An estimated 7.1% of the adult population has been diagnosed with depression. The condition affects more than 17 million adults around the country. Unfortunately, it is also a condition that is difficult to understand if you have never experienced it. The good news is that it can be treated. Patients don’t have to allow depression to control their lives.
Depression therapy is just one of the many therapies we offer here at Aspire Psychological Group. Whether you are interested in face-to-face sessions or online therapy, we can help you understand your feelings of depression and work with you to overcome them. In the meantime, here are the three most important things to know about depression:
1. It’s Not Just the Blues
Everyone experiences the blues from time to time. That is not what depression is. Depression is a mood disorder that manifests itself in consistent feelings of profound sadness and loss. People diagnosed with depression often face difficulty concentrating and performing daily tasks.
2. It Can Be Chronic
Although depression doesn’t have to be chronic, it can be. Many patients do very well as long as they continue with depression therapy. Once they stop, their symptoms return. Note that this doesn’t mean every patient will experience the condition chronically. Many are fortunate enough to only experience it temporarily.
3. Coping Strategies Really Do Help
The third thing to know about depression is arguably the most important. Here it is – coping strategies really do help a lot. We teach those coping strategies in our depression therapy sessions. You can learn them; you can apply them; you can make them work for you.
We find that the most effective coping strategies are:
- Talking It Out – Talking about your feelings with someone you trust can go a long way toward making you feel understood and supported. Whether you speak to a good friend, a family member, or a therapist, talking things out does wonders.
- Regular Exercise – Although it might seem strange, getting regular exercise really does help improve mood and reduce stress. When we exercise, certain chemicals are released in the brain. Those chemicals tend to make us feel better.
- Quality Sleep – Just like regular exercise can help you feel better, so can getting enough quality sleep. Sleeping gives your body a chance to repair and rebuild. When you don’t get enough sleep, it can make depression worse.
- Eating Properly – You’ve heard people say that ‘you are what you eat’. That’s more true than most people know. In addition, a healthy diet can radically improve your mood, boost your energy levels, and help you gain a new outlook on life.
- Substance Avoidance – Many of the substances people use to combat depression only make it worse. On the other hand, avoiding things like alcohol and drugs makes implementing all the other coping strategies easier.
- Learning to Relax – An important aspect of depression therapy is helping patients learn ways to relax. Practices like meditation and deep breathing can relax both the body and mind. That can improve your mood significantly.
If you were to let us help you by way of a structured depression therapy program – and we hope you will – one of the things we would assist you with is setting achievable goals. As you establish and achieve one small goal at a time, you begin to overcome those feelings of sadness and loss.
Depression is a very real condition. But it is not one that needs to be in control. If you would like to know more about Aspire Psychological Group depression therapy, do not hesitate to reach out to us.
