Anxiety

  • Sharing – Is Mental Illness “Abnormal” If It’s Super Common?

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    I like this comparison to the flu, because the flu is something we all deal with in one form or another, and most people struggle with it for a time, and then get better. Some get treatment, and get better. Some get treatment, and don’t get better. Some have it worse than others, some let it linger without treatment and it becomes a more serious problem, etc. And some people, just don’t get the flu much at all, for some reason.

    That sounds a lot like the diverse ways many of us deal with mental health struggles. Some are more dangerous than others, but many, many people end up dealing with it, even if just for short time.

    Perhaps, if we viewed depression, anxiety, as something closer to the flu, as opposed to something to be kept secret at all costs, more people would have minor cases that are treated and recover quickly, as opposed to letting them fester and become more complicated. And the folks with more complex issues, akin to pneumonia, would not be told to just suck it up because it’s all in their head. They’d get the treatment that their illness requires, because we all recognize that mental health issues are easily as common as physical health issues, and there’s no weakness associated with them.

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    Sharing – 70% of Calls to India’s National Mental Health Helpline Were From Men

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    One, it’s clear that talking about mental health issues is something that younger people are more comfortable with, and the prevalence of people under 40 who called this helpline shows that.

    Two, the fact that this helpline was completely anonymous, and that most of the callers were men, would indicate that the stigma surrounding men asking for help is still alive and well, in India, and I would guess many other places as well. But, give them a way for them to discuss it anonymously, and they’ll be on it.

    So how do we address that stigma so men don’t have to find an anonymous helpline and can talk about mental health issues among family, friends, and therapists.

  • Sharing – How to Draw On Your Psychological Resources

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    None of these things is going to “fix” the stress and anxiety we are all feeling, but they can build up the resources we need to face it and go forward. Developing these skills is an important part of dealing with difficulties, and for survivors, they are also an important part of healing. The more strength you have in these areas, the better prepared you are to heal and move forward.

    We often talk about the cup analogy, not being able to pour from an empty cup, but this article gives you really concrete ways to make sure your cup has something in it.

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    Sharing – The 18 Best Books About Anxiety for Kids and Parents

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    here’s a pretty good selection, take a look if you think it might help. I definitely agree that, especially with younger children, they won’t have the words to talk about feeling anxiety, or to understand what is normal nervousness versus life-altering levels of anxiety. As a parent, it can be difficult to know. Maybe, one of these books might help.

    What books have you read about anxiety that you would recommend?

  • Sharing – People Aren’t ‘Addicted’ to Wearing Masks, They’re Traumatized

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    ‘ve been describing it to friends and coworkers as “the inability to just turn off the fear of other people and their germs”. Because, in some ways, that’s exactly what it was. I’ve spent a year plus barely leaving my house. Sure, I worked from home even before the pandemic, but it’s an extreme sport now, going into the back yard is an adventure into a strange and exotic place, let alone being around other people.

    Yesterday, however, I did manage to get out and meet up with a friend and former coworker. I won’t say it wasn’t awkward. But, it wasn’t as awkward as my anxiety had built it up in my head, mostly because I think we both knew it was awkward, and went out of our way to figure out what we were comfortable with. We met in the office building where she works, wearing masks. She asked if I wanted to keep being masked walking to lunch, and we agreed to not, and to sit outside to be safer. And she asked before giving me a hug after lunch.

    It was an important lesson to me, that we need to navigate this together with the people we care about, and meet them at the level where they are comfortable. It’s not about racing to be the most “normal” group, it’s about making sure everyone comes along, and is comfortable, because we’ve all dealt with various levels of trauma over the last 14-15 months, trauma that will show up in a variety of ways. There’s nothing wrong with people who are slower to feel comfortable, they are just doing what they can. I’d rather meet them where they are, and where I am, than not see them at all anymore, or shame them about their own hesitation. It’s not a race.

  • Sharing – Allowing Survivors of Suicide Loss to Be Honest

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    As Brandy shares, processing grief can sometimes mean being angry, or feeling things about the death of a loved one that don’t always jive with how we’d want suicide reported, but these are not spokespeople, advocates, or reporters, they are people dealing with their own pain.

    Maybe, if we want people to speak their truth, we need to give them the room to express it the way they feel it, not silence them in the interest of not hearing terms we don’t love.