• Do you feel like your mood negatively affects your life and your ability to reach your full potential?
• Do you feel hopeless that you will ever feel better or be happy again?
• Do you find yourself avoiding family and friends and isolating yourself?
• Do you have negative thoughts such as “’I’m worthless,” “Things will never get better,” or “I hate myself for feeling this way.”

“I just want to be happy." I hear this all the time.  It's a broad statement but, at the same time, perfectly articulates how my clients just want to attain the simple and much-deserved feeling of happiness.  

Depression is rude.  It barges its way into life, uninvited, and comes in various shapes and sizes, presenting itself in varying degrees – and it’s all gross.  Some people can’t get out of bed.  Others can function like they always do, but things just feel cloudy for no apparent reason. I’ve had people tell me depression feels like walking through cement or they say that Eeyore from the Winnie the Pooh stories was an apt image: a perpetual rain cloud above and no sun.

No matter where you feel like you might fall on the spectrum, I can tell you this: therapy may be your answer. 

Honestly, life can get messy. Here are some things we might run into:

The Effects of Messiness

Life happens and it changes things: our circumstances, environment, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, dreams, and goals.  We experience the messy stuff and learn to live through it, adapting and evolving as time goes on. 

Sometimes the “mess” can lead to more significant and lingering feelings of sadness.  Or, maybe you haven’t run into any type of “mess”; your sadness just seems to have appeared with no trigger or catalyst.  That’s okay, too. 

Either way, the effects look the same:

You don’t feel good enough

Negative thoughts stay at the front of your mind

You lose interest in your hobbies

Your low energy keeps you from completing daily tasks

Feeling lonely hinders your motivation to interact with others

Everything feels like a drag

Listen: the good thing about the “messiness of life” is that everyone goes through it.  Each experience is unique but at the same time, going through these struggles is completely normal.  (That’s one of the only times you’ll ever hear me say that word – “normal”).  So, on your quest to return to “normalcy” – whatever that looks like for you – I can help. 

I'M ON YOUR TEAM

I want you to be able to feel like yourself again.  I have seen how powerful therapy can be.  People come into my office and we explore, collaborate on, and navigate through their personal struggles.  They walk back out into the world with the idea that they can actually conquer it. 

Sure, it’s rewarding for me to see change. 

But what's better is that you see the change and you get to enjoy its benefits for the rest of your life.

You can feel happiness again.  I want to see you hang out with your friends every week like you used to.  I want to see you feel confident during that next family gathering when the same old awkward conversation comes up.  I want to see you eat the ice cream without the guilt, visit the gym without the dread, and enjoy your relationships without the doubt.  

I want you to look at your life and be able to genuinely say, “this is fun.”  Do you want the same thing?  That’s where I come in.

If you would like to schedule an appointment or discuss your needs, contact me at 630-360-8416. Feel free to reach out by text or phone whenever is convenient. Or you can email me at [email protected].