When everything feels harder than it should

Sometimes depression looks like sadness. But sometimes it doesn't.

It can look like cancelling plans because getting ready feels like too much effort. Staring at a task you know you need to do and being unable to start. Going through the motions at work while feeling disconnected from everything around you.

It can mean sleeping too much or not enough. Losing interest in people and activities you used to enjoy. Feeling irritable, empty, guilty or simply tired.

At Inner Garden Psychology, therapy offers a place to understand what has been happening and begin finding your way forward—without expecting you to simply "think positively" or push yourself harder.

Depression can feel like...

Having very little energy or motivation
Feeling sad, numb, empty or disconnected
Losing interest in things you normally enjoy
Withdrawing from friends or family
Struggling to concentrate or make decisions
Feeling guilty or overly critical of yourself
Finding ordinary responsibilities overwhelming
Feeling as though you're functioning on autopilot
Having difficulty imagining that things could feel different
Knowing what might help but feeling unable to make yourself do it

Depression can create a frustrating cycle: the worse you feel, the harder it becomes to do the very things that might help you feel better.

Therapy can help interrupt that cycle.

How therapy can help

There is no single reason people become depressed and no single approach that works for everyone.

Together, you and your therapist may explore the patterns, experiences and circumstances contributing to how you're feeling. Therapy might involve gradually reconnecting with meaningful activities, examining self-critical thinking, improving coping skills, working through difficult experiences, strengthening relationships, or clarifying what matters to you.

The goal isn't to pretend that everything is fine. It's to help you develop ways of living that make life feel more manageable, connected and meaningful.

Our clinicians may draw from approaches including Emotion-focused approaches, behavioural activation, CBT, ACT, psychodynamic and attachment-based approaches

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