It’s Ok To Not Be Ok: How To Deal With Depression & Anxiety
Every Feeling Is A Natural Feeling
Whether people like to admit it or not, every feeling that courses through your body is a natural feeling. All feelings provide information about your current state. That means when you’re feeling excited, angry, empathetic, happy, or depressed, your brain and body are exchanging signals, alerting each other about the environment around you, as well as the environment inside of your mind. Feelings are nether good or bad, they are simply information. They are all-natural things that your mind and body go through as you understand and regulate your experiences. Society and culture dictate how we judge emotions. “Negative” emotions (sadness, depression, guilt, anger) are judged as “bad” because they are uncomfortable to feel. “Positive” emotions (happiness, joy, love) are seen as “good”. The reality is that they are neither; they are simply your body and mind beginning to notify you that you require attention, regulation, or that something is happening.
Out With The Toxic Positivity
When it comes to mental health it is very easy to fall down the rabbit hole of “toxic positivity” online. Reading through countless posts, quotes, and comments on how to “just be happier” or that “depression and anxiety are all in your head” can be very damaging to someone who is seeking genuine help on how to navigate the big emotions they are feeling. What influencers on Instagram aren’t showing you is the very real struggle of trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle when all your body and mind want to do is shut down for the week. Writing a cute quote can be easy "pick me up" but what you might need may extend past someone telling you that everything will get better (without any additional help). When you are suffering from a depressive episode or ongoing anxiety, you want concrete tools and resources that you can rely on to provide you with tangible guidance. Going through these mental health challenges is not all sunshine and rainbows; sometimes it looks like someone not showing up for themselves because their emotions are deregulated or cutting communication with family and friends because their anxiety makes it hard to have meaningful conversations. This is where we need to put down the phone and take a hard look at what kind of specific support someone may need when facing these challenges in their life.
How To Spot Anxiety & Depression
Anxiety and depression can begin to feel like huge obstacles to overcome when you don’t have the proper support and care that you require to get through tough times. When you find yourself having to get through these challenges alone, it can be difficult to truly recognize how anxiety and depression are affecting your life. Below are some common traits about anxiety and depression really show up in daily life. These may help you understand yourself better so you can seek the help you need:
Procrastinating or avoiding tasks altogether because they feel overwhelming
Not responding to loved one's messages or calls because of low energy
Prefer to stay in bed all day because you don’t want to leave a safe space
Not eating or overeating to compensate for the additional stress you are feeling
Having “brain fog” and easily forgetting the details of events, deadlines, or appointments
Constant scrolling online to remove yourself from the present moment
Mental Health Isn’t Just Feel Good Quotes
As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, you may know what it feels like when there is no one around who understands exactly what you are feeling and thinking. Although there are great resources available online, they are clouded by people who want to sweep all of the “negatives” about mental health under the rug and only focus on how great it will feel when you finally heal. Always remember that there is a space for you where your emotions, thoughts, and actions will be validated so that you can find healthier coping mechanisms to get you through those episodes. At Rebecca Newton Therapy we can help you understand your anxiety and depression on a deeper level to find a method of healing that is just right for you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for the help you need if you find that your emotions are becoming too overwhelming.