Everyone feels down, low or "blue" from time to time, and such feelings are a normal part of our emotional landscape. However, if you feel like you cannot see anything positive coming to you in the future or that the dark thoughts may never go away, you may be suffering from depression. Depression is different from normal sadness in that it takes over your day-to-day life and interferes with your ability to work, study, eat, sleep and find enjoyment in social activities.

Depression can make you feel alone, helpless, hopeless, empty and numb. Depression can also have a physical effect, making it hard to get up and start your normal routine. Depression is more common in women but it just as detrimental for men. With men, however, there is also the possibility of increased anger, aggressiveness and restlessness. With the help and support of a therapist, however, you can minimize these feelings and overcome the difficult beliefs associated with depression.

Are you constantly tense, worried or on edge?
Are you plagued by fears that you know to be irrational, but cannot seem to shake?
Do you avoid everyday situations or activities because they cause you overwhelming stress and discomfort?
Do you experience sudden, unexpected attacks of heart pounding anxiety?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Life is full of challenges; job interviews, exams or even re-entering the dating world can cause stress and feelings of being overwhelmed. However, if your worries and fears are causing you to become so overwhelmed they begin to affect your daily functioning, you may want be suffering from an anxiety disorder. There are my different types of anxiety disorders and as many effective treatments and self-help tools. Once you understand your anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to reduce your symptoms and regain control of your life. With the help of a therapist, you can learn what some of these techniques are, how to put them into action and start minimizing your experience of your anxiety.

Two people cannot be expected to agree with each other on everything and conflict is a natural part of any relationship. People will disagree over values, motivations, perceptions, ideas or desires. Sometimes what seems trivial to one person, may trigger a strong emotional reaction in others. Everyone wants to feel understood, nurtured and supported and this need is often the crux of many interpersonal conflicts. A lack of understanding can result in distance, arguments and the disillusion of the relationship.

The needs of both parties play an important role in the long-term success of most relationships. A therapist can help you to recognize these differing needs and address how to respond to them. In addition, therapist can help you to recognize the importance of perspective and proper communication in efforts to avoid future conflicts. With the assistance of a therapist, you can recognize the legitimacy of conflicting needs and examine them with compassionate understanding. This opens the door to creative problem solving, team building, and improved relationships.

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your natural balance in some way. Our modern life is full of hassles, deadlines and frustrations that can put us on edge. In small doses, stress can effectively keep us focused and on task, but when stress is a constant undertone in our day to day routine, our minds and bodies can pay the price. Our ability to concentrate, sense of judgment and perceptions can become distorted and our emotions/actions can take an erratic turn. In addition, our bodies can start to experience aches, pains and gastrointestinal trouble and lead us to sleep more or less than normal or increase our use of harmful elements like cigarettes, alcohol or drugs.

Each person handles and responds to stress differently, therefore there are a number of different stress management techniques available to assist you in recognizing the areas of your life in need of some change or re-tuning. With the support of a therapist, you can also learn how to react differently to those situations you cannot change as well as maintaining positive self-care and learning to properly relax your body and mind.

Abuse and bullying can affect virtually anyone from all walks of life, including men, women, children, and seniors. Abuse can take form physically, emotionally, sexually, by general neglect or even self-inflicted harm. . As well as being deeply hurtful, abuse and bullying can leave anyone feeling frightened, angry, depressed, and completely undermined.

No one should have to face such things alone and no one should be made to live in fear. Whether you're the abused, the abuser, or a concerned friend or family member, it's important to know that there is help available to stop the cycle of abuse. With the assistance of a therapist and learning about the different types of abuse and what you can do to stop or prevent it, you can make a huge difference in your own or someone else's life and re-gain control.

Most tend to associate grief with the death of a loved one, but any loss can cause grief, including the loss of a relationship, your health, your job, or a cherished dream. After a significant loss, you may experience all kinds of difficult and surprising emotions, such as shock, anger, and guilt. Less significant loss, like moving from a family home, changing jobs or graduating from college can also lead to feelings of grief. The more intense the sense of loss, the more intense the feelings of grief will present themselves.

While these emotions can be very painful, accepting them as part of the grieving process and allowing yourself to feel that is necessary for healing. No one can tell you when this process will end and the grief will subside, but with the assistance of a therapist, you can learn how to address the feelings associated with loss, learn new coping techniques and begin the healing process.

With an eating disorder, you may believe that being thin is the key to being happy or that having control over what you eat is the same as having control over your self or your life. Focusing on body weight and/or eating habits only measures your worth by how you look. The truth, however,is that happiness, confidence and self-empowerment come from fully accepting yourself for who you are and recognizing the positives that you bring to those around you. The road to recovery starts with admitting you have a problem, which can be difficult if you are still holding on to the belief that weight loss is the key to happiness. Even when you accept this is a distorted belief, breaking the habits that support the belief can still be extremely difficult.

With the assistance of a supportive therapist, you can challenge these beliefs and behaviours while also maintaining the motivation to change. In addition, a therapist will not just help you to focus on challenging distorted beliefs, but will also help to develop and rediscover your self-esteem and who you are beyond your eating habits, body image and weight.