Breaking Depression by Leslie "Les" Gura, LCMHC, NCC, CCTP

Les Gura, LCMHC, NCC, CCTP

As a clinical mental health counselor, I see many people who have depressive symptoms: lack of interest and motivation, little energy, low self-esteem. And although I’m fortunate not to have had depression in my lifetime, I do know most of us, including myself, typically experience the symptoms at some point.

Mine came in late 2015. I was in a relationship with Terrie, who I wound up marrying the next year, but my work life was a mess. I had a boss who wanted me gone and was doing everything in her power to make that happen. I knew that her criticisms and nit-picking of my work were, at best, vastly exaggerated. But I felt powerless.

Terrie was the person who opened my eyes about my depressive symptoms.

One day, she told me how she hated Sunday afternoons. I thought it was pointing to the end of the weekend and our time together. “No,” she told me. “I hate it because your whole mood changes.”

When I questioned her, she said by early afternoon on Sundays, it was as if a dark cloud had descended on me. I became withdrawn and guarded.

Her words were a revelation. I realized how much the situation at work was affecting other parts of my life—the important parts, at that, like my relationship with Terrie. Something had to change.

Which brings up why depression can feel so difficult. Depression is not always as obvious as its counterpart, anxiety. With anxiety, you can literally feel signals within your body such as tightness in the chest or gut, nausea, headaches. Depression can be more subtle. Yet there are ways to address it.

First, it’s important to speak with your physician or a psychiatrist. In the past 30 years, many new medicines have come on the market that can be game-changers for people with chronic depression or even just depressive symptoms. Yes, medical solutions often require patience and tweaks in dosage or prescription until they do the job. And yes, many have side effects that can outweigh the benefits. But this is a valid and frequent first step toward easing depressive symptoms.

Second, talk therapy can be an important way to explore the negative things happening in your life. A therapist is an empathetic, non-advice-giver who can listen and perhaps open your mind to solutions that the depressive symptoms may be preventing you from accessing.

Many research studies have shown that a combination of medication and talk therapy provides the best chance of reducing the cyclical nature of depression.

Back in 2015, my therapist gave me the space to simply talk about my unhappiness in my job and my then career in communications and marketing. Those sessions got me to thinking about what I really wanted to do with the rest of my working life, and that’s how I wound up in the same career as him. He never said a word suggesting it. I had to discover based on my own reflections that counseling was the right career for me. Once I made the decision, my therapist was an enthusiastic supporter.

He remains my therapist all these years later.

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