Tag: signs of depression

Coping With Loss: What’s Normal and How to Cope With Grief

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old people with babies

That old adage “tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” is much easier for the person saying it than it is for the person hearing it.  As humans, the need to attach ourselves to something – be it another person, a pet, a career or even a home is essential.  But, what happens if for whatever reason that attachment or connection is no longer available to us?  The natural response to that loss is grief. So, when it comes to grieving, what is normal and how do we cope with it?  Well, let’s first make sure we understand what grief actually is.  The most important thing is not to allow yourself or anyone else to put a judgement on your grief.  Yes, you can grieve the loss of a relationship that only lasted a short time.  Yes, it is normal to grieve the loss of a pet, and yes you can grieve the loss of somebody you knew and didn’t get along with.  I had a client that grieved the death of a rock star even though they never met.  The degree of loss is equal to the degree of attachment whether we… Read more »

8 Signs It’s Time to Seek Help For Depression

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sad person

All of us feel depressed from time to time but how can we tell the difference between the blues, a mild depression and a depressive episode that requires outside help? To answer this question, we first need to come to a basic understanding of what depression is.    Depression can either consist of a collection of certain symptoms or a concentration of a few symptoms.  Some of the more common symptoms of depression include: Frequent crying or an overwhelming feeling of sadness, fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, self-loathing, changes in sleeping or eating patterns, loss of pleasure in things that used to give you pleasure, anxiety, anger, difficulty concentrating, a lack of interest in things that used to interest you and even thoughts of suicide. The symptoms of the blues usually only lasts a few days.  With a mild depression there are usually breaks in the depressive feelings and oftentimes, the depression can be linked to a specific incident.  In a depressive episode, the duration is much longer with rarely any respite from the symptoms.  Chances are that if you need to seek outside help, you are either experiencing a severe mild depression or a full… Read more »