A Psychologist Might Help Your Depression By Teaching You To Manage Your Thoughts

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If you've been feeling depressed, and the feelings interfere with your ability to enjoy life, be active, and be productive at work, consider seeing a psychologist. A psychologist has been trained to treat depression using various techniques, and by using what you learn, you might be able to manage your depression and overcome it. Here are times to seek help for your depression and what a psychologist might do.

Times To Seek Help With Depression

Depression can happen at any time in response to life events such as the loss of a loved one or the birth of a baby. Depression can also settle in after a life trauma such as a loss of a job, financial ruin, loss of property in a natural disaster, or after being a victim of a crime.

Sometimes, you can't point to a reason for being depressed. You might just feel sad all the time, be fatigued, and isolate yourself from others. Depression might even be caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters in your brain and have a physical cause. Any time you feel overcome with depression that doesn't go away, consider seeing a professional for help.

Treatments Your Psychologist Might Provide

You might try talk therapy because talking about your problems often makes them seem more manageable. Having someone listen to your feelings and not judge you can take a weight off your shoulders. However, your psychologist may do more than just listen. They may also teach you how to manage your thinking with cognitive behavioral therapy.

With CBT, you learn to recognize negative thoughts so you can stop them and substitute more pleasant thoughts. Negative thinking can perpetuate feelings of depression, and although it's often difficult to control your thoughts, it's a useful skill to learn.

Your psychologist can help you pinpoint events in your life that contribute to your depression and then have you consider other ways of responding to the events rather than resort to habitual dark thinking. You may take things personally or always see doom and gloom when more positive thoughts could be more realistic and help improve your depression.

Since CBT is about learning new coping skills, you may see quicker progress with your depression than just talking alone. However, talk therapy and other types of therapy can also be beneficial, and your psychologist will decide on the right type of treatment for you.

You might also be encouraged to exercise more and eat a healthier diet when you're battling depression. Getting started on change is often the hardest part, but once you make the commitment to improve your mental health and learn coping skills in therapy, you may notice a gradual improvement in your thinking and feelings even though your circumstances are still in turmoil or you're dealing with grief.

Contact a local psychologist to learn more.


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