Is It the Car, or Is It the Road?
If you had a car that bumped and lurched and rattled every time you were driving, you might first consider that something is wrong with the car. But you would also be smart to consider the condition of the road on which you are driving and how fast you are going.
If
it turned out that you were driving 90 miles an hour on a gravel road,
there is a good chance that it isn't a problem with the car but rather
with how it's being driven. However, it is also true that cars driven
in this manner for enough time will begin to fall apart and need fixing.
Issues about stress, anxiety, and depression are similar to this notion
of the car and the road.
It is important to consider not only your own feelings and needs (the car) but also what is going on in your life that is causing you stress (the road) and the pressures you may be putting on yourself to get it all done quickly and perfectly (the speed). Thorough assessment of the potential causes of the stress and anxiety is necessary to finding a lasting resolution. There are many different areas which may be improved or changed in order to help feelings of depression or anxiety. Topics which I discuss with clients in session include:
- behavioral strategies to cope with and decrease anxiety and depression
- learning to clearly communicate needs and feelings, which increases the likelihood of getting needs met
- stress management, or lowering general levels of stress in one's life, which leaves the client less susceptible to anxiety and depression
- understanding and reversing the self-perpetuating cycles of depression and anxiety
- discovering the causes of one's anxious or depressed feeling
- ways to improve relationships as a means for decreasing loneliness, depression, and anxiety
- establishing good physical health, diet, and an exercise regimen, which are effective strategies for relieving symptoms
Go to Anxiety and Depression page 2
