By Victoria Jane
Anyone who has suffered with some sort of mental breakdown in the past, and managed to pull through, will assure any other sufferer that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Depression can leave you feeling helpless, exhausted, confused and zombified. However, with a little help and perseverance sufferers will soon start to heal from depression, feel normal again, and get back on their feet in no time…
10 Signs that you are starting to heal from depression and anxiety…
1. You no longer dwell on negative thoughts from others
You’re starting to ignore the billion horrible comments made by your toxic ex. You start to brush off all those nasty phrases once voiced about you from the high school bully. You’re starting to recognise that the negative thoughts that you have been experiencing about yourself are simply just thoughts. They’re without any real substance or justification. You no longer deal with current negative comments made by others and oneself by going into complete meltdown for days. You’re beginning to recognise your negative thought triggers almost instantaneously now. You’ve learnt to nip these in the bud before they escalate out of control. You start to think more positively and begin to recognise and maintain your self-worth.
2. You no longer feel afraid to ask for help
You’ve already boxed off that first GP appointment, you’ve sought after therapy, tried medication, confided in your closest friends, family and employer. You now no longer feel the need to hide the fact that you still struggle from time to time and you openly reach out to people without feeling as ashamed or as inadequate as you once felt.
3. You are starting to feel again
The fog is starting to lift and you are no longer feeling entirely numb on the inside and out. You start to regain your sense of humour and you feel a little more confident and content with life. Warm feelings start flooding back and you no longer feel like a complete zombie 24/7. You cry when you need to, laugh when you want to and you are genuinely starting to feel more human again.
4. You no longer beat yourself up about everything and anything
You accept that you are not perfect and that no one else is, you continue to make mistakes just like everyone else on the entire planet, with the newly found knowledge that you no longer feel completely shameful about making any mistakes. You’re starting to accept that you can’t change past events and you continue to learn and grow. You’re no longer beating yourself up about not completing simple tasks, you try your best and try harder the next day. You no longer feel like you are failing in every area of your life and you reward yourself for small achievements.
5. You experience more better days now than bad ones
On the odd day you still feel down in the dumps. But you no longer mope and cry nearly every single day of the week. You learn to take each hour and day as it comes and you start to feel genuinely happier over longer periods of time.
6. You are gaining more control over your life
You’re making better life decisions and prioritising more. You’re feeling more productive and starting to think more clearly about things. You no longer over-think things and presume the worst case scenario in everything that you do. You’re making small changes daily to improve your quality of life and benefit your loved ones.
7. You are starting to regain your appetite
Hunger signals are starting to re-appear. You’re beginning to listen and take note to what your body actually requires. You start to recognise when you need to rest, eat and exercise and action these appropriately. You no longer feel the need to replace evening meals with alcohol and you start to really look after your body and mind.
8. You no longer rely on others to make you happy
Your self-esteem is starting to pick up and you are learning to love yourself more. You realise that you no longer require the love from others to boost your self-esteem. Everyone desires to feel loved on some level, however, you no longer look for love from other people because you are starting to really appreciate yourself and what you do have around you, you view everything else as just a bonus.
9. You no longer feel socially awkward
You no longer shy away or make excuses for ducking out on plans. Future events become something to look forward to, you enjoy meeting new people and love trying out new things. You tend to say yes to things rather than no. You’re genuinely feeling more excited and more confident about things to come.
10. You look forward to the future
The future that you had once dreaded because you had convinced yourself that you were completely losing the plot, required sectioning indefinitely and that you’d be stuck in a miserable mess forever is no longer an issue for you now. You have come through the darkest of days and you are now feeling stronger, more in control, and incredibly confident. You have much a better outlook on life. You’re now genuinely looking forward to what the future brings for you.
UNITED STATES
UNITED KINGDOM
[…] later I understood more than ever why these two beautiful people did what they did. Depression and anxiety hit me hard, but I’d learnt from them that leaving this life behind wouldn’t end my […]