Depression and sadness
When sadness feels like more than a passing emotion
There are times when sadness feels like more than a passing emotion. It can become something you carry every day, making even the simplest tasks feel overwhelming.
For some people, depression has been present for so long that they cannot remember what it feels like to wake with hope or enthusiasm for the day ahead. You may have tried medication, counselling or other therapies and found some relief, yet the sadness continues to return. You may begin to wonder why you still feel this way.
Life can feel heavy. Joy may be difficult to find. Even making everyday decisions can feel exhausting.
When there is more beneath the sadness
In my experience, depression is not always something to be understood as an illness alone. Sometimes it is the emotional legacy of unresolved trauma, grief or painful experiences that were never able to be expressed or understood.
When we experience childhood trauma, neglect or ongoing adversity, deep feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or worthlessness can become part of how we experience ourselves and the world. You may continue to care for others, go to work and meet your responsibilities, yet inside you feel disconnected from yourself and unable to experience the sense of peace you long for.
You may understand a great deal about your life and your history, but still feel that something remains unresolved. There can be a constant darkness that never quite lifts, or a sense of carrying sadness that you cannot fully reach or explain.
These experiences deserve to be spoken about with care, understanding and without judgement.
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When sadness affects your work and relationships
For people who have spent much of their lives caring for others, depression and sadness can become especially difficult to carry. You may feel you need to keep going at work, even when you have little energy left. You may feel exhausted, overwhelmed or unable to find meaning in a role that once felt important to you.
The effects can also follow you home. Relationships may become difficult when you withdraw, feel emotionally distant, or have little left to give to the people close to you. You may feel angry or frustrated with yourself for struggling, or ashamed that you cannot simply feel better.
As a therapist and former nurse, I understand the experience of continuing to give to others while carrying your own pain. You do not need to minimise what you are feeling or face it alone.
A gentle way to understand what you are carrying
My counselling and psychotherapy practice offers space to listen to your sadness with curiosity and compassion. We work with what is causing you to suffer now, at a pace that feels right for you. There is no expectation that you explain everything or revisit painful experiences before you are ready.
Body-based Breathwork may support you to gently notice the emotions, sensations and responses that may be held beneath sadness. It can offer another way to reconnect with yourself and make space for what may need care and attention.
To learn more about this approach, visit my Breathwork page.