Life in Brooklyn is vibrant, creative, and full of possibility. It can also be relentless. Between demanding careers, packed calendars, relationships that need real attention, and the constant hum of city life, it is easy to feel stretched thin and quietly worn down.
Maybe you wake up with a knot in your stomach before the day has even started. Maybe you are functioning well on the outside while feeling exhausted, numb, or overwhelmed on the inside. Or maybe something from your past keeps resurfacing, no matter how hard you try to move forward.
You are not alone, and you do not have to figure this out by yourself. At Flourish Psychology, a woman-owned boutique private practice, we provide warm, personalized mental health therapy in Brooklynand virtually throughout New York State. This guide walks you through when to seek support, what healing can look like, and how to take a first step that feels manageable.
When Is It Time to Seek Mental Health Support?
Many people wait far longer than they need to before reaching out. They tell themselves that things are not bad enough, that other people have it worse, or that they should be able to handle it alone. If you are a driven, self-aware person, this mindset may sound familiar.
The truth is that you do not need to be in crisis to deserve support. Therapy is a practical, proactive way to understand yourself, ease emotional pain, and build skills that last.
Common Signs It May Be Time to Talk to a Therapist
You might consider starting therapy if you notice any of the following:
Worry or racing thoughts that are hard to switch off, even when nothing feels obviously wrong
A persistent low mood, loss of interest, or feeling emotionally flat
Trouble sleeping, concentrating, or feeling rested
Feeling stuck in your career, relationships, or sense of direction
Ongoing tension, conflict, or distance in your relationships
Burnout that rest alone does not seem to fix
A sense of disconnection from yourself or the life you want to be living
If several of these resonate, that does not mean something is wrong with you. It means you are human, and you may be carrying more than anyone should carry alone. Seeking help is an act of strength and a meaningful way to care for yourself.
What Does Compassionate, Personalized Therapy Look Like?
Everyone arrives with a different story, different goals, and a different pace. That is why a single approach does not work for everyone. Good therapy begins with feeling heard, respected, and safe enough to be honest.
At Flourish Psychology, our licensed therapists take the time to understand what you are experiencing, what you hope will change, and what has or has not helped before. From there, your care is shaped around you rather than around a template.
The Benefits of a Boutique Private Practice
A boutique practice means you are not a number in a large system. You receive thoughtful attention, a calm and comfortable environment, and a level of discretion that many clients value deeply.
Our therapists also consult with one another. This team approach means your clinician can draw on shared expertise when your situation calls for it, adding depth and perspective to your care.
Emotional Wellness and Personal Growth, Together
Healing is not only about reducing symptoms. For many people, it is also aboutpersonal and professional growth: building confidence, setting healthier boundaries, understanding your patterns, and creating a life that feels more aligned with your values.
Our work supports both emotional and mental wellness and meaningful personal development. Whether you want relief from anxiety, help navigating a career transition, or simply a steadier sense of self, therapy can be a place to do that work.
What Concerns Can Therapy Help With?
The therapists at Flourish Psychology work with a wide range of experiences and challenges. Here is how support can look across some of the most common areas.
Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety can show up as constant worry, tension in the body, irritability, or a feeling that you can never fully relax. In a fast-moving city like Brooklyn, it is easy to mistake this for simply being busy.
Therapy helps you understand what fuels your anxiety and teaches practical skills to respond differently. Stress and anxiety support can also include learning to manage pressure, set limits, and restore balance when your workload feels endless.
Burnout and Emotional Exhaustion
Burnout goes beyond tiredness. It can feel like a complete depletion of motivation, emotional numbness, and a growing sense of disconnection from work or relationships that once felt meaningful.
Through life coaching and therapeutic support, you can begin to identify the patterns driving your burnout and build a more sustainable way of living and working.
Personal and Professional Growth
Not everyone comes to therapy in crisis. Many people seek support because they want more: more clarity, more confidence, more alignment between who they are and how they are living.
Life coaching within a therapeutic context can help you navigate career transitions, strengthen relationships, clarify your values, and move toward goals that feel genuinely meaningful.
Emotional and Mental Wellness
Sometimes the concern is harder to name. You may feel off without knowing exactly why, or you may sense that old patterns keep showing up in new situations. Therapy offers a space to explore these experiences without judgment and develop a deeper understanding of yourself.
Which Approaches Support Lasting Change?
There is no single method that suits every person. At Flourish Psychology, your therapist will recommend what fits your needs and goals, and you will always have a voice in the process.
Stress and Anxiety Support
Evidence-based approaches to stress and anxiety help you identify the thoughts, habits, and situations that keep you stuck in cycles of worry or overwhelm. With consistent support, you can develop practical tools to interrupt those cycles and respond to pressure with greater steadiness.
Life Coaching
Life coaching focuses on where you are now and where you want to go. It is goal-oriented, forward-focused, and grounded in your strengths. Whether you are navigating a major life change or simply feeling unclear about your direction, this approach can help you move forward with intention.
Why Choose Flourish Psychology for Therapy in Brooklyn?
Choosing a therapist is a personal decision, and it should feel right. Here is what clients can expect from our practice.
Licensed, specialized therapists focused on emotional wellness, stress, anxiety, and personal growth
A team approach, with therapists who consult with each other to strengthen your care
A woman-owned boutique practice with clinical expertise featured in national outlets, including Women’s Health and Vice
Flexible access, with in-person sessions in Brooklyn Heights and virtual sessions throughout New York State
Research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic relationship plays a meaningful role in outcomes. That is why Flourish Psychology puts real care into matching you with the right clinician from the start.
How Do You Take the First Step Toward Therapy?
Starting therapy can feel intimidating, especially if you have never done it before or if past experiences have left you unsure. The goal is to make this step feel simple and pressure-free.
Begin With a Free Consultation
Your journey starts with a free consultation. This is a chance to share what has been going on, ask questions, and get a sense of how we work. There is no obligation to continue.
Based on what you share, Flourish Psychology matches you with the therapist best suited to your needs, preferences, and goals. You are welcome to tell us what matters most to you, whether that is a particular approach, a specific area of focus, or simply someone who feels easy to talk to.
What to Expect in Your First Sessions
Early sessions are about getting to know you. Your therapist will ask about your history, your current challenges, and what you hope to change. Together, you will outline goals and decide how to move forward at a pace that feels right.
You can choose in-person sessions at our Brooklyn Heights office or virtual sessions from anywhere in New York State. It is normal to feel nervous at first. Many clients share that they felt relief soon after simply being listened to.
How Can You Keep Growing Between Sessions?
Healing does not only happen in the therapy room. It happens in the small moments of your week, when you pause before reacting, set a boundary, ask for what you need, or choose rest over pushing through.
Your therapist will help you bring the insights and skills from therapy into daily life. You might practice grounding techniques, reflect on patterns you notice, or experiment with new ways of communicating.
Small Habits That Support Your Progress
Your therapist can tailor suggestions to your specific situation, but these foundations often help:
Keep a consistent sleep routine whenever possible
Move your body in ways that feel good rather than punishing
Spend time with people who leave you feeling supported
Set aside brief moments for quiet, breathing, or reflection
Notice and name your emotions without judging them
Progress is rarely a straight line. Setbacks do not erase the work you have done, and a good therapist will help you learn from them rather than feel discouraged.
You Deserve to Feel Better, and Support Is Within Reach
Feeling your best does not mean never struggling. It means having the understanding, tools, and support to meet life’s challenges with more steadiness and self-compassion. Healing is possible, and you do not have to do it alone.
If you are ready to begin, Flourish Psychology is here to guide you with expertise and genuine care. Book your free consultation today, and we will match you with the therapist best suited to help you move from simply getting by to truly flourishing, whether in Brooklyn Heights or virtually anywhere in New York State.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has more research behind it than almost any other mental health treatment approach. The core of it is that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all influence each other and changing patterns in one area produces changes in others.
Therapists working from a CBT framework help clients identify thought patterns that create distress, examine whether those patterns are accurate, and develop more functional ways of responding to the situations that trigger them.
How that looks in practice shifts considerably depending on what’s being treated. CBT for depression uses different techniques than CBT for OCD. CBT for trauma is structured differently than CBT for panic disorder. The model is consistent, but CBT is not one simple, one size fits all approach. It changes for therapists and for patients.
CBT for Anxiety
Anxiety is sustained by two mechanisms that reinforce each other: catastrophic thinking, where the brain consistently overestimates threat and underestimates the ability to cope, and avoidance, where steering clear of feared situations prevents the brain from learning that feared outcomes either won’t happen or can be managed.
CBT for anxiety targets both. Cognitive restructuring challenges the accuracy of anxious thoughts — not through forced positivity, but through a systematic examination of evidence for and against them. Exposure work involves gradually approaching feared situations rather than avoiding them, teaching the nervous system through direct experience that the feared outcome is survivable. Together, they produce durable change rather than temporary symptom management.
For generalized anxiety disorder, the work tends to center on the worry process itself — the tendency to catastrophize, the difficulty tolerating uncertainty, and the mental habits that keep anxiety running in the background even when nothing specific is wrong. For social anxiety, the focus shifts to the beliefs driving fear of judgment and the avoidance patterns that reinforce them. For panic disorder, CBT specifically addresses the misinterpretation of physical sensations — the way the brain learns to read a racing heart or shortness of breath as signs of danger — and uses interoceptive exposure to correct that misreading.
CBT for Depression
Depression involves a different set of cognitive patterns than anxiety — less about threat and more about loss, failure, and worthlessness. The CBT model for depression identifies and challenges cognitive distortions: all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, mental filtering that screens out positive information, and the tendency to personalize negative outcomes.
CBT for depression also addresses the behavioral dimension of the condition directly. Depression produces withdrawal and inactivity, and withdrawal and inactivity deepen depression — a cycle that behavioral activation interrupts by scheduling engagement with activities that provide a sense of mastery or pleasure, even when motivation is absent. The insight that action precedes motivation rather than following it is one of the more practically useful things CBT offers people with depression.
For major depressive disorder, CBT tends to be more structured and goal-oriented than in other presentations. For persistent depressive disorder — depression present for two or more years — the work often involves identifying the ways low mood has become embedded in identity and daily functioning, which requires more time and a different focus than episodic depression.
CBT for Trauma and PTSD
CBT for PTSD and trauma has its own specialized forms, the most researched of which are Trauma-Focused CBT and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Both work from the CBT model but adapt it specifically for the way trauma affects memory, belief, and the nervous system.
Trauma often produces what clinicians call stuck points — beliefs about the self, the world, or other people that formed in response to the traumatic experience and became fixed.
“It was my fault.”
“The world is completely unsafe.”
“I can’t trust anyone.”
Cognitive Processing Therapy works directly with these beliefs, helping clients examine them, trace where they came from, and replace them with more accurate and functional ones.
Unlike CBT for anxiety, trauma-focused CBT does not begin with exposure. The therapeutic relationship and a foundation of stabilization come first. Moving too quickly into traumatic material without adequate preparation can retraumatize rather than heal — which is why trauma treatment at Flourish Psychology follows a careful, staged approach, often combining CBT with EMDR or Brainspotting depending on what serves the individual client best.
CBT for OCD
OCD responds to a specific CBT protocol called Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP. OCD operates through a cycle: an intrusive thought generates anxiety, a compulsion is performed to relieve that anxiety, and the relief reinforces the compulsion — teaching the brain that the compulsion is necessary for safety. ERP interrupts the cycle by exposing the person to the feared thought or situation without allowing the compulsive response, giving the brain the experience it needs to learn that the anxiety subsides on its own.
ERP requires a careful, gradual approach built on a hierarchy of feared situations, starting with lower-anxiety triggers and working toward more difficult ones. It also requires that the therapist has specific training in OCD treatment — standard CBT without the ERP component is significantly less effective for OCD than ERP-specific protocols. Not every CBT therapist is trained in ERP, and for someone with OCD, that distinction matters when choosing who to work with.
CBT for Eating Disorders
CBT for eating disorders — particularly for bulimia and binge eating disorder — is one of the most evidence-supported treatments available for these conditions. The CBT model identifies the specific thought patterns and behavioral cycles that maintain disordered eating: rigid dietary rules that set up restriction-binge cycles, the over-evaluation of shape and weight as a basis for self-worth, and the use of eating behaviors to manage emotional states.
Treatment typically involves regular food monitoring, behavioral experiments that challenge dietary rules, and cognitive work targeting the beliefs about body image and self-worth that drive the restriction. For anorexia, CBT is part of a broader treatment picture that addresses medical stability alongside the psychological work — the cognitive patterns in anorexia are particularly entrenched and require a longer, more carefully structured approach than other eating disorder presentations.
CBT for Perfectionism
Perfectionism has its own CBT framework, distinct from general anxiety protocols even though the two frequently co-occur. The CBT model for perfectionism identifies the core belief that self-worth depends on achievement and performance, the behavioral patterns that maintain it — checking, procrastination, excessive effort, avoidance of tasks where failure is possible — and the way those patterns worsen both performance and wellbeing over time.
Treatment involves behavioral experiments designed to test the beliefs driving perfectionism — deliberately doing something well enough rather than perfectly and observing what actually happens — alongside cognitive work targeting the all-or-nothing standards that make ordinary human error feel catastrophic. For high-achieving clients in demanding professional environments, this work often connects directly to career-related stress and the pressures of performing at a sustained high level in a city like New York.
CBT in Combination with Other Approaches
CBT rarely operates in isolation in skilled clinical practice. At Flourish Psychology, therapists draw from DBT, ACT, somatic therapy, and other modalities alongside CBT, combining approaches based on what the client’s specific presentation calls for. CBT provides an evidence-based cognitive and behavioral framework — other modalities address dimensions of experience that CBT alone doesn’t always reach, including the body, the therapeutic relationship, and material that doesn’t surface easily through structured cognitive work.
The right combination depends on the person, the condition, and how the work develops over time.
Flourish Psychology offers CBT and a full range of evidence-based treatments at their Brooklyn Heights office, with online therapy available throughout New York State. To get started, call 917-737-9475 or schedule an appointment online.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a widely used therapeutic approach that addresses dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic process. While CBT is well known as a treatment for a variety of mental health conditions, it is not a single treatment but one of many techniques that are all focused on addressing cognitions and behaviors under the same philosophy.
Guided Discovery is one such CBT technique. The technique involves the therapist desiring and working towards helping the client discover insights and solutions into themselves, rather than providing any direct advice or interpretation.
How Guided Discovery Works and Why It’s Used
Guided Discovery is based on the principle that clients often have the capacity to resolve their own problems – and may benefit from solving problems for themselves – but may need help in doing so. The therapist uses a collaborative and Socratic questioning style (what do you mean by that? Why do you think you think that?) to guide clients in exploring their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and in understanding the connections among them. Components of Guided Discovery include:
Collaborative Empiricism – This approach involves working together to investigate the client’s thoughts and beliefs and their validity or usefulness.
Socratic Questioning – The therapist uses thoughtful, open-ended questions to encourage deeper reflection and exploration of a client’s experiences and beliefs.
Self-Discovery – The goal is for clients to arrive at insights and answers independently, leading to a more profound and lasting understanding of their issues.
Typically, the therapist has an idea of what they want the client to realize and achieve. But they want the client to determine it for themselves, so that it comes from a deeper self-understanding rather than being told by someone what they need to do and causing them to potentially become defensive or ignore the advice.
Example of How Guided Discovery Works
Patients with anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions typically struggle with negative thinking, black/white thinking, and other similar issues. For example, a client may feel like a failure because of a mistake they made at work. The therapist will then ask questions to explore this belief, such as “What evidence do we have that making a mistake equates to being a failure?” or “How do you define failure and success?”
The patient could say “everyone makes mistakes, it’s not a failure,” but telling a patient that is often not as effective. Instead, as the client answers these questions, they begin to notice and see for themselves that the making a mistake is a common human experience, and not indicative of failure.
Your Therapist, CBT, and Guided Discovery
Our therapists only use guided discovery when appropriate, along with other CBT and psychotherapy principles. But when it is utilized, it can be very effective for helping patients truly understand more about themselves. This approach respects the client’s autonomy and encourages active participation in therapy, leading to more meaningful and sustainable change.
Guided Discovery in CBT is a powerful tool that fosters self-awareness and personal growth. By helping clients to understand their thought processes, emotional responses, and behavior patterns, therapists enable them to develop more adaptive ways of thinking and behaving. Guided Discovery exemplifies the collaborative nature of CBT, emphasizing the role of the therapist as a facilitator in the client’s journey towards better mental health.
Within the field of psychotherapy, various approaches offer unique perspectives and techniques for addressing mental health issues. Among these, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are two prominent modalities.
While they share some commonalities, their philosophies and methods also present distinct differences that can support patients as they address. At Flourish Psychology, we may integrate one or both of these treatment approaches as needed to help you with your wellness and recovery. But as you talk to your therapist about the different options, we understand that you may have questions.
Common Ground – CBT and ACT
CBT and ACT, at their core, are both forms of behavioral therapy that emphasize the impact of thoughts on feelings and behaviors. They share a fundamental belief in the interconnectedness of thoughts, emotions, and actions. They have many similarities, including:
Goal-Oriented and Structured – Both therapies are structured and goal-oriented, focusing on helping individuals achieve specific outcomes.
Empowering Individuals – Both approaches aim to empower the individual, equipping them with tools and strategies to manage and improve their mental health.
Evidence-Based – Both CBT and ACT are grounded in research and evidence, demonstrating effectiveness in treating a range of psychological issues.
These similarities are not unexpected, because ACT was developed specifically because of CBT, despite having its own unique differences.
Differences Between CBT and ACT
While sharing some similarities, CBT and ACT diverge significantly in their approach to thoughts and emotions:
CBT’s Focus on Change – CBT is centered around identifying and changing negative or distorted thought patterns. It teaches individuals to challenge and reframe these thoughts to alter emotional responses and behaviors.
ACT’s Emphasis on Acceptance – In contrast, ACT focuses on accepting thoughts and feelings without trying to change them. It advocates for a mindful approach to observe one’s experiences without judgment, learning to coexist with them rather than control them.
The techniques used in CBT and ACT also reflect their philosophical differences:
CBT Techniques – CBT employs techniques like cognitive restructuring to challenge and change negative thoughts, and behavioral experiments to test these thoughts against reality.
ACT Techniques – ACT uses mindfulness and acceptance strategies, helping individuals to develop psychological flexibility. It encourages embracing one’s thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them, and committing to actions that align with personal values.
Despite their differences, CBT and ACT can be complementary. For some, the direct approach of CBT in tackling and changing negative thoughts can be profoundly effective. For others, the acceptance-based approach of ACT can offer a more suitable path, especially for those who may find the constant challenge of thoughts in CBT to be overwhelming.
Working with Your Therapist on Treatment Approaches
While CBT and ACT share some commonalities in their approach to mental health, they offer distinct perspectives on handling thoughts and emotions. CBT’s focus on changing thought patterns contrasts with ACT’s emphasis on accepting and living in harmony with them.
Understanding these differences is crucial for therapists and individuals alike in choosing the most appropriate approach for their unique mental health needs. Whether through changing or accepting thoughts, both therapies ultimately strive towards the common goal of improved mental well-being.
Flourish Psychology offers CBT in NYC. Based in Brooklyn, our CBT therapy services help clients with all different types of mental health struggles find the relief and support they deserve to manage and reduce their symptoms. CBT is an appropriate treatment for a wide range of mental health challenges, but it is best known for its role in treating anxiety.
What is CBT?
CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is a highly researched approach to therapy that provides actionable solutions for both the cognitive (thought) and behavioral actions associated with various mental health conditions. Other therapeutic modalities focus on past issues and try to lead to “breakthroughs.” CBT, on the other hand, is focused on more actionable items like skills training and challenging maladaptive thoughts.
Why Do Patients and Therapists Prefer CBT for Anxiety?
Here in New York City, a different approach, known as psychodynamic theory, was the preferred option for decades. But it has since fallen out of favor for cognitive behavioral therapy, as CBT has shown itself to be a better option. That is especially true for anxiety:
CBT focuses less on your past, and more on your experience as a person. Though our pasts do shape who we are, CBT recognizes that what is most important is helping you become the person you want to be.
CBT is goal oriented and faster. While we often see our patients for years, helping them manage the stress and anxieties of life, the process for CBT for anxiety takes only a few months, helping you see measurable results in a shorter time.
CBT is actionable. While there is immense value in talking about your past, your personality, and other components of your life, we also know that – especially with anxiety – you’re often looking for solutions.
Cognitive behavioral therapy provides many benefits for anxiety that make it not only a popular choice for both patients and therapists – but also a recommended one, shown in the research to be one of the most effective ways to address anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, and other anxiety-related conditions.
Is CBT the Best Choice for All Patients?
Part of our approach here at Flourish Psychology is to truly get to know who you are, why you have anxiety, and what we feel – together – will be the most effective way to address and identify any challenges you face in the short and long term. Often that is CBT. Sometimes it is not.
There are many therapy modalities available to address your mental health and wellness. Our NYC therapists want to find the one that works best for you. Contact Flourish Psychology today to learn more about our Brooklyn CBT services, or connect with your own therapist for you to learn from and grow with.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is sometimes called winter depression. This type of depression typically creeps in during the cold and dark winter months. Symptoms of SAD are quite similar to those associated with major depression. The effects of SAD include feeling depressed for a prolonged period of time, low energy and motivation, feelings of hopelessness and loss of interest in your favorite activities. Seasonal affective disorder may affect your eating habits, which in turn leads to changes in weight. Sleep is also affected, with some experiencing insomnia (lack of sleep) and others experiencing hypersomnia (sleeping too much).
Seasonal Affective Disorder During COVID-19
As you can imagine, the symptoms of SAD are exacerbated while living through a global pandemic. If you’ve been feeling especially depressed recently, you’re not alone. Millions of people across the world are currently coping with increased feelings of loneliness, hopelessness and fear.
The pandemic is far from over. COVID-19 can worsen the effects of SAD in a number of ways. Many of us are still unable to have the level of social interaction that we may have grown accustomed to pre-pandemic. Prolonged social isolation will lead to worsening symptoms of depression and feelings of hopelessness. Additionally, the pandemic has caused so much trauma – deaths, loss of jobs, loss of home, loss of relationships. These stressors are sure to have an impact on your mental health. All of this is coinciding with the holiday season, which can be an emotionally triggering time for many people. With all of these variables happening simultaneously,
Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder shows itself in many ways. Common signs and symptoms include oversleeping and a change in your eating habits. Many people experience increased cravings for carbs or sweets. Because of this weight gain is another common side effect of SAD.
Those experiencing SAD will feel down for most of the day, on an almost daily basis. It’s common to lose interest in activities you typically and to feel sluggish or fatigued. Feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt or shame may pop up during this time of year. You may have difficulty concentrating, which can impact your performance at work or in your relationships. Some people will experience suicidal ideation as a result of SAD.
Tips for coping with SAD During COVID-19
Self-Care Is a Must
During a long and dreary winter, the days tend to bleed into each other and you may find yourself neglecting self-care tasks. Be sure to keep up with your hygiene routines, stay hydrated, eat healthy foods and prioritize getting a good night’s sleep. Many people are more prone to illnesses during this time, so take extra care of your physical health.
Beyond that, you should also make time for those ‘extra’ self-care activities that just make you feel good. Whether it’s a bubble bath, time with a good book or cooking a favorite meal, you can help manage SAD by doing things that you enjoy. This is known as behavioral activation, and it’s an important element of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Move Your Body
Exercise benefits both our physical and mental health. During the winter months, it can be hard to find the motivation to get moving. But by staying active, you’re helping to reduce the effects of SAD not only by releasing endorphins, but also due to behavioral activation, which we mentioned earlier.
With the right gear, you can go walking or running outside during the colder months. Consider investing in a few pieces of winter exercise wear to encourage yourself to get moving. If you prefer to work out indoors and have access to exercise equipment, the treadmill and stationary bike are great options. If you don’t have access to equipment, there are endless apps, videos and websites that can help you to workout without having to leave your living room.
Give Light Therapy a Try
Light therapy is commonly recommended for treating seasonal affective disorder. During light therapy, you are exposed to artificial light that mimics natural outdoor light. Research shows that exposure to light release a chemical in the brain that lifts your mood and eases the effect of SAD. Light therapy lamps are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased online. Try using the lamp within the first hour of waking up in the morning.
Practice Mindfulness Daily
Mindfulness has been proven to be effective in managing the symptoms of SAD. Mindfulness meditation gives you a moment to be still and calm and to notice our thoughts in a clear and non-judgmental way. We often move through life so quickly that we rarely stop to notice our thinking patterns or negative self-talk.
Meditation isn’t the only way to practice mindfulness. You can incorporate mindfulness into your days in simple, ways. When eating a meal or drinking a cup of tea, try to do it more mindfully. On your next walk, you can be more mindful by making the effort to observe and appreciate your environment.
Don’t Be Afraid to Seek Help
If you’ve been feeling down for a prolonged period of time, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Let your loved ones know what you’ve been experiencing. Your support system can be extremely beneficial in helping you to manage the symptoms of SAD. Having a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on go a very long way.
Are you able to get help with tasks like cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning and laundry? For many people experiencing depression, these tasks are incredibly difficult to do. Are you able to get help from a partner, friend or family member? If you have the means, consider delegating these tasks to a grocery delivery service or laundry service.
If your symptoms have been present for a prolonged period, it’s worth considering professional help. By working with a therapist, you’re taking a big step towards managing, reducing and even eliminating the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been proven to be an effective method of treating SAD because it teaches you to change the way you think.
The clinicians at Flourish Psychology are trained and qualified in aa number of treatment modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy. Contact us to schedule your first session.
Location: 300 Cadman Plaza West Floor 12 - Brooklyn, NY 11201
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