What Do Anxiety And Depression Feel Like?
For Those Who Have Never Experienced These Challenges
Recently, I saw, from an unknown source, a reminder of how life used to feel inside me. I spent almost 50 years, from childhood to retirement, attempting to deal with a deathly feeling inside me that would not go away, no matter what. Surviving that long was a miracle and ruined other lives besides mine. So I guess I'm a survivor . . . yet, I'm always aware of monitoring my mental health so that the joy I experience today stays that way!
1 — Having anxiety and depression is like being scared and tired simultaneously.
2 — The fear of failure but no urge to be productive.
3 — Wanting friends but hating to socialize.
4 — Wanting to be alone but not wanting to be lonely.
5 — Caring about everything, then caring about nothing.
6 — Feeling everything at once, then feeling entirely paralyzingly numb.
7 — Imagine living with a scream inside you; the cry is yours, and no one else can hear it.
There is no shame in being a survivor. After all, it's not your fault. You can give others hope and strength to do likewise, heal, and move forward. There are many different ways to deal with anxiety and depression.
Remember, firstly, always contact a professional to help you. Do it immediately if you even start to think dark thoughts. It would be best if you did so. Forget the idea that you can do it yourself; I thought that and nearly died. Use the help out there, please. My life slowly improved with the assistance of a professional, a doctor, a loving friend, and a loving daughter, finding the appropriate meds and transforming exercise, sleep, and meal patterns. It's not perfect, but it's still better. It's a process; progress is a process.
Most of you who have struggled will already know these things. I'm hoping that others who are fortunate, as yet, to be free of such battles will better understand these illnesses. The adage of 'just pull up your bootstraps and get on with it' is still heard in some quarters, but most of the world knows better. It's an illness; it needs much more than 'you'll be ok tomorrow!'
© Stephen G. Arrowsmith 2022
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