Understanding and Overcoming Depression

Living with depression can affect far more than mood. It can change the way a person thinks, sleeps, eats, works, relates to others, and experiences activities that once felt meaningful. Depression can also make everyday tasks feel considerably more difficult, which can create a frustrating cycle: the less energy a person has, the harder it becomes to engage in the things that might otherwise support their wellbeing.

Depression is a common and treatable mental health condition. Psychological therapies—including cognitive behavioural therapy, behavioural activation, interpersonal psychotherapy, and other evidence-based approaches—have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms and improving functioning (Cuijpers et al., 2018, 2019).

At Authentic Living London, we understand that depression does not look exactly the same for everyone. Therapy can provide an opportunity to understand what is happening, identify patterns that may be maintaining depressive symptoms, and develop strategies that are appropriate for your circumstances.

What Does Depression Look Like?

Depression involves more than simply feeling sad. Symptoms can include persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, changes in sleep or appetite, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, and thoughts about death or suicide.

Some people experience depression primarily as sadness or emptiness. Others notice irritability, emotional numbness, withdrawal, difficulty making decisions, or a significant reduction in motivation.

These symptoms can affect multiple areas of life. Work may become more difficult, relationships may feel more demanding, and activities that once provided enjoyment may no longer feel worthwhile. When several symptoms occur together and persist over time, an assessment by a qualified healthcare professional can help determine whether depression or another condition may be contributing.

Why Depression Can Make Change Feel So Difficult

One of the frustrating features of depression is that the symptoms themselves can interfere with the behaviours that support recovery. Low energy can make activity difficult. Withdrawal can reduce opportunities for connection. Loss of pleasure can make previously enjoyable activities feel unrewarding.

This is one reason behavioural activation is used in the treatment of depression. Rather than waiting for motivation to return before becoming active, behavioural activation helps people gradually reintroduce meaningful, rewarding, or purposeful activities into their lives. Research indicates that behavioural activation can reduce depressive symptoms, although the strength of evidence varies across populations and studies (Cuijpers et al., 2026; Tindall et al., 2024).

The goal is not to force yourself to be productive. Instead, therapy can help identify manageable activities that reconnect you with relationships, responsibilities, interests, physical activity, or personal values.

Small Changes Can Be Clinically Meaningful

When depression is present, large goals can quickly become overwhelming. Breaking an activity into smaller steps can make engagement more realistic.

For example, instead of setting a goal to exercise every day, a person might begin with a short walk. Rather than attempting to reorganize an entire home, they might choose one small task. Someone who has been withdrawing socially might start by responding to one message or arranging a brief conversation with someone they trust.

These approaches are consistent with behavioural activation, which focuses on increasing contact with activities that provide a sense of reward, accomplishment, connection, or meaning (Tindall et al., 2024).

Importantly, this does not mean that depression can be solved simply by "getting busy." For some people, increasing activity is an important part of treatment; for others, depression is closely connected to trauma, grief, interpersonal difficulties, medical conditions, or other factors that require a broader therapeutic approach.

The Role of Self-Compassion

Depression is often accompanied by harsh self-evaluation. A person may interpret difficulty getting out of bed as laziness, difficulty concentrating as incompetence, or reduced productivity as personal failure.

Learning to respond to these experiences differently can be an important component of recovery. Research examining self-compassion-focused interventions has found small-to-moderate reductions in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress compared with control conditions, although researchers have also noted limitations in the quality of some of the available evidence (Han & Kim, 2023).

Self-compassion does not mean ignoring problems or avoiding responsibility. It involves responding to difficulty with greater understanding rather than adding another layer of criticism to an already painful experience.

Movement and Depression

Physical activity can also play a role in managing depressive symptoms. A large systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that exercise was associated with meaningful reductions in depressive symptoms in adults, including people with major depressive disorder (Noetel et al., 2024).

For someone experiencing depression, however, recommendations to "exercise more" can feel unrealistic. The appropriate starting point depends on the individual's physical health, energy, circumstances, and level of depression. Even modest increases in movement may be a more realistic starting point than an intensive exercise program.

Exercise should be considered one potential component of a broader treatment plan rather than a replacement for professional care when depression is moderate, severe, persistent, or associated with significant impairment.

How Therapy Can Help

Psychotherapy is an evidence-based treatment for depression. Research has found that a range of psychological therapies can reduce depressive symptoms, with several approaches demonstrating effectiveness (Cuijpers et al., 2018, 2019).

The specific focus of therapy depends on what is contributing to a person's depression.

Cognitive behavioural approaches may examine patterns of thinking and behaviour that contribute to ongoing distress. Behavioural activation may focus on withdrawal, avoidance, and reduced engagement with rewarding activities. Interpersonal approaches may explore relationship difficulties, social isolation, grief, and changes in interpersonal roles. Problem-solving approaches can help people address practical problems that are contributing to emotional distress (Cuijpers et al., 2018, 2019).

Therapy can also provide space to explore experiences that may not be addressed by symptom-management strategies alone, including grief, trauma, relationship difficulties, identity concerns, or major life changes.

When Is It Time to Seek Professional Support?

There is no requirement to wait until depression becomes severe before seeking help. Professional support may be particularly appropriate when depressive symptoms are persistent, interfere with work or school, affect relationships, or make it difficult to manage everyday responsibilities.

Changes in sleep, appetite, motivation, concentration, or social engagement can also be signs that something more significant is happening.

Most importantly, thoughts about suicide or self-harm should be taken seriously. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or unable to stay safe, emergency support should be accessed immediately. In Canada, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide Crisis Helpline. In an immediate emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

What Treatment Can Look Like

There is no single treatment plan that works for everyone. A therapist may begin by learning about your symptoms, history, relationships, current circumstances, and goals. Together, you can identify patterns that may be contributing to depression and determine which therapeutic strategies are most appropriate.

Treatment may involve learning strategies for managing negative thinking, gradually increasing meaningful activity, improving problem-solving skills, strengthening relationships, processing difficult experiences, or developing more effective ways of responding to emotions.

For some people, psychotherapy is sufficient. Others may benefit from a combination of psychotherapy and medication. A physician, nurse practitioner, or psychiatrist can help determine whether medication is appropriate.

Research supports psychotherapy as an effective treatment for adult depression, although outcomes vary between individuals and different approaches (Cuijpers et al., 2019).

Moving Toward Recovery

Depression can narrow a person's world. Activities become harder, relationships may become more distant, and the future can be difficult to imagine differently from the present.

Treatment can help create a clearer understanding of what is happening and provide practical ways to begin changing those patterns. Progress may involve very concrete changes—sleeping more consistently, reconnecting with someone important, returning to an activity, addressing a problem that has been avoided, or recognizing a pattern of thinking that has been contributing to distress.

Recovery does not necessarily mean that difficult emotions disappear. It means developing greater capacity to respond to them, reconnect with meaningful parts of life, and make choices that support psychological wellbeing.

How Authentic Living London Can Help

At Authentic Living London, our therapists provide individualized support for people experiencing depression and related emotional difficulties. Therapy is an opportunity to understand your experience rather than simply trying to suppress symptoms.

Whether depression is connected to grief, trauma, relationships, life transitions, chronic stress, or other circumstances, our team can work with you to identify an approach that fits your needs.

If you are experiencing depressive symptoms and would like support, you can book a free 15-minute consultation with Authentic Living London. If you are unsure which therapist would be the best fit, you can also call or text 226-224-0301, and our team can help you determine which of our therapists may be most appropriate.

References

Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., Reijnders, M., & Huibers, M. J. H. (2018). Who benefits from psychotherapies for adult depression? A meta-analytic update of the evidence. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 47(2), 91–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2017.1420098

Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., de Wit, L., & Ebert, D. D. (2019). The effects of fifteen evidence-supported therapies for adult depression: A meta-analytic review. Psychotherapy Research, 30(3), 279–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2019.1649732

Cuijpers, P., Ciharova, M., Tong, L., Liu, Y., Sprenger, A. A., Miguel, C., Karyotaki, E., & Harrer, M. (2026). Behavioral activation for depression: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 128, 102783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2026.102783

Han, A., & Kim, T. H. (2023). Effects of self-compassion interventions on reducing depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress: A meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 14, 1553–1575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02148-x

Noetel, M., Sanders, T., Gallardo-Gómez, D., Taylor, P., Del Pozo Cruz, B., van den Hoek, D., Smith, J. J., Mahoney, J., Spence, A. L., Moresi, M., & others. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ, 384, e075847. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-075847

Tindall, L., Kerrigan, P., Li, J., Hayward, E., & Gega, L. (2024). Is behavioural activation an effective treatment for depression in children and adolescents? An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 33, 4133–4156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-024-02429-3