Understanding Anxiety and Depression
Everyone experiences difficult emotions from time to time. Stress, uncertainty, relationship challenges, major life changes, loss, and other experiences can affect our emotional well-being. But sometimes feelings of worry, sadness, exhaustion, or disconnection begin to interfere with everyday life.
Anxiety and depression are two common mental health concerns that can affect adolescents and adults in different ways. While each person experiences them differently, both can make it difficult to feel fully present, connected, and engaged in daily life.
Therapy can provide a confidential and supportive space to better understand what you are experiencing, explore patterns that may be contributing to emotional distress, and develop healthier ways of coping.
What Does Anxiety Feel Like?
Anxiety is more than simply feeling nervous before an important event. For some people, anxiety can become a persistent sense of worry, fear, tension, or uneasiness.
You may find yourself constantly thinking about what could go wrong or replaying conversations and situations in your mind. Even when everything appears fine externally, your thoughts may continue to feel overwhelming.
Some common experiences associated with anxiety can include:
- Persistent worry
- Overthinking
- Difficulty relaxing
- Feeling restless or on edge
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Avoiding certain situations
- Feeling overwhelmed by everyday responsibilities
- Difficulty sleeping
- Feeling unable to quiet your thoughts
Anxiety can also affect relationships. When someone is constantly worried or overwhelmed, it can become harder to communicate clearly or be emotionally present with the people they care about.
Understanding Depression
Depression can involve much more than feeling sad.
Someone experiencing depression may feel emotionally exhausted, disconnected, unmotivated, or unable to enjoy things they previously found meaningful. Sometimes depression develops gradually, making it difficult to recognize how much it has affected everyday life.
Possible signs may include:
- Persistent sadness or low mood
- Loss of interest in activities
- Low motivation
- Emotional exhaustion
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Changes in sleep
- Changes in appetite
- Social withdrawal
- Feeling disconnected from others
- Difficulty completing everyday responsibilities
Not everyone experiences depression in the same way. Some people may continue working, attending school, maintaining relationships, and completing responsibilities while privately struggling emotionally.
Anxiety and Depression Can Overlap
Anxiety and depression can occur separately, but they can also happen at the same time.
For example, someone may constantly worry about the future while simultaneously feeling exhausted and discouraged. Another person may withdraw from friends and family because they feel emotionally drained, while also worrying about how others perceive them.
When these experiences begin affecting work, school, relationships, sleep, or daily functioning, professional support may be worth considering.
When Should You Consider Therapy?
You do not have to wait until things feel completely overwhelming before reaching out for support.
Therapy may be helpful when emotional struggles begin to affect:
- Relationships
- Work or school
- Sleep
- Motivation
- Confidence
- Communication
- Daily responsibilities
- Your ability to enjoy life
Therapy can provide a space where you do not have to manage everything alone.
Rather than simply focusing on symptoms, therapy can help you explore the experiences, thoughts, emotions, and patterns that may be influencing how you feel.
Therapy Can Help You Understand Your Patterns
One of the benefits of working with a therapist is having the opportunity to slow down and examine what is happening beneath the surface.
You may begin to recognize patterns such as:
“I always expect the worst.”
“I have trouble saying no.”
“I keep everything to myself.”
“I overthink every conversation.”
“I feel responsible for everyone else.”
Recognizing these patterns can be an important part of creating meaningful change.
At O’Hara Therapy, Dr. Alison O’Hara uses an approach that incorporates existential, humanistic, client-centered, and cognitive behavioral therapy modalities. This allows therapy to be personalized around the individual rather than treating every person in exactly the same way.
You Do Not Have to Navigate It Alone
Reaching out for therapy does not mean that something is wrong with you. It can simply mean that you recognize that you deserve support.
A compassionate therapeutic relationship can provide a confidential place to talk openly, understand your emotions, work through challenges, and develop new ways of approaching difficult situations.
If anxiety, depression, or emotional distress has started affecting your everyday life, individual therapy can provide a supportive place to begin.
Internal Link: Individual Therapy
Related Areas: Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Grief & Loss