Depression

Everyone gets the blues. It can happen when something important doesn't go the way we hoped, we lose someone or something important to us, or we experience long-standing frustration with an ongoing problem or a blocked goal. We can feel low energy, feel less interested in doing things we typically enjoy, and may want to just stay inside, binge watch a favorite show, stay in bed, and keep to ourselves.

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The problem occurs when these activities -or "in-activities" -become more regular. We desperately seek relief through whatever means available, not fully being aware that oftentimes, these short-term "fixes" may actually keep the mood going and even make it worse.

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Like a wagon wheel, the cycle goes round and round, low energy, stay inside, isolate, judge yourself for inactivity, feel down and hopeless, leading to more reduced energy, more isolation, more negative thoughts of ourselves, and so on.

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Evidence-based processes, such as Behavioral Activation, a treatment that focuses on increasing meaningful and reinforcing activity, targets these patterns and cycles and gets the wagon wheel moving in the opposite direction. When evidence-based strategies are paired with the whos and whats that are most important to you, you can feel more fulfilled and know how to respond to the ups and downs of life. It's not that you're not supposed to get knocked down, it's knowing how you can get back up, and making the "getting back up" part more accessible.