Depression therapy for women in Grayslake, IL
Break the cycle of never enough, and come home to yourself with depression therapy in Grayslake, IL
If this sounds like you, depression therapy in Grayslake, IL can help
You spent the day performing at work. Maybe even at the top of your game. But you hardly remember it. You are home now, and all you really want is to go to sleep. But there’s dinner to prepare, homework to oversee, bedtime for everyone else, tomorrow to plan. So you keep going. Even though it feels like you are walking through sand. Even though you can’t really feel much at all, other than numb. And foggy, and exhausted on every level.
Therapy for depression in Grayslake, IL can break this cycle
Depression is not one-size-fits-all
Maybe you are feeling the deep sadness and hopelessness that’s typically associated with depression. Or maybe, instead, you are fulfilling all your roles, including carrying the mental load for your family, but feeling numb and flat inside– like it’s never enough. And it’s getting harder to find the motivation to keep it up.
Maybe you haven’t clocked it as depression. But when you step back, you might notice a pattern.
You are constantly fatigued, which brings less motivation to do anything, yet you are still performing all the roles in this play someone has written for you.
And in the background, you hear your inner critic shaming you . .
For not being better
For not doing more
For having so much difficulty just getting through your day, when everyone around you seems to do it with ease.
These negative thoughts further erode your motivation, and then you shame yourself for that. . . It is a self-reinforcing, negative cycle.
Find yourself again. Depression therapy in Grayslake, IL can help.
You have lost track of yourself, somehow. What used to light you up. What you dreamed of, what made you feel proud, or triumphant. Alive. Truly connected to others, yourself, and your sense of purpose. You are feeling as if you have lost the thread of what your life meant, and who you were supposed to be.
Therapy for depression in Grayslake, IL brings you from:
Feeling little pleasure or satisfaction
→ To experiencing your life in living color again
Foggy thinking and difficulty making decisions
→ To clarity aligned with purpose
Feeling overwhelmed by even small tasks
→ To regaining momentum, energy, and motivation
Believing your inner critic
→ To seeing this negative self talk for what it is, and writing a different script
Feeling isolated and too exhausted to reach
→ To re-kindling the desire and ability to re-connect with others and yourself
Just two of the ways that depression therapy in Grayslake, IL can help
Shame and avoidance are two of the guards at the gate of depression.
Shame: Often, shame is a key player in depression. Its gatekeeper is your inner critic, who tells you to keep parts of yourself hidden, because they are unacceptable. Most of us carry some shame, but if allowed to remain hidden, it can feed depression by creating a cycle of self rage, shame, depression–rinse and repeat.
Therapy makes it safe to acknowledge and share these tender, hidden parts.
There is an immediate relief when you realize that there is no judgment in response, but instead acceptance and compassion. Shame loses its power when shared within a warm, safe therapeutic relationship.
Avoidance: Depression is often a prison of inactivity. While you may be completing all your tasks and responsibilities, you are likely avoiding things that used to bring you joy. You may not have the energy, and you certainly don’t have the motivation. “What’s the point?” is the underlying theme. Yet the less active and more isolated you are, the more depressed you will become.
Therapy will help you break the spell and reclaim your life.
Approaches like CBT will help identify limiting beliefs and negative patterns, tools like EFT tapping can release those limiting beliefs and quiet your inner critic, and behavioral activation therapy can help break the cycles of avoidance and withdrawal by leading with small, doable actions that will jump-start motivation and move you in the direction of reclaiming your aliveness.
How will depression therapy with Susan in Grayslake, IL be different?
Life stages, for women, are often accompanied by radical hormonal shifts that can make it feel as if we have lost our sense of ourselves, if not sometimes, control! Whether you are navigating
Postpartum
Perimenopause
Caregiving
Career pressure
Menopause
All of these can make you more vulnerable to depression.
In addition, if you are a woman with high-functioning depression, you may have painted yourself into a corner with your own competence.
Relationships, lifestyle factors, past trauma, and limiting beliefs can all play a part.
From the safety of our therapeutic relationship, we will work with cognitive approaches, such as CBT and behavior activation, and somatic approaches that include EFT tapping, mindfulness, and breathwork.
Susan’s holistic approach will consider all aspects of your life, and work with you to untangle the web and reclaim yourself.
Frequently asked questions for depression therapy in Grayslake, IL
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If you have been feeling sad, numb, uninterested in things you used to enjoy, and exhausted, for at least two weeks, you may be experiencing depression. However, you don’t need a diagnosis to start feeling better!
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With high-functioning depression, you may be performing “as usual” from the outside–handling work demands, carrying the mental load for your family, and checking all the boxes. However, inside you feel numb, sad, hopeless, exhausted and empty.
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Therapy will help uncover the roots of your depression, which can include trauma and hormonal shifts. However, therapy will also give you tools to manage your moods and re-structure your life in ways that will actually change how you feel.
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Many people recover from depression with therapy alone. For others, medication can help as part of the treatment plan. We will work together to design a plan that you feel comfortable with, but you will make the decision.
Therapy services offered in Grayslake, IL
