Tulsa Depression Counseling
Does it feel like a struggle to just get out of bed each day?
Have you started noticing that you feel sad even when you are around other people?
Are you looking for quality counseling for depression in Tulsa, OK?
Life is often hard, and there are a lot of good reasons why you might struggle with feeling happy. Perhaps every day feels like a struggle for you right now. In fact, there are moments where you think you should feel happy, but you just don’t. You don't have energy to do the things you used to enjoy and you feel disconnected from everyone in your life. The weight of the world seems heavy and you're just not sure how to feel….well…happy again.
Depression is Very Common
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, More than 16 million American adults are diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, and another 3 million with Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia). These numbers are big enough already, and they fail to include the millions of people who struggle with experiences that don’t neatly fit into a medical diagnosis.
Signs of Depression
Each person’s experience of depression is a little different, but there are some common signs that you might have experienced:
You feel sad, melancholy, or depressed on a regular basis. You’re plagued by negative thoughts and feelings, and have a hard time feeling positive, hopeful, or optimistic
You have a hard time enjoying recreational activities or time with friends or family.
You can’t seem to get motivated to do things you’d like to do, or you have a lack of interest or focus in certain things. You have a hard time caring about things, even things you think you should care about.
You may have gained or lost weight without trying. Sometimes this can be related to a lack of appetite or eating too much.
Other people comment that you seem tired, sick, or depressed. They may have noticed you have started to think and move slower than you used to.
You feel tired or physically sore often, even when you haven’t been exerting yourself.
Dealing with sleep becomes an intense struggle, either needing an excessive amount of sleep or being unable to fall asleep.
You start to feel worthless and guilty. Starting to think of yourself as a bad person, or as someone who does not deserve to be treated well.
Eventually, you have a hard time taking care of yourself, either because you don’t feel like you can or because you just don’t want to. You might cause yourself harm by not eating, cutting yourself, taking too many risks, or engaging in self-destructive behaviors.
Often, you have a hard time thinking, focusing, or making decisions.
You may even have the nagging feeling that your friends and family would be better off if you weren’t around. Perhaps you are starting to wish that you could go to sleep and not wake up. Some people start to think about ways of ending their life.
If you’ve struggled with anything on that list, you’ve likely tried everything you can think of to make things better. Perhaps you’ve had some success, but if you’re reading this then it’s likely that what you’ve tried hasn’t worked.
Tulsa Depression Counseling Can Help You Stop the Downward Spiral
Unfortunately, many people get stuck in a downward spiral where things seem to get worse and worse. You try to get better, and when that doesn’t work you feel even worse than before. It’s no surprise that many people give up, resigning themselves to a life of unhappiness and dissatisfaction.
You don’t have to live that way anymore. Counseling can be a powerful tool to help you bring hope and light back into your life.
The ACT Approach to Depression Treatment
At my Tulsa, OK counseling office, I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, better known as ACT, to treat depression during our counseling sessions. The ACT approach to depression is different. Luckily, you have found a local expert therapist working with ACT counseling, Tulsa folks!
Unlike most approaches to depression, ACT does not teach us to jump into the fray, fighting off our demons to win the war against the darkness. Instead, we learn how to change our relationship between ourselves and our thoughts and feelings. Instead of an enemy to be slain, they are recognized as a valid part of ourselves.
Wait, What? That Doesn’t Make Sense.
This can seem odd at first--most people come to therapy to get rid of their demons, not make friends with them. However, ACT therapy teaches us that fighting our negative thoughts and feelings only makes them stronger, and increases the impact they have on our lives.
ACT counseling teaches a variety of tools to help us take back our lives, allowing us to pursue our values and goals rather than being controlled by our thoughts and feelings.
Ready to Begin Therapy for Depression in Tulsa, OK?
If this approach to depression treatment sounds like it may help, consider reaching out to schedule an appointment. As a mental health professional, I can help you deal with depression symptoms as they arise. In fact, I want to help as many people as possible in the Tulsa community begin living life in a way that feels true to themselves. If you are ready to get help for your depression, let’s get started. Follow these three steps to begin therapy at the Gray Matters clinic in Tulsa:
Reach out to schedule an initial counseling session
Get answers to your questions about mental health counseling
Begin to live more peacefully and with more fulfillment
OTHER therapeutic SERVICES AT GRAY MATTERS:
I believe that everyone has the ability to find healing, and I want to help you find that healing. My Tulsa, OK counseling practice focuses on men’s counseling, anxiety treatment, mindfulness techniques, and LGBT counseling, among other concerns. From my Tulsa, Ok counseling office, I use acceptance and commitment therapy to help people define their values and goals, to live life with meaning and purpose. If you are ready to start your counseling journey, I am ready to help.