Understanding Depression
Depression is more than just feeling low, sad or flat. Depression can affect all areas of your life and make it hard to function effectively. It can impact on work, sleep, relationships and your overall enjoyment of life. It can make it hard to get up in the mornings and difficult to keep up with basic self-care activities. Everything can feel like too much trouble.
Fortunately, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) may help to overcome depression and is recommended by the NHS and NICE guidelines. CBT may help you to change patterns of thinking and behaviour over time that maintain low mood and start to live in a more fulfilling way.
How CBT Helps with Depression
CBT is concerned with the links between thoughts, behaviours and emotions. You may recognise the following:
Experiencing negative thinking patterns (“I’m not good enough”, “I can’t change”).
Withdrawing from hobbies, work, family and friends, or responsibilities.
Losing interest in looking after yourself, for example, not eating properly, failing to maintain personal hygiene.
Struggling with sleep and appetite and concentration.
CBT may help by:
Challenging unhelpful thinking styles, for example being self-critical or having a negative filter.
Encouraging behavioural change by planning a range of necessary, routine and pleasurable activities at a manageable pace. It is important to have a balance of activities to gain a sense of achievement, purpose and enjoyment.
Breaking the cycle of avoidance, for example, by reintroducing hobbies and social connections.
Reducing rumination. It may be helpful to process some past experiences and learn how to be more present.
Increasing self-awareness and understanding how early experiences influence responses to triggers. This may help you to become more self-compassionate.
Developing a relapse prevention plan to maintain wellbeing post therapy. CBT is a collaborative short to medium-term therapy and does not encourage dependence on the therapist. It is important to help you to learn how to deal with any problems you may encounter after therapy has ended.
How to get in touch
If you are finding it hard to improve your mood and feel stuck, maybe CBT could help you. Please get in touch if you wish to make an appointment by emailing info@yourtherapyspace.co.uk or ringing 07950064086. You can read more about my credentials here.