Tag: mentalillness
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“Feeling Depressed” & “Being Depressed” is different
Depression can feel empty, like nothing at all. If someone opens up to you about being depressed, don’t say, “I’ve been sad too!” Listen. When I feel depressed, I am able to find a root cause now. Sometimes that cause is obvious, like the pain of mentally confronting life’s inequalities. Sometimes the cause is smaller,…
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5 Main Things My Social Anxiety is Not
Social anxiety is a feeling of extreme nervousness or fear that people experience in social situations. It’s like having butterflies in your stomach, but on a much stronger level. People with social anxiety might worry a lot about what others think of them, fear being judged, or feel very self-conscious in social gatherings. These feelings…
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High-Functioning Mental Illness Makes me feel exhausted
Having what is considered “high-functioning” mental illness is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you can usually make it through your day without anyone even realizing you’re struggling. On the other hand, you may not be getting the treatment or support you need. (By the way, we use the term “high-functioning” lightly – it…
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Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color are actually hurting
People of color are not inherently more susceptible to mental illness or suicide, but when discrimination and systemic racism cause widespread trauma, stress, fear, and medical hesitancy, the impact on their mental health is significant. Oftentimes, the same systems that are contributing to increased mental health struggles are also barriers standing in the way of…
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Perfectionism is a double-edged sword
I’ll admit it, I’m a perfectionist, and one of the things that’s helped me tremendously is learning how to be kinder in the way I talk to myself or looking at creative inspiration. I don’t know when it started but I always just had to give “my all,” my absolute best, even if I didn’t…