Depression and Anxiety

We’ve put these two together under one heading because they often go together, being two sides of the same emotional coin. Here’s why. 

When something happens that hurts, provokes, or worries us, our phylogenetically primitive part of the brain kicks in with its “fight or flight” reaction. Everything in our body goes on red alert. The fight or flight part of the brain evolved in innumerable animals, including us, to deal with threats to our very life, like a saber-toothed tiger targeting to kill us in Cro-Magnon days. You can also see it in the predatory wolf chasing down the prey fawn for five miles before the fawn finally gives up in utter exhaustion and terror as the wolf crushes its throat. It is that same fight or flight that gets mobilized by battles today—except that such battles are no longer momentary life or death struggles. Instead, the battles may continue from day to day in our marriages, families, or jobs. And the struggle is no longer a literal life and death battle, but more symbolic, like fighting for one’s “emotional survival” in a loveless marriage or wrestling for “financial survival” in a dead end job. These cultural “battles for survival” still do mobilize all our body’s resources and defenses to instantly prepare us for either fighting back or running away. The problem is, we can neither fight back to stop the battle nor run to escape it. We’re stuck. And now what? 

Depression and Anxiety

We’ve put these two together under one heading because they often go together, being two sides of the same emotional coin. Here’s why. 

When something happens that hurts, provokes, or worries us, our phylogenetically primitive part of the brain kicks in with its “fight or flight” reaction. Everything in our body goes on red alert. The fight or flight part of the brain evolved in innumerable animals, including us, to deal with threats to our very life, like a saber-toothed tiger targeting to kill us in Cro-Magnon days. You can also see it in the predatory wolf chasing down the prey fawn for five miles before the fawn finally gives up in utter exhaustion and terror as the wolf crushes its throat. It is that same fight or flight that gets mobilized by battles today—except that such battles are no longer momentary life or death struggles. Instead, the battles may continue from day to day in our marriages, families, or jobs. And the struggle is no longer a literal life and death battle, but more symbolic, like fighting for one’s “emotional survival” in a loveless marriage or wrestling for “financial survival” in a dead end job. These cultural “battles for survival” still do mobilize all our body’s resources and defenses to instantly prepare us for either fighting back or running away. The problem is, we can neither fight back to stop the battle nor run to escape it. We’re stuck. And now what? 
Sad lady — Psychological Counseling in Bethlehem, PA
Sad child because of fighting parents — Psychological Counseling in Bethlehem, PA
Sad man — Psychological Counseling in Bethlehem, PA
Beyond all that, we often just try to bury the battles out of conscious awareness—because we have no idea what else to do with them. We can be so successful in doing that, that we wake up anxious or depressed but not knowing why. Now we’re shadow boxing. We fight, but have no idea anymore what we’re fighting against or for. We can have difficulty falling asleep because we’re unconsciously on red alert. We can feel anxious throughout the day, even have panic attacks. We can swing from feeling really down to feeling really anxious, or both at the same time. We can feel tired, easily frustrated, and angry—always on edge—seemingly without a reason. We can cry out of the blue. Lose our appetite. Feel lonely and isolated. All these are signals that our fight or flight is being constantly triggered. 
Sad lady — Psychological Counseling in Bethlehem, PA
Sad child because of fighting parents — Psychological Counseling in Bethlehem, PA
Sad man — Psychological Counseling in Bethlehem, PA
Beyond all that, we often just try to bury the battles out of conscious awareness—because we have no idea what else to do with them. We can be so successful in doing that, that we wake up anxious or depressed but not knowing why. Now we’re shadow boxing. We fight, but have no idea anymore what we’re fighting against or for. We can have difficulty falling asleep because we’re unconsciously on red alert. We can feel anxious throughout the day, even have panic attacks. We can swing from feeling really down to feeling really anxious, or both at the same time. We can feel tired, easily frustrated, and angry—always on edge—seemingly without a reason. We can cry out of the blue. Lose our appetite. Feel lonely and isolated. All these are signals that our fight or flight is being constantly triggered. 
Counseling can help to identify where your reactions are coming from, calm the instinctive fight or flight, and show you how to change how you react— allowing you to actually use the problem to your advantage.
Associations:
American Psychotherapy Association; Pennsylvania Psychological Association; American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy 

Board Licensed Psychologist; Clinical Fellow with American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (AAMFT) 
Fellow, American Psychotherapy Association
Counseling can help to identify where your reactions are coming from, calm the instinctive fight or flight, and show you how to change how you react— allowing you to actually use the problem to your advantage. 
Associations:
American Psychotherapy Association; Pennsylvania Psychological Association; American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy 

Board Licensed Psychologist; Clinical Fellow with American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (AAMFT) 
Fellow, American Psychotherapy Association
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