Depression

Do You Suspect You May Be Depressed?

Are you feeling unmotivated, listless, and emotionally low? Have you lost interest in the activities and friends that once brought you joy and spend more and more time alone? Ruminating over the past, do you regret the choices you’ve made, opportunities you’ve missed, or the hand life has dealt you?

Perhaps a pervasive sense of sadness or negativity keeps you in a depressed state. Looking back, you might not have noticed when this shift happened. Or maybe after a significant life event—such as losing a loved one or giving birth—you started feeling down. But now that you’re stuck in this hole, it’s hard to imagine how you’ll ever be able to climb out of it. 

You Might Suffer From “Sunday Night Syndrome”

On Sunday nights, you may dread returning to work the next day, perhaps even making excuses to stay home rather than summon the energy to get ready and go. But staying home offers little solace. You might spend hours sleeping, watching TV, or mindlessly scrolling through your phone. Even when you try to find motivation, a heaviness that permeates your body—or a pervasive sense that nothing matters—makes it difficult to rally.

Feeling despondent, you might decline invitations from friends to get together. Sadly, withdrawing from your friends and loved ones may be putting a strain on your relationships. However, the longer you remain isolated, the harder it is to shift gears and resume a normal routine.

When it seems like your life lacks meaning, it’s hard to find a path back to well-being on your own. Fortunately, depression treatment offers you a lifeline. With therapy, you can learn more about what’s at the root of your depression and helpful ways to address your symptoms. 

Depression Is Caused By A Multitude Of Factors

Everyone feels down sometimes. It is estimated that 1 in 15 adults experience depression in an average year, and 1 in 6 adults experience depression at least once in their lifetime. Depression doesn’t have one single cause—a combination of psychological, genetic, social, and environmental factors can contribute to it. For example, experiencing trauma in childhood makes it more likely that we will develop anxiety or depression as adults.

Toxic Positivity Can Exacerbate Depression

Some are raised to believe that no matter how difficult the circumstances we face, we need to maintain a positive mindset. “Toxic positivity” takes optimism to the extreme, exchanging harder emotions for perpetual cheerfulness. And although remaining has some obvious benefits, suppressing what we genuinely feel can ultimately lead to an emotional reckoning. 

Unfortunately, when we find ourselves deep in depression, that negative inner voice that whispers “You’re not good enough” pushes us to do things we know will make us feel worse.  We may lose all perspective and convince ourselves there’s no way out. However, this simply isn’t true.

Deep down, you know something is off. Taking the first step forward toward wellness can lead to other incremental steps, ultimately allowing you to blaze a path to lasting positive change. Whether you are experiencing depression for the first time—such as in the postpartum period or as a result of grief—or have been here many times before, psychotherapy can help you gain much-needed perspective. With the support of a trained therapist, you can discuss your options and find a treatment for depression that works for you.

Depression Treatment Offers A Fresh Perspective

Depression can take so much away from you—most significantly your perspective. When you no longer recognize your own self-worth and value in the world, having someone in your corner who offers a different viewpoint is such a benefit.

Therapy offers you a safe and non-judgmental space to express both your pain and your dreams. Your therapist is an expert in treating depression, not only providing you with validation and compassion but also helping to implement new skills that will decrease suffering and improve your quality of life. By practicing self-compassion, you will gain a deeper understanding of yourself while enriching your relationship with others. In depression treatment, our aim isn’t simply to get you back to neutral but to help you thrive, achieving your hopes and dreams.

The Gifts Of Self-Compassion And Gratitude

We will conduct a baseline assessment to determine what your depression looks like, where it may be coming from, and what treatments will be most effective for it. By identifying and understanding what your core issues are, we can then pinpoint specific skills that will help decrease your distress. Your customized treatment plan may include helpful practices such as self-care, physical activity, gratitude journaling, and guided visualizations.

Self-compassion can be a powerful antidote for depression. Replacing self-judgment with self-kindness will be instrumental for times when you’re struggling. Simply acknowledging that you’re going through a hard time and figuring out what you need in that moment to feel better can make a big difference in your mood and self-esteem. Through mindfulness, you will gain an objective perspective about what you are experiencing in the context of our common humanity which will foster clarity and insight. 

CBT And ACT For Depression Treatment 

We provide Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the gold-standard treatment for depression. With CBT, we examine the flawed beliefs that often fuel depression. By challenging the overly critical or negative thoughts that keep you stuck in feelings of hopelessness, you will overcome these mental barriers and replace them with kinder, more positive beliefs.  

Depression can leave you too apathetic to do the things that are important to you. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) will help you identify what your values are and then align them with committed action. By ensuring that you are taking time to prioritize what you care about, momentum will build that keeps you engaged in what matters most.

Depression is a very treatable condition. Our goal will be for your symptoms to subside so that you will feel like yourself again and can once again get your life back on track. 

But You May Wonder Whether Depression Treatment Is Right For You…

I don’t see how counseling will help me since I’ve always suffered from depression.

When you’re depressed, it’s easy to convince yourself you’ll never be happy again. However, depression is not a permanent way of being and is treatable with therapy. As therapists who specialize in depression, we can teach you many skills to decrease both the intensity and frequency of your symptoms. These skills allow the fog of depression to lift so you can return to the activities you enjoy. In our experience—that’s also backed by years of research—CBT is a highly effective depression treatment.

I'll never have the relationships I desire because I'm too depressed.

Because depression often causes isolation and a lack of motivation, it makes sense that right now you’re struggling to socialize or date. In treatment, you and your counselor can work together to understand and overcome your depression so you're able to establish and maintain the relationships that are most important to you, whether they be with friends or romantic partners.

Can’t I take medication rather than receive therapy for depression?

At Colorado CBT, we offer both therapeutic and medication options to treat depression. Our in-house Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) will be happy to discuss the risks and benefits of antidepressant medication with you. Although oftentimes therapy alone is sufficient, we have found that when appropriate, medication combined with therapy yields the most beneficial results for treating depression.

Taking Care Of Yourself Will Lead To Good Things

With support, you can turn the page on depression and get back to engaging in a joyful life. If you would like to find out more about depression treatment, please visit our contact page to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.