4 – The Black Dog Barks

…but thankfully it’s still not as bad as it’s been in the past. Self awareness is a hard journey, but it helps you put things in perspective when the black dog does return. For instance, while I’m feeling this shitty way, I know it’s temporary, and that I can ride it out if I just have patience. In the past, it felt all-consuming, and like it would never end.

Some links if this is something you experience yourself:

Breathing Space

The Samaritans

Living Life to the Full

The single best thing you can do if you’re feeling shitty is to get it dealt with. Go see your GP, contact a local counselling service, or even just talk to a friend or family member. The worst thing you can do with depression is to bottle it up – it will get worse. Feelings of isolation are worsened by depression, but talking about it does help.

Person Centred Counselling tends to be more suited to depression and anxiety, while CBT is best for short term anxiety problems, although it also depends on your own personality type, so talk it over with a GP or free counselling telephone service.

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