidal thoughts

As depression is very common, with one in five people become depressed at some point during their life, you may be wondering why me and why now? There can often be an obvious reason for becoming depressed e.g. a bereavement, the end of a relationship, unhappiness at work, financial worries etc. However, this is not always the case and this can lead to a viscious circle of negative thinking and feelings of hopelessness.

If you have supportive friends and family you may find that it is enough to talk to them. However, if you feel unable to do this, or are not finding this helpful you may find talking to a trained counsellor will. Generally, seeking early help will prevent you experiencing the negative impacts of depression for as long or as deeply.

What do I do next? Call Steven James Counselling.

We arrange a convenient time to meet up and talk about your concerns and needs and together we plan a way forward.