Feeling depressed

According to the Office for National Statistics, they don’t keep a record of the cases of depression for the UK population, but a study did show that in the year to September 2016, 40% of British people rated how anxious they were yesterday as very low! That’s nearly half!

The American Psychiatric Association say that one in 15 adults will be affected by depression in any year and one in six will experience it at some time in their lives – with women the most likely to be affected.

Define depression

Depression is defined as feelings of severe despondency and dejection that have lasted for at least two weeks.

It is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel. This sadness and self doubt influences how you think and how you act. It makes you lose interest in activities that you once enjoyed and impacts your ability to function at home and at work.

I Feel depressed

Depression can affect anyone and can be caused by biochemistry, genetics, personality or your living environment. It can manifest in a variety of ways:

• Lacking energy or feeling tired
• Feeling tearful
• Feeling restless and agitated
• Not wanting to talk to or be with people
• Loss of interest in things you usually enjoy
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

When your innate physical or emotional needs are not being met and you don’t deal with it, you can sink into a low mood. You start to worry about it and your attention stays focused on ‘all the bad things that seem to be happening’ – whether real or illusory.

This misuse of your imagination increases the amount of dreaming you do, upsetting the balance between slow-wave, recuperative sleep and dream sleep. As a result, you start to develop an imbalance between energy burning dream sleep and refreshing slow-wave sleep, waking up feeling tired and unmotivated. You feel that life has no meaning.

Human Givens therapists are trained to help you think more clearly about the situation that is causing you to worry. The treatment often uses guided imagery to help you change your negative expectations and start meeting with your emotional needs once more. Call us on 01268 907052 and let us help you to break this destructive cycle and reconnect with your life.