Sometimes it is said that without a little sadness we can never truly understand happiness. When that sadness begins to stretch on for weeks, however, is when it becomes dangerous and turns into depression which requires depression counseling for treatment. While a couple of days of “the blues” is normal, extended periods of sadness or depression can have devastating effects on an individual’s body, mind, and life.
Depression And The Body Mind
Whether depression begins mentally through negative thinking patterns or physically through a brain chemistry imbalance, the effects of depression on the physical body take a large toll on a person’s health and well-being. Those who suffer from depression often don’t realize that their joint pain, loss of appetite, and sleep disturbances are originating from their depression and not some other illness.
Bio-Chemical Changes Caused By Depression
When an individual suffers from depression, they experience changes to their body that can cause extreme physical discomfort and illness. Depression can interfere with the body’s ability to produce accurate amounts of the hormones that trigger sleep. The depressed individual may experience night after night of insomnia which then creates a vicious cycle feeding back into the depression because the body cannot get adequate rest to repair itself. Similarly, depression affects the biochemical system that controls the body’s appetite and can lead to loss of appetite or over eating.
The Body-Mind Connection
No matter what the root cause of someone’s depression, the effects on the physical body result in a very physical pain. Some people may not even be aware that their joint pain, low energy, or high fatigue rate are actually depression damaging their body. In such cases, simple pain management is not enough to lead to healing. These individuals require depression therapy from a skilled and compassionate depression therapist like the one at Life Changes Therapy.
Alone In A World Of People
Even when someone is surrounded by tens of thousands of people in large cities like Toronto and Mississauga, depression can cause an individual to feel isolated and alone. These unpleasant feelings entrench the depression when the depressed individual contemplates how they could be so lonely around so many people. In all actuality, the crush of people rushing around on their everyday errands can be overwhelming and even trigger episodes of anxiety and deeper depression in a person who is already depressed.
Depression Therapy Can End The Vicious Cycle
Depression sustains itself by stealing the joy of daily living and then making the sufferer feel guilt and shame about not being happy. Depression counseling can help break the vicious cycle of depression feeding into itself. A knowledgeable and concerned depression therapist like the one at Life Changes Therapy can interrupt the cycle of deepening depression and redirect the mind towards healing while developing healthy strategies to prevent depression from returning.
Over half of all Canadians report having depression at some time in their lives. It is a common illness that is often cured with depression therapy. If you or someone you know is feeling depressed, reach out to the depression therapist at Life Changes Therapy and experience the healing that depression counseling can bring.
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