The benefits of counselling for depression

With the excitement of Christmas and the New Year dwindling, you can find your depression creeping back up on you again. January only brings the reality of work and life, making it harder to overcome the negative thoughts that dominate your mind and make daily life a struggle. You may feel like there is nothing you can do but go along with the ride that leaves you exhausted and drained of positive emotions.

But you are wrong. By seeking counselling for depression, you can open up about your emotions and discover the real reasons for your unhappiness. Rather than let depression take another year of your life, stand up and work against it with the help of counselling. Read below to learn the benefits of counselling for depression.

Confront your emotions

People with depression will often try to bottle up their emotions and pretend that they don’t exist. They might not be happy with their daily existence, but at least they haven't completely hit rock bottom. However, over time the symptoms can worsen and cause them to spiral deeper into their depression, making it harder for them to recover.
 
Setting time aside to visit a counsellor presents you the opportunity to confront your emotions in a safe space. With an experienced therapist encouraging you to share your thoughts, you can’t run away or hide your feelings again. You have to face your emotions head on and find their root cause. Understanding why you react to situations or feel a certain way can make overcoming your depression much easier.

Improve your physical well-being

Often, people with depression suffer physical as well as psychological symptoms of their illness. They find themselves feeling more tired as they face sleeping problems, they lose their appetite or overeat and have frequent stress-related headaches and stomach pain. Understanding and recognising that these symptoms can stem from depression can help encourage people to seek counselling. Whereas a doctor may only be able to provide medicines and advice, seeking out a counsellor can be more beneficial in the long run.
 
By going to counselling, not only will people see a change in their psychological well-being, but their physical symptoms will also be alleviated. As the depressive thoughts are banished, the body no longer reacts to the negativity and can start to heal itself. People will feel more active, and with more exercise comes the release of endorphins, elevating their positive feelings even more. Sleep can be smoother, and your appetite can return to normal.

Start your new year off right

As we head into 2019, you may feel that all the past year has had to offer you is pain and sadness. By only relying on yourself to tackle your depression, you may have fallen deeper into negativity and hidden away from friends and family.
 
However, in 2019 you can change this and make this year the most positive you’ve had yet. By deciding to meet with a counsellor, you can make 2019 about healing and creating the structure for a healthy life in the future. This time next year, you can look back and reflect over how much progress and change you have made and wish you had only done it sooner.