We all know the feeling as winter rolls around, the mornings are darker and colder and the idea of just switching off the alarm and pulling the blankets back up over our heads becomes more appealing. But what if it isn’t just winter. What if more days than not you’re finding it hard to get out of bed, difficult to muster up motivation to do anything, difficulty finding the joy in things you previously enjoyed, your irritable and you struggle to focus and concentrate? Could it be more than “just the winter blues”?
In any one-year Depression affects 1 million Australians. It affects people of all ages, genders, and social groups. It is a debilitating condition that affects both physical and mental health. Depression can be defined as “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It affects how you feel, think, and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.”
During my work as a Psychologist I’ve met many people suffering from Depression and have heard many ways of describing the lived experience of depression: “like living underneath a black cloud”, “having a constant negative voice like a bully in your head criticising everything you do”, “feels like I have been hit by a bus”. What I have learned is that everyone’s experience of depression is very different. But the key thing I have learned is that depression can make it hard for people to see any positives.
However, the important thing to remember is that there is hope. Depression can be successfully treated and managed often with counselling and sometimes medication. Here at We Care NSW we can help you to change some of your negative thought patterns which impact on your mood. We can help you with strategies that can improve your mood, increase your motivation and get you back enjoying things. We want to be able to help you get back the positivity in your life and feel on top of things.