What is your experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD or other mental/ emotional challenges?
I first saw a counselor when I was 14. I didn’t want to, but my parents made me go. They said they recognized my frequent emotional outbursts and lack of interest in things I once loved - that I had “the family illness”. Now I know that I was lucky. Most teenagers don’t have parents who understand the signs.
I thought I was alone in the world. Later I went back to the same counselor after some trauma. Then later for anorexia. It’s been a bumpy road.
What does it feel like when you are experiencing the effects?
Heavy, sharp, impossible. When you’re in the middle of it it’s hard to remember that things were ever better. When you’re not in that place it’s hard to remember that life ever got that bad.
What would you say to comfort someone who is currently experiencing this?
You are not stuck! You have lots of options. Make some changes in your life, go do something intrinsically pleasing...pet puppies, buy some flowers, take a walk outside, look at something beautiful.
Let yourself take life a little less seriously for a few minutes.
Give yourself breaks.
What is your experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD or other mental/ emotional challenges?
I have struggled with anxiety since my childhood and PTSD and depression since my teenage years. For a long time I have tried “just dealing” with it, often in ignorant, harsh and counterproductive ways.
Last year I started a weekly counseling therapy. Today I’m often symptom free and more aware of myself and my needs.
What does it feel like when you are experiencing the effects?
I’ve experienced different forms of anxiety.
Since I was a kid I had phases of anxiety at night. Those could be triggered by the smallest events. I was scared of the future which lead to insomnia. Most nights I couldn’t sleep more than an hour or two. Let’s say I had failed an exam at a young age, I would lay awake all night making connections from the failed exam to a failed class to failed education to failed adult life to finally ultimate failure.
I could not stop these thoughts repeating themselves and I would get physical symptoms like sweat, heart racing and physically cringing.
Later on I started experiencing social anxiety.
Sometimes I would go to the supermarket, do my shopping and later on abandon my basket because I could not deal with the person at the check-out, even if that meant not eating that day (food delivery was no option for the same reason).
Not being able to look at or talk to people and then trying to get home to “safety” as fast as possible could happen in almost any social situation.
If I tried to push myself through the warning signs I was getting tremors and heart racing. If I ignored those I felt like I was passing out and needed to sit down with my vision going dark.
For years I was trying to “treat” my social anxiety with alcohol use which often worked. It also often made me do things I would regret terribly after and amplified the initial problem more than helping it.
It also created a new problem for me, a dependency on drinking.
Today I am 100% sober but I still feel the effects of the dependency in social situations.
Depression had two faces for me.
I had phases of depression where I could not get out of bed, feeling like everything was too much. As a young adult I had to redo a year in school because I missed 90% of classes. The depression at the time was triggered by the death of my mother. I was telling myself and everyone that I was fine, then staying in bed all day feeling lethargic, angry and sad and then staying up all night because I was feeling anxious not having done anything productive all day.
Later on depression turned into the inability to feel anything.
I’ve lost a few friends and family members thinking “why doesn’t this touch me, I should feel sad and I should mourn but I don’t feel anything”.
An example on the positive side: If I met and got closer with someone, I would think “I wish I could fall in love with this person” but catch myself all the time thinking “why don’t I feel anything”.
Today I know that it’s a safety mechanism.
What was harsh about it to me is that I was making an effort to feel and experience my emotions and it seemed impossible. I felt like a stranger to myself and cold and unlikeable.
It also made me feel aimless, questioning the meaning of everything.
PTSD to me showed itself in two ways.
I would have the same reoccurring dream of my mother, waking up sweaty and in a state of short panic. This phase lasted for about a year until I spoke to someone about it. I managed to let go of those dreams with meditation and practising forgiveness and I haven’t had a similar experience since. It also showed itself in my behaviours.
I would catch myself often thinking “why do you act the way you do right now, it doesn’t do you or anyone any good”.
Today I can link that and be more mindful. I know today that I have an unreasonable fear of loss. I would “sabotage” things that were going good for me to not get attached and have something to lose.
It would lead to me being very detached from everything in general.
What would you say to comfort someone who is currently experiencing this?
I am trying to be gentle, honest and creative with myself and everyone. I’m far away from perfect but I’m trying every day and it has had so many positive effects on my life.
For example: Honesty about physical health. I stopped smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol (I was always telling myself the cliché things like “it’s not that bad, it’s relaxing” etc). I eat a healthy diet,
I exercise regularly. Exercise has been a real eye opener for me.
It’s a great way to make time for yourself, let go of negativity and create a feeling of accomplishment. Honesty with what you want
and what you need for me is the best way to avoid anxiety.
Being gentle with myself has been a too abstract concept to me for many years, I had no idea how to do it. What works for me at the moment is careful negotiation with myself. For example: Before I used to think “you have to do this and whether you like it or not, you are going to do this now” and then be angry and upset in the process. Now I’m asking myself more often “can you please help me do this” and reward myself with something. This really works for me and makes the experience enjoyable.
Creativity is amazing and my favorite.
Being creative on the spot is difficult or almost impossible. But creating a setting for yourself where you are not distracted and have time to be with yourself and improvise and doodle and just create whatever wants to come out of you is amazing. And often these unconsciously created ideas can be turned into real pieces of art when picked up later with the conscious creative mind.
And the feeling of having created a piece of art, no matter how big
or small, makes me feel in tune with everything.
What is your experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD or other mental/ emotional challenges?
I was told that I was suffering from PTSD after I discovered my husband was having an affair. I was 9 weeks pregnant. It was the most difficult period of my life. Since then, my anxiety has increased in other areas of my life.
It’s been almost two years and I still suffer emotionally, mentally, and physically.
What does it feel like when you are experiencing the effects?
It feels like a brick is on your chest. Your heart rate is elevated and you are constantly on the edge of tears or just giving up.
What would you say to comfort someone who is currently experiencing this?
You are not alone. You are stronger than this moment, day, week, month. Find your self worth. Talk to others. Talk to an expert and read many books to find what helps you. Any emotion or thought you feel is justified and okay to have but also feel free to let it go and to steer your thoughts toward something positive and more helpful.
Give yourself time each day to process, grieve, and reflect but then allow those thoughts and feelings to pass like a floating cloud.
What is your experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD or other mental/ emotional challenges?
When I was younger, I used to hyperventilate whenever I felt agitated at someone. My limbs would just numb up and I’d have to be escorted away in a wheelchair. I was unable to walk until my limbs loosened and relaxed. It got better as I grew older...I taught myself how to regulate my emotions better, without taking people too seriously and to heart.
What does it feel like when you are experiencing the effects?
It felt really scary...as the tensing up of muscles would just come naturally when I hyperventilated, temporarily losing the ability to walk or move freely. I also felt humiliated as everyone would look at me...I felt that they were judging me because they didn’t understand what was going on.
What would you say to comfort someone who is currently experiencing this?
Try to not take people’s mean comments to heart and treat it like a pinch of salt. Talk to someone about it if those particular people keep talking to you like this as it could very well be bullying. Everything will be okay if you think positively and try to break free from challenges holding you back.
You can definitely do it, believe in yourself!
What is your experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD or other mental/ emotional challenges?
I know a lot of people with all of them. I personally get challenged by my anxiety often.
What does it feel like when you are experiencing the effects?
Like I want to scream and I can’t catch up on any of the tasks I am thinking about and it’s never ending.
What would you say to comfort someone who is currently experiencing this?
Take a deep breath in and blow out slowly.
What is your experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD or other mental/ emotional challenges?
My wife has anxiety and depression.
What does it feel like when you are experiencing the effects?
I’ve been told it’s like you cant breath with the anxiety and the depression makes my wife tired often.
What would you say to comfort someone who is currently experiencing this?
I let them know they are not alone and if they need to talk I am here or even if they just need someone to listen I am always available.
What is your experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD or other mental/ emotional challenges?
Ever since I was a child, I had major anxiety. It was mainly related to attending a parochial school and the strictness of the teachers.
I wasn’t very good in mathematics so that in turn caused a great deal of anxiety, particularly with my times tables in third grade.
Aside from school, things were not always the best at home.
This anxiety carried throughout my school years and seemed to get a little better when I reached college. But then in my early 20’s, I was diagnosed with depression. You see, anxiety and depression runs in my family.
What does it feel like when you are experiencing the effects?
When I am anxious, I feel like I am stuck in a time warp. I have trouble concentrating, my heart beats rapidly, the negative thoughts are never ending. Sometimes I have stomach discomfort and I start sweating. I literally feel sick.
Depression is a similar animal to anxiety. However, the sadness begins, at times for no apparent reason. I feel pessimistic and so run down. I tend to withdraw from the world and when asked if anything is wrong, I am in denial.
What would you say to comfort someone who is currently experiencing this?
Although I would never wish either on anyone, I think it is important for someone going through anxiety and depression to know there is plenty of help available. There will be good days and bad days; the bad days you will always make through, making it so much easier to appreciate the good times.
If you have a good support system, this will greatly ease the suffering when you feel like life will never get back on track. Just remember that you don’t have to deal with any of this alone. You don’t have to let mental illness define you.