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i missed World Mental Health Day yesterday. it seems like there& #39;s something to celebrate and acknowledge every day, but this one in particular is important to me.
this will not be a pretty thread. it& #39;s not happy. but it& #39;s real and genuine and that& #39;s all i can thoughtfully give.
this will not be a pretty thread. it& #39;s not happy. but it& #39;s real and genuine and that& #39;s all i can thoughtfully give.
it& #39;s easy to minimize a person on social media to one-dimension, one who smiles in photos and makes jokes.
"they are so happy," you might think.
i& #39;ve done it, of course. we all have.
"they are so happy," you might think.
i& #39;ve done it, of course. we all have.
i would have given anything -- and i mean, anything -- to know that other people - other seemingly happy, successful, driven(!) people - struggle with depression and anxiety when i was a kid. a teen. a college student. when i started graduate school.
when i was in an abusive relationship, i would have given anything to know that it wasn& #39;t my fault. that my fear and anxiety made sense, given the circumstances.
i have struggled with a serious anxiety disorder and various degrees of depression for years.
i was in therapy at age 9(!!!) for anxiety. i couldn& #39;t breathe at school because i kept having anxiety attacks. i made myself physically ill.
i was in therapy at age 9(!!!) for anxiety. i couldn& #39;t breathe at school because i kept having anxiety attacks. i made myself physically ill.
i wish i& #39;d known that i wasn& #39;t flawed; that there wasn& #39;t something deeply wrong with me that made me unlovable or unworthy.
i& #39;ve been in and out of therapy since i was 9, but i& #39;ve been going weekly (or more frequently!) every week for the last 7 years.
i take medication for my anxiety and panic attacks.
i still have a lot of work to do.
i take medication for my anxiety and panic attacks.
i still have a lot of work to do.
for every smiling photo you see on social media, or every thread sharing one& #39;s accomplishments, know that there& #39;s a human on the other end of the screen with their own struggles.
i sometimes get so frustrated with social media because i feel like people only see a small glossy slice of who i am.
i share this to be as open and raw as possible, to share a larger part. to share that it& #39;s okay to be struggling.
i share this to be as open and raw as possible, to share a larger part. to share that it& #39;s okay to be struggling.
