Nobody asks for anxiety or depression.

Nobody asks for anxiety or depression, yet many of us live with the symptoms of these conditions daily. It is not a state of being we knew we were cultivating. Still, we were likely inadvertently strengthening the thoughts and mental states that provided the perfect breeding ground for these distressing symptoms. It most likely did not happen in an instant, although many describe feeling as though their panic attacks just ‘came out of the blue,’ or ‘I just woke up one day and could no longer see the point of living.’  More common is that we have been unwittingly rehearsing and reinforcing negative thinking patterns, which over time have led us to develop some pretty solid, negative foundations of fear, hopelessness, or perhaps worthlessness.

Appreciating that it has taken some time and repeated effort to develop these symptoms, we should know that it will also take time and effort to heal. We reinforced and strengthened the wrong mental muscles, and now we must work to strengthen the right ones. It is as if we have been walking around on our hands all our lives, complaining of back pain but now must teach ourselves to walk upright, using new muscles to walk better, faster, and more comfortably. Recovery takes time. Recovery takes effort. It is not an overnight remedy, a quick fix, or a magic pill, but a daily practice with developing insight and capacity. It is about rolling up your sleeves and doing the work for the sake of your wellbeing. If you don’t work out several times a week, you cannot expect a six-pack, right? However, it is hard (though not impossible) to do the work on your own. Regular sessions with a therapist can help keep you motivated and moving in the right direction. They can reassure you when you start to doubt, hold up light when you cannot see, give you the map out of the tunnel, and celebrate your achievements, for they know just how much it took to get there.

Ready to do the work? Click here to book your therapy session.