Coping: Depression and Anxiety
Anxiety And Depression
In most cases, people have anxiety and depression all at once. The anxiety stems out from the depression because they want to know why they feel the way they feel. Most of them don't know they have depression because no one talks about it. Everyone seems to act like it's taboo to talk about mental health. Now, in 2017, people are finally breaking their silence and breaking the mold.
Break Your Silence!
It may be difficult to talk about your own mental health so you don't have to tell it to everyone you see. If it's easier, just tell it to your best friend or your parents. Someone you are close to so they can help be behind you when you tell others.
Depression
Depression is a mental disorder that goes unrecognized by so many people. Some people say that depression isn't a real thing and to just "stop being sad". Unfortunately, it is not that easy for those who struggle with it. Depression can be anything from grieving a loss that won't heal to not getting out of bed for days or even weeks. Think you have depression? Talk to your doctor or someone close to you.
Mental Health Is Important
Talking about mental health is important not just for those suffering but for those families of those suffering with mental disorders. Start a conversation with someone you know about it and open that door.
Anxiety
Having an anxiety attack is no joke. As with depression, it can be anything from stress at school or work to a traumatic experience in your life. You feel like you can't breathe, your heart starts to race, you start to sweat and get light headed, and more. There are many ways to get through an anxiety attack and it's all based on you personally.
"Just Calm Down"
This is possibly one of the most frustrating things to hear when you have anxiety. You don't get to "just calm down" in the middle of an anxiety attack. It's like telling a woman giving birth to just "stop being I'm pain" as the baby is coming. It just simply does not work that way. No matter how bad we all want it to, it's just not possible.
Mood Swings
As you saw in the photo above, you can be happy and energetic one day and then physically and mentally exhausted the next. Depression and anxiety take their toll on your mind and body in the worst way possible. Sometimes just getting out of bed seems like climbing Mt. Everest. The simplest tasks seem like trying to literally move a mountain. It's even tougher when you have kids or others you have to look after.
Public Hell
With anxiety, there are different types of it. There is this thing called Social Anxiety. Something I, personally, struggle with. Things that everyone else does on a daily basis make me anxious and dread walking out of my front door. Things like making doctors appointments, grocery shopping, ordering food, paying bills over the phone, getting my hair cut, getting my nails done, and even putting gas in my car. Any type of interaction makes me anxious and scared. I know what many of y'all are thinking "well if kids today weren't so focused on their electronics and phones this wouldn't be a problem". Well, that's where you're wrong. I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s. Meaning I didn't have a cell phone or computer to bury my face in. I even took a public speaking class in high school to help my social anxiety. Still, to this day, I am a 21 year old mother and wife that has anxiety attacks while trying to make my daughter's appointments or putting gas in my car. Even ordering food going through the drive through.