Counselling For Depression

It’s only to be expected that every now and then you’ll feel down and blue. Life happens, and it doesn’t always go the way you want it to…very far from it!

But depression isn’t just feeling a bit low. Depression hangs over you like a black cloud, follows you everywhere like a shadow, takes over the real you, so that you’re left feeling exhausted, uninterested in the things that you used to love, and sometimes barely able to function.

And, as if all that wasn’t enough, it can be very frightening, can’t it? Sometimes, people wonder whether they’ll ever be able to return to their old selves; to being content, engaged, open to the opportunities in life.

The good news is that the majority of depressive episodes are easy to move through relatively quickly, especially if you have the right support.

There are many myths surrounding depression – it’s anger turned in on yourself, it’s caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, it takes a long time to work through –  all of which hinder sufferers from beating it and moving on.

The truth is that depression is not caused by any of those things. Nor is it the result of bad things happening to you. Rather, it’s a result of how you have been taught or have learned – perhaps by example – to experience and respond to those events. That means that you can learn how to respond to adverse challenges in a way that keeps depression at bay.

counselling for depression

There’s much you can do to help yourself. You can:

Tackle the root cause
Ensure that you eat well, and keep caffeine and alcohol to a minimum
Avoid recreational drugs
Take regular exercise
Maintain social contact, and keep yourself actively involved in things that you enjoy doing

It’s also often helpful to be able to talk honestly and openly with someone you can trust. Sarah can offer you a safe space to explore your feelings. She can also help you to identify those thought patterns of yours which are not helpful to you, and work with you to replace them with more helpful thought processes. On top of this, Sarah can teach you effective emotional self-management techniques for maintaining your sense of wellbeing, and a positive and optimistic outlook.

Sarah can also train you in mindfulness meditation. Studies have shown this to be as effective as anti-depressants for dealing with the signs of depression and has none of the side-effects.

Please do get in touch with Sarah if you would like to book an appointment or hear more about her counselling in Guildford, Farnham, and Haslemere. Sarah offers a free 20-minute phone conversation to discuss the counselling or coaching plan that would work best for you. To contact Sarah, please call 07912 357 366, or email swiesendanger@googlemail.com

“I went to see Sarah while I was still receiving treatment for cancer. It had been a long journey already, and I felt lonely, scared, anxious, and depressed; life seemed an unbearable struggle. I was angry and resentful that I was poorly yet again, and I felt betrayed by life. Why was all of this happening to me? I had had counselling before, some of it helpful, some of it not, and so I had mixed feelings about giving it another go. I knew I didn’t just want to talk, I wanted to know what I could do to help myself; I wanted techniques I could take home with me. Sarah has transformed my journey of coping with cancer. She has been able to listen to my feelings I haven’t felt able to burden my family with, help me resolve them, and move on to more positive emotions. She has shown me how I can cope with the fear and anxiety, how I can find some peace with all that I am going through.”

Sian