The January blues are real. There are lots of reasons depression rises in January. Here’s come coping tools and things to look out for.

By: Jessica Taylor, LPC What do you imagine when you think of a person who is depressed?  I am guessing that what comes to mind is someone who is sad and experiencing negative emotions that might even lead to suicidal thoughts.  What you might not know is that depression can show up in sneaky ways. Sure, depression can be contributed to by situational factors, but some individuals can experience symptoms of depression for no apparent reason at all.  Some individuals experience symptoms of depression because their brain is not producing enough serotonin.  If this is the case, they may not feel sad, but rather experience other signs of depression.  If you worry that this might be you, ask yourself the following questions.  Feeling more Irritable or Angry Have you noticed that things that used to not bother you at all are making you angry?  Do you experience “road rage?”  Are your loved ones feeling as though you are always mad at them?  Irritability is a common sign of depression!  When we are experiencing internal distress, we tend to become irritated by external factors much more easily.   Feeling More Tired than Normal Is it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, even if you got a full night of sleep?  Are you feeling exhausted most of the day for no apparent reason?  Do you feel like you just want to stay in bed and sleep all day?  If you are getting a decent amount of sleep and continue to feel tired, it is important to first rule out any possible physical conditions.  If your experience of feeling like you can never get enough sleep is not caused by a medical condition, then it is possible that this is your body’s way of trying to tell you that you are experiencing depression.   Noticing Sudden Changes in Weight Are you eating less or eating more than usual?  Both can point to depression.  Some people have the experience of not feeling hungry and others might use food as comfort when they are feeling stressed out or sad.   Not Feeling Motivated to do Work or Tasks at Home Have you noticed that you are sitting at your desk just “zoning out” rather than working?  Maybe it’s because your mind feels blank, or maybe you are distracted by other things.  Does the idea of completing even simple tasks at work and home feel overwhelming?   Wanting to Spend more Time Alone Have you found yourself canceling plans with friends, or not making plans at all?  Does the idea of leaving your home make you feel anxious or overwhelmed?  Have you started to have negative thoughts about your relationships and interactions with the people you care about (such as “they won’t care that I’m not there, anyway”)? Feeling Bored by Activities you Once Enjoyed Have you stopped doing the things you once enjoyed?  Do you find the idea of trying a new hobby unappealing?  These feeling of apathy are subtle but might point to a lack of serotonin production.   What You should Do If You Think That You Might Be Depressed If you think that you might be depressed, ask for help!  Your symptoms of depression might be the ‘sneaky’ kind, but traditional treatment of depression can still help.  Call a therapist, tell them what you are experiencing, and ask if they think therapy might be helpful for you.    

By: Jessica Taylor, LPC For a lot of people, the holiday season is a time of joy and excitement.  If this is not how you feel during this time of the year, it is important for you to know that you are not alone.  According to psychologytoday.com, 38% of people that were interviewed for a survey reported that their stress levels increased during the holidays.  Typical reasons for this increase in stress, as well as symptoms of anxiety or depression, include financial strains, feelings of loneliness and family relational issues.   DO make sure you are taking care of your body’s basic needs When we start to feel stressed, anxious, or depressed, the first thing we tend to neglect is our body’s most basic needs.  When you start to feel bad, whether physically or emotionally, first ask yourself these questions: How have I been sleeping?  When was the last time I drank a glass of water?  Have I been eating healthy foods?  Am I moving enough?  Being more mindful in these areas, on a daily basis, can make a huge difference!  This looks like scheduling yourself daily walks. Or finding a new healthy recipe to try.   DON’T compare yourself to others When you are feeling sad, I bet it sometimes seems like everyone around you is at their happiest.  This only gets worse around the holidays.  But just remember, that even if someone looks happy and not stressed at all on the outside, this might not be telling the full story.  It’s best if you just accept how you are feeling, rather than telling yourself why those feelings are not okay.  That is because telling ourselves that we should feel a certain way is a form of avoidance, which can actually make stress and general feelings of unhappiness worse.   DO engage in activities that feel special to you Maybe your holiday season doesn’t look the way you expected.  Try to find small joys anyway.  Create your own tradition, such as going to look at houses with holiday lights.  Find a candle with a smell that you enjoy.  Or make yourself a cup of hot cocoa and write in your journal.  By investing in yourself in these minor ways, you might notice that you have found small moments of light during a dark time.   DON’T do things that you know will make your feelings of stress or depression worse When I talk to my clients about their symptoms of depression, we often refer to it as the “depression monster.”  This imagery helps us see it as something that we are trying to avoid ‘feeding.’  For example, if you know that a particular Christmas movie is going to make you feel melancholy, watch a different one instead.  If being alone on a holiday is going to make your negative thoughts and feeling of loneliness worsen, sign up to volunteer at a foodbank.  At any given moment, ask yourself: “is this going to feed the depression monster?”  If the answer is no, then go for it!   DO know when it is time to ask for help If you are feeling especially stressed or depressed during this holiday season, please remember that this is nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about.  Going through tough emotional times is part of the human experience.  The expectations during the holiday season are often that we will be happy and spend quality time with loved ones, just like in the movies.  If this is not your experience, that’s okay.  It’s also okay if you feel as though you are unable to get through this difficult time on your own.  If you notice that your feelings of stress or depression are getting to a point where they are negatively impacting your ability to function in any area of life, it might be a good idea to talk to a counselor.  If you notice that you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or others, and don’t feel as though you can keep yourself safe, go to a crisis center or call a crisis hotline such as SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP (4357)).  There are people who know what it feels like to hurt during the holiday season and they are ready to help.    

We see a lot of clients at Thrive Counseling that experience depression. Here are the surprising ways therapy can help with depression.

What does it look like to come out on the other side of depression?

Clinical Depression is a really tough issue. It’s incredibly common, and most people will experience at least one season in their lives where they feel depressed.  When we feel depressed, we don’t just feel sad. Depression is a whirlwind of self-criticism, a sense of hopelessness, a flooding of overwhelm quickly follow by a deep sense of exhaustion and “what’s the point?”  So, what actually helps with depression. There’s an enormous thread on a Depression subreddit (a huge online forum) where people all over the globe chimed in on what helps them. Here’s a top replies:  “Asking for help. My mom used to come over once a week to help me grocery shop and cook dinner. Best thing I ever did for my depression.” Asking for help is hard, I get it. It’s hard for me too. But asking for help not only gets up some help, it communicates outward that we’re just not feeling well. Feeling connected to others is important, and usually alleviates depression. Giving someone who count on a ‘job’ to do to help you (even small) can go a long way to feeling less alone. I remember when I was feeling really down after the birth of my first child. People would often say ‘do you need anything?’ Can I bring you diapers?’ I was honest and said “Actually, I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed right now. Can you text me to check in? I might not even respond, but please ask me how I’m doing and invite me to things, that would help me a lot.” I was humbled and empowered by the outpouring of support I received. I made a rule that I had to leave my house for one hour every day, no matter the weather. I could sit on a bench, whatever, just had to be out. It was and occasionally still is hard, but when I miss a day that next day is brutally hard to manage. Forcing myself out every day creates a habit which builds weight against my desire to just… not do things. Depression wants you to hide away, stay in your house or your room. The inertia is there, and the bed is so comfy. But the world keeps going on, and if you can join with it-even in a very small small-your depression can lift. This response hits on something that research supports: the more isolated you are, the more likely you are to become depressed.  Humans are social creatures, and being alone too much isn’t good for your mental health. So if you’re feeling depressed, try to get out. Being in nature is enormously helpful for mental health, but even sitting in a coffee shop or going to a movie is helpful.  Realize that I was depressed. For the longest time I didn’t feel like anything was wrong. It was as if a slow sort of… pessimism crept up on me. Looking back I can see that something was indeed wrong….The first step to fixing a problem is realizing you have one. I get it, depression is a big scary word. It has a lot of baggage, but there can also be power and momentum in naming a problem. If you don’t feel like yourself and are not acting like yourself, something is pointing you to your pain. It may be depression, it may not be. But naming it is powerful.  If you’re not sure whether you have depression, you can talk to a doctor or counselor and get an expert opinion. Another commenter puts it this way: “Adding on to this, I made a huge shift in my relationship with my depression when I started thinking of all my negative and unwanted thoughts as “symptoms” of my disorder rather than rational observations. It really helped me keep from believing that internal dialogue. It also helped me out in a few other ways. It gave me an easy way to communicate my damaging thoughts: “I’m feeling very symptomatic today.” It also helped me connect the thoughts with other symptoms, such as a period of low energy preceding episodes of negative self-talk.” Therapy. Turned out, my suicidal thoughts were just a manifestation of my anxiety about the future. Learned how to deal with that using self talk. I’m doing a lot better now. Therapy (sometimes paired with medication if appropriate) is the best treatment for depression. Sorting out what’s depression, what’s anxiety, what’s trauma, and what is an overwhelmed nervous system can reduce symptoms drastically. It’s difficult to start therapy and open up about how you have been feeling. Almost everyone that I work with, at the end of the first session, says something like: I was pretty nervous to come in here, but now I’m glad that I did.  I think the number one thing that therapy give people at the very beginning is hope. Secondly, the knowledge comes. Self-knowledge and having a deep understanding of what’s going on is so helpful. Then, the solutions and coping tools come in.