Life is a balancing act. Sometimes we feel like we are navigating our life with ease and style, juggling all of the demands life throws at us with grace. We are not thrown off. There are other times when our ability to respond to what life throws at us is jeopardized. We feel shaky and lose our footing. We wonder if we might fall off into deep waters and can’t keep our head above the water. If you are feeling like you have lost that precious balance and footing in life, and you are struggling to keep your head above the water, you may be battling depression or anxiety. Struggling with depression and anxiety can contribute to those feelings of being overwhelmed, hopeless, and fearful.
The symptoms of depression look like: feeling hopeless and helpless, losing interest in friends and activities you used to enjoy, feeling tired and run down, noticing differences in your sleep and eating patterns (either sleeping too much or waking in the middle of the night), finding it difficult to concentrate and focus, struggling with tasks that used to be easy to handle, difficulty controlling negative thought patterns no matter how hard you try, finding yourself more irritable, easily angered and turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms (like alcohol) to help with the hopeless feelings.
When your distress begins to overwhelm your life, anxiety may be a factor (beyond the usual worry and normal anxiety). The symptoms of anxiety look like: over the top worry and anxiety beyond what is reasonable (expecting the worse), becoming easily fatigued, feeling restless and fretful, irritability, muscle tension, finding it hard to concentrate and one’s mind goes blank, and disturbed sleep.
If any of these symptoms sound familiar, we can probe in greater detail to see how long you have been experiencing these things, and the degree to which you are experiencing them. I always recommend clients see their doctor for a physical to rule out any physical ailment which may be contributing. Resourcing you with tools research has shown to be effective with depression or anxiety (such as mindfulness based strategies and neurofeedback), as well as practical strategies to support sleep and daily activities, will create space in your life for any deeper work necessary to rediscover hope and life.
There is hope for re-gaining your balance in life and finding joy in the midst!
