Supporting Depression Without Pretending There’s a Quick Fix
Depression doesn’t always look like sadness. Sometimes it shows up as irritability, exhaustion, brain fog, or just feeling disconnected from your own life. And for a lot of people in midlife, there’s more to the story than just stress or circumstance—hormones play a big role too.
At Mid Life Shift, I don’t hand out quick fixes. But I do offer real, practical support for people who are tired of pretending they’re fine. Whether you’re navigating menopause, dealing with low testosterone, or just feeling off and can’t quite explain why—we look at the whole picture together.
How I Support Depression in Coaching
This isn’t therapy, and it’s not medical care—but it’s an essential layer of support that often gets overlooked. If you’re already working with a doctor or therapist, I’ll help you build on that. If not, we’ll talk about whether that makes sense to add in. My role is to help you steady the day-to-day while we figure out what’s working—and what’s not.
Here’s how that usually plays out:
- We zoom out and assess everything
We look at your sleep, stress, diet, movement, habits, hormone symptoms, and what your life actually looks like right now. Depression doesn’t happen in a vacuum—and for midlife clients, it’s often tangled up with shifts in estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, or even thyroid function. - We support your body with food, not rules
As a certified Nutrition Therapy Practitioner (NTP), I help you stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and support mood and hormone balance through food. No trendy diets or pressure—just real support based on how you actually feel. - We rebuild your routine, gently
We focus on small, doable changes—like getting outside in the morning, adding movement you don’t hate, or creating space for rest. Consistency over perfection, always. - We shift your thinking without the toxic positivity
Using evidence-based tools from CBT, I’ll help you work with your thoughts—not against them. We challenge the all-or-nothing mindset and build coping skills that don’t ignore reality but help you move through it. - We track progress in a way that doesn’t feel performative
Some days your win might be taking a shower. Some weeks it’s saying no without guilt. I help you stay accountable without pressure—and adjust strategies based on what’s actually working. - We make space for the emotional stuff, too
Midlife is full of transitions. Career shifts, caregiving, empty nests, hormonal chaos—it all stacks up. You don’t need to push through. You need a space to process, reset, and figure out what’s next—without judgment.
Let’s Talk About the Hormone Factor
If you’re in perimenopause, menopause, or even post-menopause, mood changes can feel like they came out of nowhere. You’re not imagining it—shifts in estrogen and progesterone can hit your brain hard. The same goes for men dealing with low testosterone: fatigue, low motivation, irritability, and even depression can creep in without warning.
I’m not here to diagnose—but I am here to help you connect the dots, advocate for better care, and support your body and mind through it.
And if You’re the Partner of Someone Going Through This
You’re in this too.
Watching someone you love struggle with depression or burnout—or feeling like they’re not themselves anymore—can be incredibly hard. Maybe they’re withdrawing, short-tempered, or just not present in the way they used to be. You want to help, but you’re walking on eggshells. You feel helpless, or maybe even resentful. That’s normal.
Part of what I do is help both partners navigate this together—with empathy, communication tools, and real strategies for coping as a team. That might mean learning how to hold space without trying to fix. It might mean setting boundaries that keep you from burning out, too. It might mean simply understanding that depression and hormone shifts affect relationships—and that doesn’t mean the relationship is broken.
You’re allowed to feel frustrated, confused, and still want to show up.
And if you’re the one struggling: your partner might not always know the right words, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care.
You’re Not Broken. You’re Just in Transition.
Whether it’s depression, burnout, hormonal imbalance—or all three—there’s a way forward. It’s not fast. It’s not linear. But you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Coaching won’t replace therapy or medical care, but it can be the missing piece when you’re stuck in between.
And if that’s where you are, I’ve got you.
Let’s take it one step at a time—because that’s how real shifts happen.