Roy Huggins, MS NCC

Our bodies and minds do a lot of funny things to protect us from harm. We experience pain when something hurts us. “Depression and anxiety are named and diagnosed separately, but it's my opinion that they are different aspects of the same thing.” When we’re injured, the injury becomes inflamed. Also, we get anxious, and we get depressed.

Anxiety is the emotional version of physical pain. Experiencing it helps you know that something is wrong. It keeps you on your toes. It helps you stay awake when danger is around. But your mind may not know when the anxiety isn’t necessary anymore. Your head might start racing with thoughts of what could happen or how you could have handled a bad situation better.

Sometimes it goes further. You lose the sense of hope that accompanies that rumination. You see your world as hopeless, distant and you just feel down. We call this feeling depression.

Depression and anxiety are named and diagnosed separately, but it’s my opinion that they are different aspects of the same thing. When you feel disturbed, anxiety drives you to find solutions and do something, even if you don’t know what the right thing to do is. Depression comes when you feel like there’s nothing you can do. You feel like you’re helpless, and you withdraw and maybe slow down. Most people who suffer from one also suffer from the other to some extent, because they are intertwined.

In my practice, anxiety and depression treatment is dependent on the person and his or her situation, but it usually centers around finding safety and personal resources. These disturbances of mood often come from a feeling that you’re not safe or not okay. I work with clients to find ways of shifting this situation, finding resources for safety and, from there, affecting change.

If you’re interested in having me work with you to find that way of affecting change, read about how to set an appointment and get in contact with me for a consultation session. I look forward to hearing from you.