Have you been telling yourself you're worthless, that nothing you do matters to anyone?  Feeling discouraged to the point of hopelessness, and isolating yourself from friends and family?

 

Sometimes, having a bitter disappointment when you were expecting a positive outcome will cause a temporarily negative mood. But if this has been going on for a few months, and you can't easily identify a reason for these feelings, you might be experiencing depression.

 

Other signs of depression are:

​

• lack of interest in once pleasurable activities

• an exaggerated sense of guilt or shame

• profound fatigue

• a sense that you're never good enough

• feeling powerless to change

• having suicidal thoughts

​

If you are struggling with depression, I can help you regain healthy self-esteem, find hope for your future and connection with your social supports, and have a new lease on life.

​

Sometimes what you might think is depression, though, is actually grief for an unrecognized loss.

​

Have you experienced a sudden death of loved one, or the death of family member for whom you had been a caregiver for my years? The death of someone with whom your life has been so closely intertwined is devastating, and the grieving for such a loss can certainly feel like depression.

​

Or perhaps you have had loss of your spouse due to divorce,  or a type of "empty nest" loss of children because they are grown and away from home.  There can be grief related to relocating to Delaware after retirement, and the dream of retired life not being what was expected

 

Have you recently lost a job, or a friendship that had been important to you?  Have you moved away from a town or country where you had established strong bonds and good memories?

​

Maybe life has presented you with challenges that have derailed a long held dream, or involuntarily changed your status or abilities.  Any loss of something important to you can trigger a grief response that can mimic depression.

​

Grief and depression can feel very similar. Depression can seem constant, whereas grief may come in waves for a while, then lighten over time. 

 

Many of the signs of grief are similar to that of depression:

​

• overwhelming or prolonged sadness

• loss of appetite, or over-eating comfort foods

• insomnia or over-sleeping

• sense of lethargy

• difficulty handling routine daily responsibilities

• lack of concentration, struggles with decision making

​

Counseling can help you figure out which one you are dealing with, so that the best way forward for you can be determined.

​

I'd like to help you lift the despair and find joy in life.