How do I approach therapy without yet knowing if something is off physiologically?

Jimmy

I appreciate you reaching out to us. I want to talk about your grief first. There are five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. This may not be new to you. The important thing to remember is that there is no pattern or timeline for how you go through the stages. You may go from stage one, to stage three and then to stage five etc. You have to go through grief on your own timeline and not someone else's. Also, there may be triggers that lead you back to one stage or another. This is completely normal. Journaling may help you to process through your grief.

I am wondering if you have a counselor. A counselor can also help you process your current situation. 

'Therapy lights' may be helpful with depression. They can be purchased starting at around $30 dollars and on up. They give your body what the sun does and may help you to have more energy. Has the depression affected your sleep, energy level or eating? Has it led to isolation? These would be concerns to discuss 

There are many anxiety coping skill options including guided imagery apps, deep breathing. the five senses technique (focusing on one thing you can either see, hear, feel, smell or touch) as well as utilizing a weighted blanket. The idea is to center yourself during times of anxiety.

Rating your anxiety and depression levels, periodically, (on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst) may assist you to locate triggers. It may be beneficial to document these scores in a journal.

When having the negative thoughts, I would practice thought stopping. This is when you stop yourself and force yourself to have an "opposite" or positive thought. Remember, You do not want to jump to negative conclusions, about a situation, without evidence. Only focus on the facts that you know.

If your motivation level is low, start by putting one task on the calendar a day. Don't focus a a huge task list. Break down the list. You may even look into time blocking. (Ex. From 10-2 I  am going to ......). Maybe create a list of short-term and long term goals as well as steps to achieving these goals. 

Self-care is really important. This includes eating healthy, exercising, practicing good hygiene, obtaining an appropriate amount of sleep, utilizing positive words of affirmation and spending time doing things you enjoy.

What does your support system look like? Do you have friends and family that you can reach out to if needed. If so, I encourage you to do so. If not, there are many ways to build a support system (meetup.com for example).

I hope this information has been helpful.

Please feel free to contact us, again, in the future if we can be of help to you.

Have a wonderful day!

Alicia Powell, LCSW.