Dear Cynthia, I have been having problems for a while with stress, and depression, and feel that i am getting worse. However, I live in a very isolated part of the country, and the nearest city is 3 hours away. How can I manage these feelings without therapy? I am a stay at home mom, and can not manage a drive that far even occasionally. Plus, I have panick attacks when driving. I feel very hopeless, please say there's something that can be done. Thank you, sad and issolated
I'm so glad you are asking for help, and haven't given up. Being an isolated stay-at-home Mom is very often a catalyst for depression, because all your emotional energy goes out to everyone else, and you rarely get to recharge. Actually there are many reasons you could be depressed, but that alone would be enough.
I have several ideas. First is, are you sure there are no therapists closer to you than the city? Secondly, if you can find a therapist you like in the city, some may be willing to work with you on the phone, with perhaps occassional meetings, like at least the first session. Third, there are numerous on-line therapy sites now. I know some offer sessions in real time through private instant messaging. There are also therapists with websites who offer on-line of phone therapy. I have a friend and collegue here in California who want to work on-line for the very reason you described--so people in isolated areas can get help. I don't know if she's ready to do it yet, but if none of the other options sound as do-able or appealing, I'd be happy to ask her.
Be sure to sign up for my depression tools, if you haven't already, because I will notify everyone who does when I've finished my complete collection of self-help tools for managing, preventing, and recovering from depression--separate from, or in addition to what you do in therapy. It includes everything I've learned, figured out, and used over the past 25 yrs professionally and personally, with regard to depression self-care. It takes many sessions for me to teach my clients all this in the course of therapy with me, so I'm writing it down for everyone to benefit, whether or not they are in therapy with me.
Please let me know what you decide to do, and what you find out, or if you need anymore help finding these resources.
Warm Regards,
Cynthia
Last Edited by Cynthia on Oct 17, 2005 11:36 PM
