I've told stories of my life in a blog post on Hive, as I got depression and anxiety disorders. I also mentioned that it came in waves and if you were in my shoes, you would know that depression is real, both mentally and physically.
I am not a specialist or therapist of some kind. I am just a sharer, who is, I might say, lucky enough to experience it and learn a bunch of lessons that I had failed to learn, growing up.
1.Be outdoors more
Was I frightened? Yes, Was I lost? Totally. Was I feeling in the mood for the hangouts? No. But I ran outdoors still. I run every afternoon/ morning or at any time of the day regardless of how bad I feel about my uncontrollably shaking body and my racing heart. I went to the beach and the forests almost every day. I hung out with friends more. I sit around at people's houses and talked a lot even though I didn't like to. Even I hated what I was doing. But think, love yourself no matter what. Trust me. You'll be fine.
I just love the beach.
2.Be honest with yourself
Accept that you're sick and it would take you a longggg enough time to finally go by. Read more here
Everything is gonna be alright
3.Love more
At first, I didn't feel like myself at all as I had to force myself to change altogether. But after 7 different doctor visits, I was in despair. I did the cleaning for mom, I took care of my family more, and I no longer argued with them. I learned to listen more and talk ... MORE. I called my friends every day to ask about their days. Yes, love actually helps release hormones that can benefit your brain health
Time heals and only better days coming ahead
3.Adopt a healthier lifestyle
Besides exercise, I also drank a lot of water, took vitamins, consumed green juice to assist my body to detox better. A healthier body will lead to a better mental state. It took me 6 months straight to feel better and a whole and a half year to finally feel like myself again. I also cleared my ten-year impossible-to-treat acne struggle. (but that's another story LOL)
Be patient. Be consistent.
Carrot, bell pepper and orange juice, if my memory treats me well.
I recommend you go to a doctor to get the vitamins needed. For me, I took multivitamins, B-complex, Magie, Calcium, and D3. I took them in rotation. and left them out one by one when I felt safe. Now I only take multivitamins on a daily basis, skip here and there.
4 Stay busy
I know this sounds hard. But if you can stay busy, you are really lucky. Back then as I was sick, I couldn't work at all since it wasn't easy to control these unknown crazy physical symptoms and the fears in my head.
The setting sun cast orange glows over the horizons. Enjoy!
So I stayed at home, doing things of interest. I drew a picture, kept a diary of only good things and gratitude (well, list 3 things to feel gratitude for each day), I did Karaoke with mom, read an interesting book (The water secret was the first book I picked up and devoured till the last page). Despite the fact that I liked those, I literally did them involuntarily because I HAD TO do them for the good of my own.
Now I've got a full-time job and one sideline freelance that keep me busy. I am so grateful.
Sharing
Looking back, depression and those anxiety symptoms are, like,** no big deal** nothing too important to talk too much about. However, if I had had a chance to read something like this when I was sick, I think it would have helped me somehow.
I believe that if we are open more about our mental health, we can give hands to break down the stigma for people who are struggling.
Please also share your stories. Thank you.