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When I started My Brain’s Not Broken, I wanted to document my journey living with anxiety and depression. I didn’t understand the number of ways that anxiety and depression impacted me. I was getting better at managing my symptoms, but there was still a lot I didn’t understand.
The more experience I’ve gained on my mental health journey, the better I’ve gotten at recognizing my depression and the reasons behind it. That being said, depression can still be tricky. There are times where I feel like I know exactly why I feel depressed; other times, it’s like a feeling or emotion comes out of nowhere.
So for instance, I am more than my depression; I am more than my anxiety; I deserve to be known for more than experiencing mental illness. I understand the sentiment behind I am more than my depression , and I think it’s a great way to shrink the stigma for many people. Depression is a part of me.
A symptom of depression for one person might not exist for someone else, but both of these people could experience depression. On the flip side, researching depression and anxiety on my own terms has been one of the most helpful ways of understanding my diagnoses. Now I want to hear from you!
After a decade-plus of living with depression and anxiety, I am proud of how I’ve learned to manage my mental health challenges. When I think about my mental health challenges, I know that there are aspects of my personality don’t play a significant role in why I deal with anxiety and depression.
While I’ve improved how I manage anxiety over the years, there are plenty of ways my anxiety manifests that I’ve never been able to get a handle on. No matter how much I try to manage anxiety in every possible area of my life, there always seems to be something that makes me anxious. The Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic.
This post comes on a heels of a similar post I wrote recently called “I Am Not My Depression” ( you can check it out here! ). And just like in my recent post, I want to share why instead of saying that I’m more than my anxiety, I explicitly try to reinforce the notion that I am not my anxiety – and here’s why.
On its head, ambition and depression don’t seem like they have anything in common. In fact, many people believe that if they’re depressed, that means they can’t have ambition. But here’s the thing: depressed people can have ambition. Depressed people have hopes, dreams, fears, like everyone else.
.” I know that it’s a pretty well-known phrase and this happens to a lot of people, but I wanted to talk about my experience with getting wound up because I think it’s a unique insight into what it’s like to experience anxiety. So today I ask – why is it so much harder to get wound up than to settle down?
There are many other names it goes by (anxiety spiral, downward spiral, spiraling thoughts) but simply put, a thought spiral is a series of thoughts that become increasingly overwhelming as a person gets stuck on them. Sometimes I feel like my anxiety or depression might make me more susceptible to thought spirals.
You would think, after ten years of living with depression, of experiencing it on and off, I’d have a better understanding of it by now. But other days, it’s like I’m dealing with depression for the first time. But other days, it’s like I’m dealing with depression for the first time.
.” I can’t always explain just how hard my head hurts when I have a stress headache, or how my limbs really do feel like they’re glued to the floor when I’m depressed. This could be a simple question or a complicated one, but if you’re already experiencing anxiety, the difficulty level is irrelevant.
There are many symptoms for anxiety and anxiety disorders: feelings of panic or doom, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, a general sense of uneasiness…the list goes on and on. Symptoms of anxiety can create challenges with how we view the world and view ourselves, creating issues with self-worth, confidence and self-esteem.
This cognitive trap can fuel anxiety, depression, and even destructive behaviors. Your thoughts and feelings arent always telling the truthbut they feel like they are. So how do you reality-test your thoughts and emotions? Learn how to stop believing everything your mind tells you!
Anxiety & Depression Association of America This year, the Anxiety & Depression Association is sharing knowledge around tools and resources for mental health. It’s a chance to have conversations and share resources with people who need them, while also calling for change in the way we approach mental health.
times more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and substance misuse compared with heterosexual individuals. 14% of LGBTQ youth attempted suicide in the past year, including nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth and 1 in 10 cisgender youth. population. LGBTQ individuals are 2.5
The symptoms of depression, anxiety and so many other mental illnesses have been discussed for years. It took a long time to understand that my depression and anxiety not only impact my mental health, but my physical health as well. You get sick? Don’t leave your bed. What Do Mental Health Symptoms Look Like?
I feel like there’s always something new to write about or say when it comes to anxiety, depression and mental health in general. What Does Depression Look Like? Not Seasonal, Just Depression. Here were the five most popular posts I wrote in 2022, based on my stats! More Than You Think. My Favorite Posts.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America is using #BreakTheStigma to have a conversation this month around mental health. ADAA is dedicated to helping those living with anxiety, depression, and co-occurring disorders and their loved ones find treatment, support, and resources. BreakTheStigma.
According to the Trevor Project’s National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2023 : 41% of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year —and young people who are transgender, nonbinary, and/or people of color reported higher rates than their peers.
But this awareness helps me appreciate the good days, the good moments where I don’t feel anxious or depressed. These things usually aren’t the end of the world (my anxiety would disagree), but it happens enough that once I recognized it, it wasn’t something I could ignore. Moments where I feel like myself.
But I can already see myself tamping down my own excitement because of how nervous I am that my depressed winter habits will continue. When you put so much pressure on something to alleviate your stress, it can sometimes be worse when you still feel that stress or anxiety.
Anxiety is one of the most common mental illness. According to Trevor (2017), anxiety is a normal healthy reaction. BUT, there are things you should never say to someone with anxiety. So, what is anxiety? Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry and apprehension about what’s to come. 3: Just get over it!
On Maternal Health Awareness Day , I would like to bring awareness to the publication of our peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine , “ Improving maternal mental health: Assessing the extent of screening and training about peripartum depression.” What is peripartum depression?
I know that for me, my anxiety can get triggered and I need more time to myself than I might have originally thought. I also know that my anxiety can turn to depression when I get frustrated with how poorly I can handle the holidays at times, and in those moments I need to find a way to collect myself and feel my emotions.
But for people who have had to build their confidence from the ground up, who fight off depression, anxiety or any other mental health challenge on a daily basis…let me just say, some days it feels like the pressure is on. Failing shouldn’t be something to be afraid of, and for many people it’s not.
Am I cured of my depression? Did my anxiety slip away? There’s a specific kind of joy that you feel when you’re doing something you never thought you’d get to do, and I was wrapped up in that joy for hours. Absolutely not – in fact, a mini-panic attack the very next day proved that.
At different times called “circular insanity,” “manic depressive psychosis,” and “manic depression,” Bipolar Disorder was not officially recognized as a standalone mental illness until 1980. Depression vs. Bipolar Disorder. Depression can be so powerful that people will not recall ever having felt manic or hypomanic.
In a way, it’s similar to the effects of depression and anxiety I’ve experienced over the years. Thought, reflection and meditation have been some of the most important ways I’ve gotten to know myself over the past few years.
I had mental illness episodes of extreme anxiety, depression, mania, and psychosis at different times from 1983-1992. In 2016, I started receiving disability benefits for bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Major Depressive Episode In December of 2021, I had a major depressive episode.
In the past few months, there are a few ways I’ve recognized how my shortcomings can exacerbate situations and trigger my anxiety and depression. It’s overwhelming to name the ways we’d like to grow and improve in different areas in our lives, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
As someone who experiences depression and anxiety, it’s not a mystery to see how a day that’s all about me could make me uncomfortable. I don’t like when the attention is on me, and I don’t really know how to handle it, which ends up creating more anxiety instead of alleviating it.
After months seeing the same therapist, I’ve been able to notice habits and patterns with how my anxiety/depression affect me and how I live my life. We live in a busy world where things move quickly, and gaining self-awareness requires slowing down and looking inward to reflect and work toward growth.
Am I thankful for my depression? Am I grateful for my anxiety? I wasn’t accepting certain aspects of my life or of myself, and it’s hard to be thankful when you’re rejecting something about yourself. Maybe not for the difficult parts, but it’s taught me so much about myself.
Although the stigma around mental health has shifted, it is this generation that is experiencing unprecedented, elevated stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Oftentimes adolescents cannot conceptualize that a challenge like anxiety or depression will ever change or get better – they feel stuck and hopeless.
According to a recent American Nurses Association survey , 30% of nurses — nearly one-third — said they are “not emotionally healthy” or “not at all emotionally healthy,” with an increasing number of nurses struggling with depression or anxiety. What causes nurse depression and anxiety?
When I’m in the throes of depression or anxiety, I’m usually looking for something to get me out of feeling that way. While both of these things boost my mental health, I can’t substitute one for the other. Each activity gives me something I need, but there’s no substitute for them.
AnxietyAnxiety may be the most common comorbidity for those with autism. Research indicates that up to 84% of autistic individuals also live with anxiety. Elevated levels of anxiety can exacerbate certain complications of autism , such as social withdrawal and repetitive behaviors. The reasons for this vary.
I learned as much as I could about anxiety and depression, hoping to learn something that would help me beat it. For a long time, my approach to mental health focused on awareness. I felt that if I knew what was going on, I could find solutions.
To be honest, I don’t need an expert opinion on why I might be afraid to look inward; years of experiencing depression and anxiety make it clear that looking inward isn’t as simple as it seems. But it’s not just the desire to look inward that I’ve realized is difficult – it’s also the ability.
Someone with bipolar can have long or short periods of stability but then tends to go ‘low’ (into deep depression) or ‘high’ (experiencing mania or psychosis). They can go into a ‘mixed state’ too, where symptoms of depression and mania occur simultaneously. bipolar disorder in children is a thing.
After ten years of living with depression and anxiety, there’s still a lot to learn. When I first started experiencing anxiety and depression, there was a lot to learn. At the time, no one I knew had gone through bouts of depression. I felt like I was on an island. In those moments, things feel unclear.
Birdie has lived experience with Bipolar 2, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and ADHD. I give people a first-hand look at the deepest depths of depression and the heights of mania. There are some parts of the book that are describing a depressive episode that the main character is experiencing.
Part of that is my natural inclination after years of experiencing depression and anxiety, but part of it feels like human nature. I get annoyed at myself a lot. Like, a lot. Multiple times a day. No one is is happy about every single choice they make. We’re humans and we make mistakes.
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