It’s a normal part of being human to feel sad and down now and again, life is full of high points and low points, however, depression is a condition characterised by feeling low for an extended period of time, sometimes for no apparent reason. Depression is a condition that can impact your whole life- you may feel like you have no motivation, you can’t seem to get stuff done, you don’t like who you have become, you don’t want to see your friends and family or socialize and the things that used to make you feel happy no longer please you.
You may feel overwhelmed, irritable, angry, indecisive, sad, miserable, tired, wound up and tight with a churning gut.
You may notice that you rely on drugs and alcohol to get through and it might be difficult to concentrate or sleep.
Depression impacts how you feel about yourself- you may feel hopeless, useless and like you are a burden to other people, you might feel like nothing good ever happens to you and that you just can’t get it together. You might even feel like there is no point to anything.
It’s really important to reach out and get help, no one is immune to mental health issues and we all need a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to and a place to feel heard and supported from time to time. Depression can be a very isolating, lonely condition and generally humans need other humans- we are wired for relationship. This is where working with horses is so beneficial- they are also wired for relationship and provide non-judgemental, caring support and honest feedback in a therapy session. Equine therapy generally doesn’t involve a lot of talking- it’s more about remembering how to get in touch with what you are feeling and allowing those feelings to inform your life rather than stuffing them down and staying out of touch with who you are.
So how does equine assisted therapy help?
Beyond Blue has some amazing resources and information that might be helpful on their website. https://www.beyondblue.org.au