Anxiety and Depression

A path to treating anxiety and depression is available.

Depression and anxiety are the two leading reasons people seek therapy – their prevalence in today’s life is unfortunately common and negatively impactful.

While each person is different, the healing paths are familiar and well-trod.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help you follow the right path to recovery.

Recovery starts with contacting the present moment.

Facing the vast uncertainty of the future creates anxiety, and feeling weighted down by our past creates depression. Without help, we become bogged down and removed from our present moment. Therapy helps restore the balance by returning our focus to the Here-and-Now.

Once we move into the present, then what? The terrible fearfulness of the future still looms before us. The heft of our past still weighs heavily over us, straining our muscles and slowing our pace to a crawl.

Whether consumed by anxiety or impacted by depression, the symptoms are similar. Both cause lack of energy, tight muscles, shallow breathing, poor sleep, and inability to concentrate on present tasks.

We start by creating and holding space to notice how not keeping our thoughts, emotions, and actions in the present harms us.

Acceptance is the next step.

When we notice the harm caused by our thoughts and emotions, we often eliminate them. Uncomfortable as they are, we seek to avoid them. Sometimes we bury them, thinking out of sight and out of mind.

But still, those thoughts and emotions leach into life. We distract ourselves from them, drowning them out with noise, substance, and busyness. Yet they still haunt us.

We cannot amputate our thoughts or emotions. They are fundamental parts of who we are. To pretend otherwise subjects us to their irremovable whim.

Instead, we accept these parts of ourselves that we have denied. They try to help us, though their means are uncomfortable and unproductive.

Bring all parts of yourself into the proper context.

As we accept these disparate parts and attempt to help them, our perspective of our total self begins to change.

No longer are we passively rejecting parts of ourselves that we do not like. We are now collaborating with ourselves instead. And from this broadening perspective, we obtain an accurate and honest view of who we are and what factors are at work.

Our new perspective reveals our authentic beliefs about ourselves and our role in the world. We take responsibility for our values in life and connect with our deepest priorities, and display our significant parts.

This new perspective brings forth unique mastery of skills, an honest understanding of our boundaries and limits, and a well of energy to propel us forward.

Become committed to taking action.

Our new perspective of our inner world helps us move into fullness through observation, acceptance, and energetic promotion. This fullness allows us to step forward and brings fullness to our outer world.

Now, we can relate to our environment and relationships with newfound authenticity and integrity. This relationship brings about changes in how we live, what we pursue, and how we pursue our goals.

Act now!

If you are experiencing anxiety or depression and want to take this journey with me, ACT now and call (847) 701-5536 to schedule your free 15-minute consultation.