Depression and anxiety

The most common mental health concerns experienced today are depression and anxiety and they are often experienced together but not always.

 Signs of Depression:

You may have been struggling with:

·      Sleep disturbances

·      Loss of interest in activities

·      Inappropriate or excessive feelings of guilt

·      Decreased energy and increased fatigue

·      Diminished ability to think or concentrate

·      Changes in appetite

·      Feeling like your body/mind is slowing down or very agitated

·      Suicidal ideation 

Common signs and symptoms of Anxiety:

 ·      Feeling nervous, restless or tense

·      Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom

·      Increased heart rate

·      Rapid breathing

·      Sweating

·      Trembling

·      Feeling tired or weak

·      Difficulty focusing on anything other than the present worry

·      Trouble sleeping

·      Upset stomach

·      Difficulty controlling the worry

·      Urges to avoid things that trigger the anxiety

Benefits of Counselling

Avoiding the things that make you anxious will give short term relief, but in the long term you end up feeling more anxious. Engaging in behaviours that support the depression also lead to feeling more depressed in the long run.

For mild to moderate anxiety or depression there are ways without medication to address these pervasive problems in our society. For those with more severe anxiety and depression consulting with a GP or Psychiatrist will be important as medication can optimize your neurochemistry to do the therapeutic work in counselling. Many also engage in other complementary therapies like yoga, accupuncture, nutritional counselling, physical activity/therapy and massage to name a few. Connection to nature, spiritual communities and animals are also explored.

 The evidence based approaches and strong therapeutic relationship we will develop support you to stop struggling with anxiety or depression.