Anxiety and Depression: Why They Often Show Up Together

You feel on edge, constantly alert, as if your mind can’t switch off. At the same time, you feel low, flat, or emotionally drained. You might think: How can I be anxious and depressed at the same time? Aren’t they opposites?

In reality, anxiety and depression often show up together. Many people we work with in our Edinburgh therapy practice describe this combination - feeling wound up and worn out, restless and disengaged, all at once.

It’s a deeply confusing state to be in. And without support, it’s easy to feel like you’re failing to cope, or that something must be wrong with you. But this overlap is far more common - and far more understandable - than it seems.

Why anxiety and depression often co-exist

There’s no single formula for how anxiety and depression develop, but they often arise from the same underlying emotional roots. In our experience, they can represent different ways the mind and body respond to prolonged internal pressure.

• Anxiety tends to come from a sense that something bad might happen. It’s the body’s way of staying on alert—of preparing, preventing, performing.

• Depression often reflects the sense that something already has happened—or that nothing you do will make a difference. It can feel like emotional shutdown.

So while they seem like opposites, anxiety and depression can actually take turns, overlap, or feed off each other. Anxiety may burn you out until your system shuts down. Depression may overwhelm you until you start panicking about never feeling better. And both may be responses to emotional experiences you’ve never had space to process—until now.

What it can feel like

Clients often describe a kind of emotional contradiction:

• “I’m overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time.”

• “I can’t stop thinking, but also don’t feel much of anything.”

• “I have so much going on inside, but I feel completely flat.”

Some signs you might be experiencing both anxiety and depression together include:

• Racing thoughts or constant worry

• Low energy or a lack of motivation

• Tense, restless body - but emotionally disconnected

• Difficulty sleeping or switching off

• Wanting help, but feeling too hopeless to ask

If this sounds familiar, it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It means your nervous system is trying - desperately - to manage something it can’t yet fully express.

You’re not alone. According to the Mental Health Foundation, anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in the UK — and they frequently co-occur with depression.

How therapy can help

At Room for Therapy, we take a person-centred and psychodynamic approach. That means we offer a safe and consistent relationship where you can begin to explore what’s underneath both your anxiety and your depression.

We’re not here to hand you a list of coping strategies. We’re here to walk alongside you as you begin to understand:

• What your anxiety and depression might be protecting you from

• What life experiences may have shaped your emotional responses

• What it’s been like to carry these feelings alone

• What parts of you might have been left out of the conversation

Therapy creates a space where everything you’re feeling is allowed - and gradually, that makes it possible to feel something new.

A client story

One client, a man in his 30s, came to us describing feeling constantly “on.” He worried about work, relationships, finances - everything. But he also said he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt excited about anything. Life had become about survival.

As we explored his history, it became clear that anxiety had long been his way of staying in control. But under the surface was a deep sadness - one that hadn’t had room to breathe. As that grief began to be named in therapy, his anxiety slowly softened. He could begin to feel, rather than just manage.

It wasn’t a quick fix. But it was the start of something quieter and more alive.

You’re not broken - you’re responding

If you’re experiencing anxiety and depression together, you’re not alone. And you’re not weak. You’re responding - intelligently, even if painfully - to things that matter.

The question isn’t what’s wrong with me? It’s what happened? And what have I been carrying, quietly, for far too long?

Organisations like Anxiety UK also offer support, education, and helplines if you’re looking for additional help.

If you’re based in Edinburgh or nearby and want to explore how therapy for anxiety might help, we’re here. We offer a space where your feelings don’t have to be justified - just welcomed.

To hear more about the support we offer or to begin a conversation with us, reach out using our contact form or email us at contact@roomfortherapy.co.uk