How To Travel To Tokyo When You Have Panic Disorder
Eventually, we realized the only place that two nerds like us would spend a long time traveling to would be Japan. We always assumed it was an impossible trip due to our chronic illnesses. Between the two of us we share a basket full, and Panic Disorder is included in my husband’s portion.
Excuses Or Explanations: How I Feel About My New Diagnosis
Knowing what’s brewing inside your brain might not change much of your day-to-day, but it can certainly put you at ease from the fear that you are an other – too different to be helped, too odd to ever live a normal life. It shouldn’t be what defines you, but in a world of labels, it’s much more powerful to affix one upon yourself than to have to fight against anything someone might assume upon you.
How Kingdom Hearts Helped Me Through Mental Illness
Of course, I wasn’t disappointed, Kingdom Hearts created a world of its own (see what I did there?) and gives ‘good vs evil’ another dimension by layering it atop the ‘dark vs light’ battle. I started the game ready to give up, but was reminded that there are others fighting just as I am, and that helps me continue wanting to keep pushing through.
A Disney Princess Inspired Me To Leave My Abusive Family
I remember at that moment thinking: “That’s so unkind.” Followed by an epiphany as I considered how I wasn’t allowed to go to a college four hours away because I “wouldn’t make it there.” Or how after looking at me for a minute I was once asked: “I don’t know how you’ll get anyone to love you if you keep gaining weight and have acne.”
Science Reminds Me I Am Small But I Need to ‘Think Big’
Beating depressive thoughts with perspective
Following Your Dreams Won't Fix Everything but Accepting Them Will
The most difficult thing to commit to, believe it or not, is failure. It’s hard on you mentally—it pulls on you, convincing you that you should commit to giving up. It feels easy at first because it’s all you know, but eventually, the weight of knowing you could have tried harder is too much to bear.
Let's Stop Mental Health Gatekeeping
I never fancied myself a doctor, not without earning it through years of intense schooling. I never pretended to know more than I do. I was ready to discount everything I knew from experience. How could it matter if an accredited university hadn’t double checked all of my work at some point?
Cover Photo by: by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
How Comparing Yourself To Others Is Worse Than Being Depressed
I think we can all agree that continuously pushing up against an invisible, always stronger foe is probably not the greatest for our mental health. I know we can all agree that no one wins the comparison game. Not even the person who feels briefly better because they explained how their plight is worse than whatever it is you have to deal with.
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Cover Photo by Nicolas Thomas on Unsplash
How Accepting My Mental Illness Changed My Life
So now, you tell me. Was ignorance bliss or was awareness my savior? Was my diagnosis my crutch or my comfort and explanation? Should you continue sleeping through the nightmare because you just want some rest, or should you violently wake yourself up and go through the painful process of dealing with things?
What I Learned About Forgiveness Through My Abusive Parents
As a child, you are usually unaware of the notion that your parents might not know what’s best. Usually, we are much older when we find that they are fallible people, like everyone else. But my parents weren’t just imperfect. They induced isolation and pain into my life. Pain which planted seeds of distrust.
Cover photo: Photo by Designecologist from Pexels
A Morning With Mental Illness: An Open Letter
Already, in order to wake up and have a chance at a productive, I need to think of every inch of my body. If I don’t do this my brain will run haywire and might suddenly decide I don’t have enough air to breathe. But hey, I could just smile, right.
What My Childhood Diary Taught Me About Having A Mental Illness
What I found as a result of my search was another dose of perspective, similar to that which came from writing the aforementioned letter. I don’t know if handwriting is still a live form of journaling, I am sure all the cool kids keep theirs digitally. Writing, journaling, etc. offer a unique form of perspective that doctors have long confirmed to be incredibly helpful for mental health because it keeps you letting things out, helps in organizing thoughts, and provides a place to put emotions which may not be welcome. Writing is a powerful defense which took me about twenty years too long to pick up again.
Cover image by: Photo by Olia Gozha on Unsplash
Giving Myself Permission To Feel Better
If I am completely honest, I kind of thought that once I had gathered the courage to talk about my feelings with a stranger, that would be all I needed. That was the work. Sitting across the room from a therapist and reliving my nightmares was not easy. How could it that not be enough?
Being A Good Friend To Someone With Depression and Anxiety
While I do not define myself by my diagnoses, I have found that I do better when the people surrounding me are understanding, forgiving and generally those who assume the best in others. I hope to reflect such kind traits in my own behavior too. It took a lot of thinking before I was able to identify what truly matters when it comes to building friendships.
What They're Really Saying When They Call You 'Sensitive'
It’s no secret that some words can be maliciously used to hit you right in the heart. To those who are working through their understanding of the world and feel at odds with how they are feeling versus what they are told they should be feeling –this story is for you.