One Year Later… Progress

Welcome back to my blog! It’s been just over a day since I’ve last published a post, which I think you may have been aware… I’ve been really active, planning, writing, editing and publishing posts daily. Like, every single day for almost a week.

Apart from having summer holidays, which means I have a lot of time on my laptop, there has been some changes in the past one year or so: physical and mental. And I will be highlighting said changes and how YOU can change your life to the better. So grab a cuppa and a cushion, and enjoy!

Why I Still Go to Therapy… and why it’s OK

This is probably one of those posts where I had a thousand of ideas, and yet I never really knew how to form those ideas in a decent post. That, and I found it really difficult writing this post. Because the stigma surrounding mental health is still there. I was told by my family not to write about this, but I refuse to be silenced.

I am recovering from depression and anxiety. I’m happier than I ever was, and am in a good place, both physically and mentally.

Yet I still go to psychiatric therapy. And I still take my medication.

And it’s okay.

The Skinny on… Stigma

They say to never a judge a book by its cover. And yet, we judge those who look and behave differently from us. By “us” I mean humanity in general. I know many people who don’t judge those different from them.

I am one of them.

Before being clinically diagnosed with depression and anxiety, I was considered a quiet, anti-social outcast with weird tastes in music, books and fashion. I was called weirdo for not interacting with others “normally”. (Disclaimer: I am in NO WAY calling anyone normal. Just generalising…!

What was wrong with this description? The stigma. Since when was being shy associated with being a weirdo? I know shy people who are more “normal” (again, just generalising) than me, and have greater fashion sense than anyone I know. Now I’m not saying all shy people are like this because . . . look at me!

Another myth surrounding depression is that anyone feeling ‘sad’ is said to be depressed. Um, since when?! Everyone gets sad at one point in life, but they are far from depressed in most cases. Imagine this: I was told I was just a ‘sad’ person, then some 11 years later, I was diagnosed. Not all sadness is the same, as much as it isn’t all depression.

If you do think that you have symptoms of depression, please consult your doctor or a psychologist for a proper diagnosis and guidance for recovery.

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I can’t believe what I wrote…

It made so much sense in my head, but now, seeing it in writing… I don’t even know what I’m trying to say except to stop stigmatizing mental health.

Yep, that’s the whole point.

#BreaktheStigma… from the Survivors

“People think that OCD is all about being a neat freak or washing hands.”

“My friends and I were having a discussion about suicide, and one said that anyone who commits suicide is a selfish.”

“People think that anyone who commits suicide is selfish because they don’t think of the pain their family and friends go through.”

“I think that people in general think that mental health is not as important as physical illnesses. That’s why people are embarrassed to talk about what they’re going through, especially men.”

“For me, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is like being imprisoned – caged even – in my own brain to rules and such that I have to abide to to avoid something wrong from happening!”

“People think that just because I smile and joke a lot, that I am ‘normal’ and don’t have any type of mental disorders…”

“When people talk to me, it takes me a while to actually talk, if I actually manage to. They would just say ‘Oh she’s just shy’.”

“Reality is way more than anyone thinks. Intrusive thoughts galore and never a quiet moment in your head… guilt of past mistakes, obsessing over health issues and an irrational thought which makes it so scary you end up having a panic attack… What else…? Ohh, seeking reassurance from someone means you’ll be ok for a minute and then the thoughts come back and you ask again for reassurance. It’s a vicious cycle; it never stops.”

“You’re scared that you might hurt someone although you still know you’re not going to hurt someone but you still live with that fear….”

“I have read that some people were scared being around children . Because they are scared they hurt them.”

“Obsessing about sexual orientation. If you’re straight, you think you’re gay and vice versa . I haven’t had all of these but, I know they happen.”

“In reality, in some cases, the person thinks that the world will be a better place without them.”

“… The truth is, we smile and laugh a lot to hide and bury our sadness deeper and deeper, out of fear of judgement.”

“I am not just a shy person. I am just scared of being judged for seeming vulnerable.”

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Disclaimer: What you just read have been and are in present time experienced by real people. If yourself or someone close to you are suffering from any of these symptoms, consult with a doctor and take it from there.

Y O U ‘ R E [N O T] A L O N E

B R E A K T H E [S T I G M A]

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