• down, depressed, hopeless

• like you are a failure or have let people down

• if you are having trouble focusing/concentrating

• if you are oversleeping or not sleeping enough

• if there have been significant changes to your appetite either over/under-eating

• if you have stopped enjoying things you used to enjoy (like hobbies, sporting events, music, dancing, etc.)

• if you are experiencing mental fogginess and having difficulty remembering things

• lethargic with low energy

• if you have withdrawn from family and friends in favor of staying in bed and binge watching Netflix

• stopped engaging in regular self-care such as exercise and healthy eating

• if you are feeling tearful or crying more than usual

You may be suffering from Depression.

Case Example

“Grace”

When Grace first became a client at Root To Rise Therapy, she was very depressed. She would forget to eat and had lost a significant amount of weight. She was drinking 2-3 glasses of wine every night, not sleeping very well and then over-sleeping to make up for it, she felt like she had lost her voice and herself. She was an artist but hadn’t made any art in the last year. She described her marriage as toxic, emotionally manipulative, abusive, and sexless. She felt that in her 10 year marriage she had completely lost her sense of self-love and self-worth. She identified with abandonment fears, codependency issues, and unhealthy coping skills and boundaries.

After 1 year of counseling, Grace felt ready to take a break from therapy. In her very last session, Grace reflected on all the ways that therapy helped her depression. For starters, she felt that through the process of therapy; she began trusting herself again. A year before when she had started therapy for depression, she felt paralyzed with self-doubt. She couldn’t do anything. She was just showing up, going through the motions-- she wasn’t really there.  After a year of therapy she said she feels fully present with much less self self-doubt as before. She was engaging in creative activities with confidence now whereas before she felt nervous to do anything creative. She was no longer constantly imaging that people were thinking negative things about her.

She started to feel hungry again.  A year before she had no appetite and never remembered to eat. She said that she is able let things go now--before she could not- she would obsess over things. Grace reflected that she has tools now—a toolbox. She can do things to feel better when she doesn’t feel good (like journaling her thoughts, using affirmations, meditation, talking to trusted friends). She started listening to music again--she had completely stopped when she was depressed but overr the past year she started adding back in the things that make her feel good. 

After 15 years living in the same apartment, Grace felt that she was finally ready to move. She had felt that her apartment was safe because she could afford it, but she realized now she doesn’t need to be there anymore.  Before therapy, Grace couldn’t recognize her feelings before and now she can.  She now knows what she wants. She used to not admit what she wanted and now she does. She developed an awareness of when she’s triggered because of a past situation, so then she doesn’t go into reactive mode. She feels like she can speak up for herself at work while also being mindful of how she’ll go about it.

Grace no longer feels that she has to apologize for everything. She is exploring saying out-loud what she wants. “I want to move. I want a lot of money!” She was afraid to ever say things like that before. Grace always did everything on her own and was the person people would come to for help.  She learned to ask for help now and its actually working. And that lets her know that she can do more of it. She is also not so hard on herself anymore, she forgives herself now.

Finally, Grace reflected: “I knew I could make the external changes but I didn’t know I could change from the inside--I just didn’t believe I could get here.”

Grace’s case is just one specific example of how recovering from depression can look. At Root To Rise Therapy, we offer kind, compassionate, and practical tools for managing depression. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness can be extremely effective treatments for depression, alongside medication management, exercise, as well as a degree of acceptance and understanding that we may still have bad days in recovery, but the assurance that we have the tools that we need to self-soothe in the harder moments.

If you suspect you are experiencing depression, book your free consultation call today to get started with therapy.