Mental Health Day

Apparently, today is Mental Health Day. This is an awareness day I am all the way on board with. I'm pretty open when it comes to my struggles with anxiety and depression, but I guess I don't generally talk about it unless asked. So, today, I'm going to talk about it.

One of the (many, many) super awesome and fun things about having a dysfunctional thyroid is that you are more prone to anxiety and depression. So, I've been dealing with various forms and levels of both since my teens. I've dealt with them in a variety of ways, from therapy to meds, to exercise and diet - sometimes all of the above - to varying degrees of success.

Some people have told me things like, "I started taking Vitamin D and my anxiety disappeared!" And I think that's amazing and it makes me happy in a very genuine way. HOWEVER. That shit doesn't cut it for me. I take Vitamin D. I still have awful anxiety.

I also have residual anxiety, and let's be honest, a bit of residual depression, from a few traumatic events in my past. The word "trigger" has become this weird, catch-all insult to people with Liberal politics and that's annoying to me, because in actual fact, there are things that can happen around me that actually do trigger my anxiety. It's a very real thing. If that makes me a snowflake then what the eff ever, because honestly, if you have to resort to making fun of another person's mental health to feel better about yourself then you're way worse off than I am, bruh.

I have also dealt with depression. I've had days when I couldn't get out of bed. If you've never experienced it, it's really difficult to understand. But when you're in it, the exhaustion you feel is extremely real. It feels like you're sick. You could sleep 12 hours and it wouldn't be enough.

And depression and anxiety are both filthy liars. And a really good ones. They tell you things like that you're worthless. That your friends aren't really your friends. That your family would be better off without you. That terrible things are in store. All kinds of things. I feel truly grateful that I'm at a point in life where I can generally stop for a moment and realize these things are not true. But that effort can be downright exhausting.

Be aware. Keep an eye on the people in your life. Pay real attention. Be an ear. Be a safe place to land. You never know who you might save.