Defeating Depression

You don’t have to navigate depression alone.

Despite depression being highly treatable, many folks experiencing depression do not seek support from mental health professionals. Depression can be confusing and overwhelming to navigate alone given it can have many different causes and often comes with less energy and motivation to make changes and do things we know might be helpful. This is where Small Victories Wellness comes in. We can work together to figure out what you individually need to increase your mood, gain momentum, and get you back to living the life you want. Our therapists can also help you create space for exploring what the deeper root of depression might be for you.  We are firm believers in identifying and treating symptoms along with understanding the deeper reasons why our minds and bodies sometimes gravitate toward depression.
 

We will meet you right where you are and remind you along the way that things
can and will get better.
 

Signs that you might be experiencing depression:

Depression can look different from person to person, and not everyone experiencing depression feels ongoing sadness. As you'll notice, many of the signs of depression are experiences that we all have from time to time. It's part of being human to sometimes feel sad or lonely or to have less energy and motivation at times. Questions to ask yourself if you've been experiencing these symptoms include, "Am I feeling this way most of the day on most days?" and "Have I been feeling this way for more than 2 weeks?" If the answers are yes, then you may be experiencing an episode of depression.

• Depressed mood (e.g., feeling sad, empty, hopeless)

• Not enjoying or feeling interested in doing things that you typically enjoy

• Feeling irritable or frequently annoyed at more things than usual

• Weight loss or weight gain

• Difficulty sleeping (including trouble falling asleep or staying asleep during the night)

• Feeling restless or like the world is moving in slow motion

• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day

• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt

• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness

• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

Resources to help you better understand depression.

• What causes depression? Onset of depression more complex than a brain chemical imbalance (Harvard Health Publishing, 2017)

• Depression: What You Need to Know (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015)

• Depression and Mental Health by the Numbers: Facts, Statistics, and You (Healthline, 2015)

Evidence-based interventions that we often utilize in our work with clients experiencing depression.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • What is CBT?

  • Introduction to Unhelpful Thinking Patterns

• Behavioral Activation

  • Change Will Be Easier When Starting Small

• Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC)

  • 6 Steps to Changing Your Lifestyle to Prevent and Treat Depression

• Theory of Self-Compassion

  • The 3 Elements to Self-Compassion

Are you currently experiencing thoughts of suicide?

If you are experiencing a crisis or emergency and are not in control of your safety, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline