What are the signs of depression?
Signs of depression include:
- Feeling low for a long time
- Negative thoughts
- Worrying thoughts
- Self-blame
- Guilt
- Hopelessness
- Lack of motivation
- Lack of energy
- Difficulty paying attention and keeping track of things
- Sleep problems
- Suicidal thoughts
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
How does it feel to be depressed?
Being depressed can feel like having a heavy blanket pulled over your whole life. Everything can feel pointless and hopeless, as if nothing really matters any more. Many people describe a kind of emotional numbness: not sad, not happy, just... nothing.
Your thoughts can be full of self-blame and a sense of not being enough. It can feel as if you are worthless, not good enough, not capable enough, or that you don't matter at all. Negative thoughts can overshadow everything, and it can feel impossible to find the energy or motivation to do the things you used to enjoy.
Many people withdraw from others and isolate themselves, because being with people can feel overwhelming or pointless. At the same time, there may be a nagging sense of guilt: a thought that you should feel differently, that you shouldn't be a burden on others.
It can also be hard to concentrate. Your mind wanders, and even small tasks can feel overwhelming. Things that used to be easy now take an enormous effort.
Depression is much more than sadness. It is a heavy feeling that affects your whole way of experiencing the world. But that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. It is possible to get help and find your way back to a meaningful life.
Why do people become depressed?
Depression often develops when we have been under pressure or overloaded for a long time, or have been through difficult things we haven't had a chance to process. Many people develop depression after a period of stress, when the body eventually says no. Low self-esteem and negative stories about yourself can also play a part: if we have felt inadequate or not good enough for a long time, it can affect how we see ourselves and contribute to depression.
Traumatic experiences, loss or betrayal can also lead to depression, especially if you have been left alone with your feelings. Loneliness can deepen depression, because as human beings we need closeness and connection with others. In many ways, depression is the body's and mind's attempt to protect and heal themselves; it just doesn't quite work that way. Sometimes it takes support to understand and work through what lies behind it, so you don't stay stuck in the feeling of hopelessness.
Online treatment of depression with me
I meet you with recognition and understanding, exactly where you are. Together, we explore which thoughts, feelings and experiences lie behind the depression, and why they have arisen. The aim is to help you meet them with care, while we also challenge the patterns that keep you stuck in feeling low.
The treatment often involves small, concrete exercises that we practise in therapy and that you can use in your everyday life. We work with your feelings, and sometimes that means finding the primary feelings that the depression is overshadowing. Many people need to learn to set healthy boundaries and to discover what gives them energy and meaning in life. Together, we work on what feels important to you.
Benefits of online therapy for depression
Online therapy lets you get help in a way that is flexible and easy to fit into your everyday life. You can stay at home where you feel safe, and you don't need to spend time travelling or coordinating, which can be a strain in a busy week.
The therapy can be adapted to your needs and take place at times that suit you, including outside normal working hours. You only spend the time the session actually lasts, which keeps it simple and efficient. You can also often get an appointment quickly, so you can start treating your depression straight away.
Online therapy is simple and takes very little to get started: all you need is a quiet place and internet access on a computer, tablet or phone. Sessions are held in English, wherever you live in Denmark.
What is the best remedy for depression?
The most important thing is to get support to slowly start feeling your feelings again. Depression can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself, so it is about reconnecting with your feelings and understanding what they are telling you. When you get help to read what the depression is really about, and which needs lie behind it, change becomes possible.
Professional help can make a crucial difference, but it is also important to talk to someone you trust, so you are not alone with your thoughts. Depression thrives in isolation, which is why support, closeness and understanding are among the most important ways through it.
What my clients say
I came to Marlene with one central question I wanted to find an answer to. For me, the therapy became a really lovely journey of learning, where I not only got more clarity about my situation, but also had the chance to look deep into myself and reflect on my own patterns and core conflicts. Marlene is good at holding on to the essential questions and feelings, and at supporting and nudging me with care when needed.
Marlene is committed and empathetic, and creates a safe space where it is easy to share, especially because she invests herself in the conversation too. I was very glad to have a course of therapy with Marlene, and I would definitely recommend it to others, and use it again myself if I ever needed to.
We are so incredibly glad to be in therapy with you, and from session to session we can feel how we are changing for the better, both individually and together. You are wonderfully skilled at guiding the conversation and the space between us. We want you to know that.
Couples therapy has helped us in different ways. I have come to know T’s motives in a different way from what I assumed before. T has learned to listen better than before, and not necessarily to look for solutions, but simply to listen.
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I can also help with
- Couples therapyAre poor communication, recurring conflicts or a lack of security getting in the way of your relationship?
- Family therapyDo you often feel misunderstood, or find your feelings running high in close relationships, for example with your children?
- Low self-esteemDo you tend to be hard on yourself and put other people's needs before your own?
- Life crisesAre you facing life-changing events, or do you need help navigating your current situation in life?
- AnxietyDoes it feel as if you are often on high alert? We all have an alarm system that helps us when we face danger, but when we have anxiety...
- StressDo you feel as if you are drowning in your own life? Stress is not a diagnosis but a state of overwhelm that arises when there is far too much on our plate.