So you want to know a secret about having anxiety with depression? Having anxiety with depression is like “worrying about everything while at the same moment in time, carrying about nothing”.
For many years I thought this was normal behavior. Imagine preparing for a vacation – perhaps a dream trip to a popular European country. Anyone who is breathing oxygen would likely be anxious, right? This would be a very normal response. Now imagine being someone who does not like crowds and being around people whom they do not know. Combine these two oxygen-breathing individuals into one person and you have a conundrum. Potentially someone with anxiety and depression.
What is Anxiety or being Anxious?
Having anxiety or being anxious can be normal in most cases. Say for example a high school student wakes and remembers they have an assignment due today. Not only could this likely be their fault, but it could also be a scenario of normal anxiety. The student gets out of bed, perhaps skipping breakfast, and completes the assignment before heading out the door. This is an example of normal anxiety. Believe it or not – experiencing anxiety on occasion can be considered positive or healthy. Like this article says from VeryWellMind, “Good stress, something now referred to now as eustress, keeps us motivated and excited about life. It appears that some degree of anxiety may have similar ‘silver linings.'”
Let’s take a look from a different perspective. Imagine waking up every day feeling that a loved one will die or perhaps choose to leave and never return. This could be a sign of an anxiety disorder if the thoughts reoccur every day or frequently. Along with these hidden thoughts, the person may also exhibit physical behavior changes. For example, being tired, having trouble sleeping, headaches, or eating disorders.
What is Depression?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression “is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.” Depression is NOT feeling sad or grieving for a loved one who has died. Everyone in their lifetime will have feelings of being sad. Everyone will also go through times of grieving. This is a normal part of life. Coming in many different forms, depression can include seasonal depression, postnatal, and dysthymia (chronic depression), just to name a few.
So what is it? As someone who suffers from depression, and did so silently for 35 years, this mental disease can be debilitating. There are mornings where I have to talk myself into taking a shower. Then I sit in my office recliner and curl into the fetal position for the next 30 to 45 minutes. Some mornings I find it challenging to turn on my work computer. Thankfully this does not occur every morning. Some mornings are normal.
Earlier this week I had a bad bout with focus; so bad that even drawing on my iPad did not help. I asked for prayer on social media and within a few hours, I felt better and more alert than in many years.
If you made it this far, thank you! Thank you for your support. You can help by commenting below and sharing via your social media account.
The featured image in today’s post is my Cape Hatteras Christmas ornament. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. You can find this ornament along with several others on my Etsy store.