The Challenge of Overcoming Depression Alone
Depression is a complex, pervasive condition that profoundly impacts one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Days feel long and dreary, and anything beyond essential daily living tasks can seem like far too much work. While it’s advisable to seek depression therapy in New York City for effective management, many individuals try to tackle its difficulties independently. However, overcoming depression without such support can be very difficult for several reasons.
Reduced Energy, Apathy, and Feeling Powerless
Depression often saps motivation, energy, and interest in daily activities, making it incredibly challenging to fulfil their obligations or engage in self-care. People who are depressed often feel like they’re just treading water, barely managing to stay afloat. This can lead to feeling powerless.
When people are depressed, they may know they should try to take action to improve their situation, but anything beyond just getting through the day often feels too draining. Besides, even previously enjoyed activities may now feel like more of a chore than a pleasure. Nothing feels like it would bring joy.
Unrealistically Negative View of Self, Life Situation and Others
With depression, people generally have an unrealistically negative view of oneself, life circumstances, and others. They routinely exaggerate their flaws and discount their strengths without fully realizing it. They may also struggle with chronic feelings of guilt, inferiority, and unworthiness.
When people are depressed, they may also wrongly view their difficulty in taking action as being lazy and then berating themselves. This harsh self-criticism only deepens their feelings of inadequacy and their sense of hopelessness about being able to improve their lives.
Difficulty Challenging Negative Thoughts
Even when individuals with depression realize their thoughts are distorted, they may find it hard to challenge them effectively. These negative thoughts often feel valid, making it hard to see them more realistically. And even if one is aware that one’s thinking is unrealistic, the constant internal barrage of fears, uncertainties and self-doubt may feel too overwhelming to overcome without external support.
Talking with Friends is Often Not Enough
Most of us try to seek social support during tough times. And that makes sense, but when one is depressed, social support is often not enough. Most friends who aren’t depressed don’t know how it actually feels to be truly depressed. Their well-meaning advice to view things more positively or take more action may seem unrealistic given how deeply one is suffering. Therefore, such advice often leaves one feeling misunderstood and may even sound insensitive.
Besides, people struggling with depression often feel like they’re a drain on their friends’ time and emotional energy. When friends try to cheer them up, they may feel guilty that they have nothing positive to offer in return. And their friends may indeed find their negativity draining, so friends may eventually start to reach out less, leaving the person who is depressed feeling even more alone.
Moreover, when people are depressed, they may compare themselves negatively to their more functional friends. They see their friends enjoying their lives and following their passions and helplessly wonder why they can’t do the same. Of course, such negative comparisons only deepen their sense of defeat and even inferiority.
Seeking Professional Support is Different
If you’ve been struggling with depression for a while, you may come to a point where you realize that muddling through things on one’s own or relying on friends’ support isn’t working. At this point, therapy can be a game changer for several reasons.
First, therapists understand depression far more accurately than do well-meaning but untrained friends. Thus, a therapist can provide you with better empathy and support, helping you see yourself in a kinder, more accurate light. You’ll experience the safety of a non-judgmental space where you can explore your emotions, overcome unrealistically negative thought patterns, and develop healthier coping strategies. As a result, you’ll start to feel more worthy and deserving.
A therapist can also help you set small but achievable goals, breaking down overwhelming tasks into bite-sized chunks that won’t feel too draining. With their guidance, you’ll be far less likely to try to tackle too much at once and then fall short. Therapists can also offer gentle accountability and assist with problem-solving.
As you set and achieve small but meaningful goals in therapy, your sense of competence will grow. Life will become more manageable and you’ll feel more confident and resilient in tackling whatever bigger challenges you currently face. And you’ll finally feel like you’re swimming again with the tide of life instead of treading water. You deserve the support of virtual or in-person therapy in New York City!