Stress and Depression

Written by Reeta Luthra - http://reetaluthra.com

Depression affects us at a core level. Clinical depression distorts our self-image, affects our capabilities, strips us of hope and basically makes us feel worthless.

Depression, an emotional illness with biological symptoms, occurs from a build up of stress issues over a period of time.Our emotions cause biological changes in the body. Laughter and happiness release "feel good" hormones in the body. Stress and anxiety release "feel bad" hormones.

Common factors of depression include losing one's sense of purpose along with suppressed anger that can feel vague and untargeted.

Root Causes of Depression

Although depression is an emotional illness, it can have a physical root. If you suspect you are depressed, you must see your doctor to rule out a physical cause that requires medical care.

Physically induced Depression can be caused by fluctuations in body chemistry from nutritional deficiencies, thyroid problems, changing blood sugar levels indicating the onset of diabetes etc. It can also be a side-effect of medication you are taking for something else.

Emotionally induced Depression is caused by exposure to stressful situations where the natural coping mechanisms have become overwhelmed. Each sufferer experiences it in his or her own unique way and the levels of intensity do vary. Milder forms of depression may cause a general unease without impacting day-to-day functionality whereas more severe forms can cause immense disruption for many months at a time.

This can lead into a spiralling cycle of stress because depression impacts your relationships, your job and your active involvement in activities. Sleeping patterns and weight issues together with the associated health conditions are other areas that go on to be affected by the stress of depression.

Even when depression does not have a physical root, your body still ends up being physically affected by it.

The Impact of Thoughts on Depression

The thoughts we have release chemicals into the body from the brain. Negative thoughts result in stress-inducing chemicals.

The thoughts we have are influenced by the emotions we feel. And the emotions we feel are generated by the experiences we have.

In order to strengthen the quality of our thoughts, we must change our emotional response to our experience.

To illustrate this with an example, if your depression has been triggered by a loss of some kind, it is not possible (or desirable) to forcibly change your emotional response to this experience. Forcing yourself not to feel grief or anger suppresses these very real and vital emotions and prevents healing from occuring.

In order to change your emotional response, it becomes necessary to explore the subconscious significance of this loss together with all the connections it has with other areas of your life and personal identity.

The reason our emotional response to an experience is so... emotional... is because it is an incredibly personal experience. You have a multitude of conscious and subconscious reasons that determine why and how you react the way that you do. Some of these reasons are so powerful that our subconscious seeks to "protect" us from them by hiding them from our conscious knowledge. So we end up knowing that something is wrong, but remain unable to do anything about it because the actual reason is buried in our subconscious.

The occurence of depression is increasing in our developed society. The WHO report on mental illness released October 4, 2001, predicts that depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease by 2020. Unfortunately, due to cultural and social pressures and stigma, the vast majority of sufferers do not seek help for depression, feeling compelled to "deal with it" on their own.

Therapy for Depression

Depression is a complex condition. It is a result of many contributing factors that benefit from systematic, regular and sustained attention.

My effective programme for depression helps with the impact of depression on your relationships as well as the following:

• Releases supressed anger
• Introduces stronger behaviours
• Removes self-sabotage and limiting behaviours and beliefs
• Reintroduces your personal identity and sense of purpose
• Addresses the stress and anxiety that exist in the subconscious mind
• Re-balances the physiological effects in the body of negative thoughts
• Creates an action-orientated mindset with renewed energy and vigour

My approach encompasses a blend of psychotherapy methods that offer a highly solutions-orientated and effective approach to clearing the pain and conflict of inner stress and depression. These include NLP, CBT and EFT, expertly tailored to your own specific circumstances to address all of the aspects of your issue and strengthen your personal identity.

One of the reasons people benefit from my methods is because of the relief gained through the intense focus on underlying core issues.

Please contact me if you would like to find out more. There is no obligation and your call is treated in confidence.