We all have down days. Start having more up days — start counselling with me, in Vancouver, BC.

Sometimes our down times start to dominate our lives and get in the way of connecting with our loved ones, doing activities we used to love, or feeling confident and optimistic. Depressed feelings can inhibit us from pursuing our goals.

Feeling low too often can lead you to stop engaging with the world in the ways you want to.

Some typical signs and symptoms of feeling low or depressed:

  • low energy

  • lack of motivation

  • hopelessness or feeling like you don’t care

  • destructive behaviours like drinking to numb emotional pain, poor eating habits, or over-spending

  • saying mean things to yourself in your mind, like “I am so stupid, I am a disgusting, I suck, I am so bad at life.”

  • isolating yourself, such as falling out of touch with friends

  • increased activities that numb you, like drinking alcohol, sleeping a lot, or binge watching tv

  • increased avoidance of people or challenging situations

  • decreased ability to feel pleasure or joy

  • increased sense of meaninglessness

(You might find my Therapy Prep Package useful: a free resource I send when you sign up for my newsletter)

You might find yourself thinking things like:

  • "I am a failure. I suck at everything."

  • "I feel hopeless. What if I never feel good again?"

  • "I can’t imagine my life changing and getting better."

  • "I feel stuck and don’t know how to change."

  • "I am broken. Something is wrong with me."

  • "I feel awkward. I have no confidence."

  • "I don’t feel like I can speak up for myself."

  • “No one cares about me."

  • "I have no energy. I have no passion."

  • “What’s the point?”

  • “I want to escape.”

You may also notice things like:

  • you are avoiding people and events

  • you are isolating yourself because you don’t feel able to get up and go

  • everything might seem meaningless

  • tasks seeming impossible to consider or approach

  • stress is more difficult to manage

  • increased tiredness and lack of energy

  • difficulty concentrating or focussing

  • caring less about previously important goals

The result is you feel hopeless, sad, and unmotivated. You might even feel angry at yourself.

How can counselling help?

I help by working with you to identify your destructive thoughts. We notice connections between your thoughts and your feelings, and how they influence your behaviours. We work on problem-solving difficult situations. Together we look for patterns in your life, acknowledge your stressors, and learn new skills and coping strategies. I help you to understand how our brains work, and how to work with your brain instead of against it. I help by creating a safe relationship in which to explore your particular history, life situations, and ways of being so you can learn about yourself and feel empowered to make the changes that are important to you. I help by making space for uncomfortable emotions and come to understand what messages they are telling you.

The goal of therapy is to help you get to a place where you have the energy and motivation to work towards your goals, enjoy the pleasures of life again, feel like your relationships are meaningful, and feel good about yourself. A key symptom of depression is that you believe the lies depression is telling you, and lose hope. That hopeless belief is a symptom — it is a signal to you to seek out help.

You can make changes!

Low mood and depressed feelings can be tough, but they can be shifted and be better understood. Reach out and get help with this today, so you can start on the path to feeling better. You can experience long-lasting changes in how you feel — you can feel optimistic about your life again. Join the many people who experience a huge benefit from therapy and become evangelists for it. With the support of a counsellor you can start making changes in your life today. You don’t need to do it alone.

Because you are reading this, I can only imagine that life has been hard lately — but it is about to get better. Looking for help is a great first step in taking action. Reaching out is the next step. You do not have to go through this by yourself. Call me to get started on making long-lasting changes.

Begin counselling with me in Vancouver, BC today.