Some days, you wake up and feel… nothing.
No energy. No direction. Just a weight in your chest and a fog in your mind.

You try to get through your day—answer emails, respond to texts, show up—but inside, everything feels muted.
The smallest things feel hard.
You don’t know how to explain it.
You just know: something’s off.

When the Relationship With Yourself Goes Quiet

Marcus (name changed) came to therapy after months of feeling like a shell of himself. His relationship was strained. Work felt meaningless. He was irritated all the time—and confused about why.

But what hurt the most wasn’t any of those things on their own.

“I don’t feel like me anymore,” he said quietly. “I don’t even know who me is right now.”

Marcus hadn’t abandoned his responsibilities. But somewhere along the way, he’d abandoned himself.

The Hidden Roots of Depression: Disconnection From Self

In Emotionally Focused Therapy, we don’t just look at depression as symptoms to fix. We explore the deeper emotional currents—often shaped by early experiences—that have pulled us away from our inner truth.

Marcus had always been “the strong one,” the high achiever, the fixer. In childhood, he was praised for being calm and capable. But no one ever asked what he needed. What scared him. What hurt.

So as an adult, when life felt overwhelming, Marcus didn’t know how to care for himself emotionally—he only knew how to push through.

And when pushing didn’t work anymore, he started shutting down.

“I’m not sure I even like myself right now,” he admitted.
“And I’m scared people can tell.”

The Tool: Rebuilding Inner Safety

We didn’t start by trying to change his job or fix his relationship. We started with a deeper kind of repair: the relationship between Marcus and Marcus.

That meant getting quiet enough to hear what had gone unheard:

  • His grief

  • His loneliness

  • His unmet longing for comfort, rest, and softness

We practiced this gentle reframe:

“You’re not broken. You’re not failing. You’re disconnected from a part of you that still longs to be known.”

That shift—seeing his depression not as weakness but as a signal—opened the door to healing.

If You’ve Lost Touch With Yourself…

You’re not alone. Sometimes depression isn’t about one big thing. It’s about years of small self-betrayals:

  • Saying “I’m fine” when you’re not

  • Ignoring your limits to meet someone else’s needs

  • Forgetting what used to light you up

But your feelings still live inside you. So does your aliveness. You just need space to come home.

Start here:

  • Ask what part of you hasn’t had a voice in a long time

  • Offer that part some compassion—not judgment

  • And remember: reconnection is possible

May this be a small olive branch of hope for wherever you are.

Warmly,

Susan


Susan Liddy, MAMFT
Cornerstone Family Services
Roswell, Georgia

 

 

🌿 Feeling Disconnected From Yourself?

If you’re moving through life feeling numb, overwhelmed, or unlike yourself, you don’t have to navigate it alone. I offer complimentary consultations to explore whether therapy might help you reconnect—with your emotions, your voice, and the parts of you that feel far away.

Together, we can gently untangle what’s been weighing you down.

Let’s talk. Sessions are available in-person in Roswell, GA or virtually across Georgia. (My fees, should we choose to work together, range from $125–$135 per session.)