023 9278 2987 jeff@jeffreylane.co.uk

Anxiety & Depression

Anxiety and depression are two of the commonest reasons people give for seeking help through counselling and therapy.

Anxiety

Anxiety is generally described as being a feeling of inner turmoil, unease, worry or fear. Most people experience some mild anxiety before doing something they may experience as unfamiliar or frightening eg taking an exam or their driving test, speaking in front of a group or a job interview and in these situations the anxiety may well help in motivating good and thorough prior preparation.

However, some people feel like they are in an almost constant state of heightened anxiety which may prevent them from doing and enjoying many every day activities and may also be exhausting and debilitating. For some people their anxiety levels may rise to such a level that they experience a full on panic attack, which may be very distressing for them and also for those around them.

Therapy can be useful in helping reduce feelings of anxiety, understanding the feelings better and managing the impact less painfully.

“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths”

C.H. Spurgeon

Anxiety is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far”

Jodi Picoult

Depression

Depression is a distressing and debilitating condition which affects a great many people. One of the common symptoms is a reluctance to talk to others about it and many people are amazed by just how many people it affects.

Typical symptoms of depression may include:

  • Low mood, feeling sad, angry or irritable.
  • Unusually high feelings of tiredness and low energy.
  • Loss of concentration of mental focus.
  • Feeling like you are worthless or not as good as others.
  • Disturbed sleep.
  • Changes in appetite.
  • Not enjoying things you used to like doing.

Depression is not the same a feeling sad or upset. One of the most difficult aspects of depression is that in many ways it often doesn’t make sense including to the person suffering from it. As such, depression can be very lonely and frustrating to experience.

A great many people who come to see me suffering with depression will start by saying “I’m not the sort of person that gets depressed”. My experience over the past 30 years has taught me that while some people are more susceptible to depression that some others, it is a condition that can affect pretty much anyone under certain circumstances.

“A big part of depression is feeling really lonely, even if you’re in a room full of a million people.”

Lilly Singh

“Depression, for me, has been a couple of different things – but the first time I felt it, I felt helpless, hopeless and things I had never felt before. I lost myself and my will to live”

Ginger Zee