Low mood, depression, exhaustion & burnout
Wellbeing issues that impact on your mood and energy
Persistent low mood which can lead to depression over time can be a debilitating experience for young people and adults. Research suggests that depression affects roughly 1 in 10 individuals each year.
Workplace burnout has also risen rapidly in our modern, always-connected culture, with estimates of up to 30% of working professionals experiencing severe exhaustion and a loss of professional efficacy due to chronic workplace stress.
Exhaustion and burnout are connected experiences relating to the accumulation of a life situation where people move from thriving to struggling to survive. People can cope by withdrawing from their world, becoming less connected with people and what they used to do to help their lives to be fulfilling. Activities and people that were important to them are less so, because they lack the energy and motivation to engage in everyday life.
You are not alone in how persistent low mood or exhaustion affects people
Key signs that research and our clients share include a persistent low mood, waking up in the morning feeling just as tired as when you went to bed, a total loss of pleasure in hobbies you used to love (anhedonia), changes in appetite, brain fog and a heavy, physical sluggishness that makes small tasks feel like climbing a mountain.
People can feel that their work confidence and performance takes a dip, sometimes leading to time off work or a loss of work. Depression and burnout can put a strain on relationships and make it much harder for the person to care for themselves in ways in which they know they would like to.
Lifting our mood and depression
Our approach understands that depression is a physical state caused by constant worry, anxiety and overwhelm, connected to then unmet emotional needs and exhausted sleep patterns, rather than a brain chemical imbalance. It may also be complicated by trauma, grief or loss, addiction patterns which can form as coping mechanisms and also impacted by our brain design (neurotypical and neurodiverse).
We refer to this as a cycle of depression and psychoeducation to better understand what is happening is central to helping someone to rebalance their life. The kind of areas of work relating to lifting someone out of depression and burnout include building motivation, lifting stress and anxiety, improving sleep, building consistent and healthy patterns in nutrition and exercise, for example.
Building genuine hope and rebalancing your wellbeing
Our approach is patient, positive and practical in nature. We can teach skills in emotion self awareness and regulation, and advice that makes change as easy as possible for people. Progress may be gradual and one step at a time, and our therapists are here to walk alongisde you in your journey to rebalancing your wellbeing. With just a little momentum, it can be much easier to find your stride again and feel that your life is moving to be in a better balance.